Back to Annual Rent Review
When will CEHL send out my 2022/23 Household Information Form (HIF)?
When do I need to sign and return my 2022/23 HIF to CEHL?
What income evidence do I need to return if I am on Centrelink?
What happens if I do not supply a Household Information Form?
Why is CEHL sending out Household Information Forms via DocuSign this year?
How can I learn to use DocuSign?
How often can CEHL increase rent?
What does the Notice of Rent Increase tell me?
What can I do if I do not agree with my Maximum Rent amount?
What is an Assessed Rent and how is this treated in the Residential Tenancies Act?
What if I am National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) Tenant?
What if I am on a Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Pension?
Does the new Rent Model affect me this year?
Can I submit my Household Information Form in hard copy?
Can I get help submitting my Household Information Form using DocuSign?
Is DocuSign safe?
Can the information provided via DocuSign be recovered?
How are people finding DocuSign to use?
Will CEHL continue to use DocuSign after this year’s Rent Review?
HIF’s will be sent out from 8 February 2022. Please look for an email with the subject title; Please DocuSign: CEHL Household Information Form 2022/23
Once you received the email, *please open the document and follow all instructions, you will not need a password.
If you do not have access to email, please request a paper form, from either your:
a. Tenancy Co-ordinator: For CMC and VICWIDE renters only
b. Co-operative Development Co-ordinator: For CERC renters only
You must lodge your HIF and attached evidence of income before 29 March 2022. We kindly request that you only submit and sign your form, once all household income evidence is attached. You must declare all household income, for all individuals over the age of 16 in the home.
Refer to the Household Rent Guide 2022/23 available at www.cehl.com.au/Finance has further advice on the income evidence that CEHL will accept.
If you have previously signed a Centrelink Consent Form, you do not need to provide CEHL anything further.
We will download your Centrelink Income Statement on your behalf.
If you have not previously signed a Centrelink Consent Form, you must either
a. Fill in a Centrelink Income Consent Form. CEHL will obtain income information directly from Centrelink on your behalf
b. Provide a completed Centrelink Income Statement to CEHL with your Household Information Form
What happens if I do not supply a Household Information Form (HIF)?
If your household does not submit a HIF and all the required income evidence for all individuals 16 years and over by the due date:
CEHL has made this change as we have listened to feedback from co-op members and Program participants about difficulties accessing and submitting documents through the portal and by post.
Please see this great one minute video’s to assist you in using DocuSign
DocuSign eSignature: How to Sign a Document - YouTube
We can also give you one-on-one training over the phone with a CEHL staff member, to help you to submit the form using DocuSign. Contact CEHL on 9208 0800 or email FinServ@cehl.com.au for help.
CEHL undertakes an Annual Rent Assessment every year.
The Annual Rent Review process determines the amount of Rent Subsidy a renter may receive. Once CEHL have undertaken your Annual Rent Reassessment, you will receive a Rent Assessment Notice, commonly known as a RAN.
This notice provides you the amount of the assessed rent you will pay from 1, July 2022.
Assessed Rent can be increased or decreased anytime your circumstances change. It is important throughout the year, that you advise your rental provider of any changes to income of that are either an increases or decreases of $50.00 per week OR any changes to your Household Composition.
The Notice of Rent Increase provides 60-days notice of any change to the maximum rent amount. It is a legal document that all residential rental providers (landlords) are required to provide under the Residential Tenancies Act.
The Notice of Rent Increase lets you know the highest amount of rent that can be charged for a CEHL property. It is the rent amount for your property before a rental subsidy is applied.
The rent amount listed on the notice may not be the rent you will end up paying.
All CEHL program participants (renters) are eligible to apply for a rent subsidy during the Annual Rent Review.
If you are eligible for a rent subsidy, the amount you will pay is known as your Assessed Rent. CEHL will send the Rent Assessment Notice which will inform you of your payable rent
Watch the video to learn about the Notice of Rent Increase;
Under the Residential Tenancies Act, rental providers may only increase the Maximum Rent amount every 12 months.
You have the right to dispute the Maximum Rent amount with Consumer Affairs Victoria, information can be found on the form and must be actioned with 30 days.
Once you receive your Maximum Rent for 2022/23 if you do not agree with the Maximum Rent, you should:
Link to Rent increases - Consumer Affairs Victoria
Under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), CEHL can only increase the Maximum Rent amount every 12 months.
However, your assessed rent can change anytime if your circumstances change.
The definition of rental rebate is, "rental rebate means a rebate of rent, or any other reduction in rent, granted to a renter or a resident of a rooming house by the Director of Housing or a registered agency;".
A change to a rental rebate does not constitute a rent increase for the purposes of the RTA and that a 60-day notice of rent increase is only needed if there is a change to the market rent (i.e., unrebated rent) for the property.
If your household composition or income changes by more or less than $50 per week, you must advise your rental provider (landlord) within 14 days, and they will undertake a rent reassessment.
Additional information may be required. Usually this is required on the anniversary date of your lease. CEHL will advise you if and when you are required to supply this information.
What if I am on a Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Pension? (Excludes adequate means of support pension)
Some DVA pensions already include Commonwealth Rent Assistance. Please ask for your DVA Income Statement for housing purposes. This statement must itemise all income including rent assistance where received.
No, as of April 2021 no further caps applied and the transition to the new Rent Model is complete.
Yes, you can download and print a copy of the Household Information Forms, without agreeing to electronic use of DocuSign.Please follow the below instructions:
a) Instruct to download Household Information Form for 22/2:
Alternatively, if you would like a hard copy in the post of the Household Information Form, please email FinServ@cehl.com.au. Please note, due to Australia Post delays this hard copy may take 1-2 weeks to arrive based on your location.
Using DocuSign and email is our preferred method for the Annual Rent Review. Contact CEHL on 9208 0800 or email FinServ@cehl.com.au for help to use these methods.
We are committed to making our services user-friendly and accessible.
Can I get help submitting my Household Information Form using DocuSign?Yes, we can give you one-on-one training over the phone with a CEHL staff member, to help you to submit the form using DocuSign. Contact CEHL on 9208 0800 or email FinServ@cehl.com.au for help.
Is using DocuSign safe?
Yes. CEHL takes the security and privacy of our renters and members seriously.The process of sending and receiving information via DocuSign does not require personal information to be sent via an email. Instead, renters are informed via email of the requirement to sign a form and then access the forms via a link to the DocuSign website. Information is also returned direct to CEHL via the same direct and secure link.
CEHL has sought to reduce the risk of ‘phishing bots’ intercepting emails from personal accounts as well as the likelihood of mail going missing in the post to protect renter information. a) If a renter wishes to withdraw their information from DocuSign, CEHL has a process in place. When requested, we send a confirmation to the renter that this has been completed. b) DocuSign does not provide marketing or sell personal information to third parties. Information on this can be found on the DocuSign website here; Privacy Notice | DocuSign
Can the information provided via DocuSign be recovered?CEHL has easy access to information provided via DocuSign. Should historic copies of information be required, CEHL is only too happy to provide these upon request.
How are people finding DocuSign to use?CEHL has received a lot of positive feedback on the use of DocuSign in the first few days of use with most renters commenting on how easy they have found the DocuSign to use.
The Household Information Form is owned and produced by CEHL. If you have any comments on how we could improve this form for future Annual Rent Reviews, please send your feedback direct to Manager, Tenancy and Co-op Services at laura@cehl.com.au
Will CEHL continue to use DocuSign after this year’s Rent Review?CEHL has explored opportunities for products such as DocuSign and similar to enhance the service offering to new and existing renters and members.
While no firm commitment to such products has yet been made, it is likely that DocuSign or similar products will be used where they are perceived to provide an improvement to the overall service from CEHL.