Leigh Creek Housing Update

Friday, 19 January 2018

Leigh Creek Housing Update

As part of Leigh Creek’s transition to an open town, the State Government has expanded access to rental housing.

Availability of houses

Previously, access to housing in Leigh Creek was limited to people working 20 hours or more in the town, or holders of leases provided by Flinders Power.

Housing availability has now been expanded to support families with school aged children and to help sustain economic growth.

Residential tenancy agreements will now be provided to people who meet one of the following conditions:

*Supporting new/increased economic activities in the region
*Employed by Leigh Creek businesses or service providers for a minimum of 7.5 hours work per week in the town
*Have children enrolled in the Leigh Creek Area School in 2018
*Current tenants transferring to DPTI from Flinders Power Partnership (FPP) leases.

In line with the commitment to making Leigh Creek an open town, these conditions will be periodically reviewed.

Tenancy agreements and housing allocation

All current tenants and successful applicants will be offered the choice of a fixed term (until end 2018) or a periodic tenancy agreement.

To optimise the use of the available housing portfolio, the placement criteria for all new tenancies provided is:

*single persons – eligible for 2-bedroom flats
*couples (no children) – eligible for 2-bedroom flat or 3-bedroom house
*families (singles or couples with one child) – eligible for 2-bedroom flat or 3-bedroom house
*families (singles or couples with more than one child) – eligible for 3-bedroom house

Housing availability

Access will be managed as housing is upgraded and becomes available for occupation.

Important advice to applicants and tenants

*Potential tenants should consider the impact of forgoing the security of tenure they have with Housing SA, or their current landlord, by entering into a residential tenancy agreement in Leigh Creek.
*SA Water charges have now been introduced for all residents.
*Rents may increase after 31 December 2018.
*The terms of the lease may differ from Housing SA leases.
*There is no capacity to renovate / change the layout of dwellings to accommodate larger families.
*Applicants must meet criteria for residential tenancy agreements as required by DPTI.

2018 rent structure

The agreed rent structure is effective from 1 January for 2018. This will be consistently applied per dwelling (excluding Government Employee Housing).

*2 bedroom flat (unit) $77.25 per week
*3 Bedroom house$85.65 per week
*4 bedroom house$85.65 per week (very limited stock)

It is expected that the future market rent will be appraised by the State Valuations Office.

Demolition

The State Government plans to start demolishing surplus and substandard housing in 2018. This work will be managed in a staged process, with regular reviews to assess future demand.

Apply now

To apply for housing in Leigh Creek, please contact Mr Peter Thomas, Leigh Creek Transition Manager, DPTI, on 0437 729 373 or at peter.thomas5@sa.gov.au.