For information and advice on your housing options in Tasmania, including applying for community housing, please contact Housing Connect on 1800 800 588
Community housing is safe, affordable and secure rental housing provided by not-for-profit organisations to those who are unable to afford a private rental. Shelter Tas has a list of the main community housing providers in Tasmania, and for further information please contact Housing Connect.
Community housing providers are a key and growing part of the Tasmanian social housing sector. The community housing sector provides 10,139 community housing rental properties, according to the latest data from the Report on Government Services 2025, which is over half of all social housing.
Community housing comprises a diverse range of affordable housing options to low-medium income tenants. There are about 100 community housing organisations in Tasmania, ranging from small organisations with only one or two properties, all the way up to not-for-profit organisations managing thousands of properties. The largest community housing providers in Tasmania are:
For community housing provided through Housing Connect, rent is calculated based on the specific circumstances of each tenant and take into account:
1. The tenant’s total household income and/or your Centrelink benefit
2. The amount of Commonwealth Rent Assistance the tenant is eligible for from Centrelink.
Rent is set at up to 30% of the tenant’s total assessable household income plus 100% of any eligible Commonwealth Rent Assistance. The tenant’s contribution cannot exceed 75% of the market rent, which is periodically reviewed.
The Commonwealth Rent Assistance and rent is used by community housing providers to provide housing services like maintenance, upgrades, housing support and community programs.
Community housing under other programs such as the National Rental Affordability Scheme uses a rent model that charges less than 75% of market rent. This provides a discount to tenants, but there is still a risk that a household can experience housing stress, especially if household composition or income changes.
Indigenous Community Housing is the national term for housing that is owned or managed by an Indigenous community housing organisation. In Lutruwita/Tasmania, the preferred term is Aboriginal Community Housing.
There are two Tasmanian Aboriginal community housing organisations: Cape Barren Island Aboriginal Association Inc (CBIAAI) and Flinders Island Aboriginal Association Inc (FIAAI).
As at 30 June 2024, there were 96 Aboriginal community housing dwellings in Lutruwita/Tasmania. See the Report on Government Services webpage (Housing – part G, section 18).
Housing cooperatives are governed by tenants, who provide tenancy management and maintenance of housing, and can be owned by government or an individual cooperative of tenant shareholders.
Some community housing organisations have a specific purpose or function, such as tenancy management, housing development or for specific target groups such as people with a disability, youth, or aged.