How much does it cost the employing agency?
The employing agency pays the full market / cost rent to Housing Programs Directorate (HPD) plus an administration fee of $30 per week. For more information please see the Administration Fee Policy.
Fees and charges are invoiced to the agency on the first day of each month. The agency pays the full fees and charges whether the property is occupied by an employee or not. If the agency decides that the property is no longer required, their lease can be terminated and the property will be offered to another agency (if required).
Rental values reflect the cost of providing housing in regional and remote locations, and are reviewed annually.
- Leased Properties – HPD pays the full rent to the property owner and passes the full rent on to the agency
- Owned properties in market locations – Rent is based on market values in locations where there is a viable property market.
- Owned properties in non-market locations – Rent is based on the cost to procure the property in locations where there is no viable property market. For more information please see the Cost Recovery Rent Policy.
Agencies may also be charged service and / or furniture fees where applicable. For more information please see the Serviced Units Policy and Furniture Policy.
The agency will receive subsidised rent from their employee, but they must fund the ‘gap’ between the full rent and the amount recouped from the employee.
How much rent does the employee pay?
In general, government employees occupying Government Regional Officers’ Housing (GROH) accommodation enjoy significant rental subsidies. This facilitates the attraction and retention of staff in regional and remote areas.
The amount of rent paid by the government employee (i.e. tenant) is guided by the Tenant Rent Setting Framework (TRSF). The framework discounts the Perth median rent to take into consideration:
- Age and design of the property
- Amenity level of the location
- Distance from Perth
- Distance from a regional centre, and
- Distance from the coast.
The TRSF sets the maximum amount that the tenant can be charged for a particular type of property in each location. The employing agency can provide housing to their employee at no cost or charge the maximum amount set by the policy.
You can calculate your rent repayments using the GROH Tenant Rent Calculator.