Dealing with conflicting information

Where you receive information that conflicts with information already held for social housing and/or benefit or student assistance purposes you must attempt to verify the situation with the client first. This can be undertaken by phone or in writing.

Once you have had this discussion with the client you need to make a decision on the next steps based on the information that you have. For example:

• you find the income declared in the benefit or student assistance space does not change the client's eligibility for social housing or Income Related Rent - you may make the change in the social housing system to correct the information but no other action would be taken
• a partner is declared in the social housing space but client is receiving Sole Parent Support - an interview would need to be booked to include the partner in the benefit

If the information is required to confirm housing you can contact the client in writing and require them to provide information to confirm (but not limited to) their circumstances in relation to their:

• eligibility to be allocated social housing or to be referred to any particular social housing provider
• housing needs (property requirements)
• Income Related Rent

If the client fails or refuses to answer (or answer satisfactorily) or you believe on reasonable grounds that the client has deliberately given false or misleading information in response to the information required, you may take the following actions.

For a prospective tenant:

• who is being assessed for eligibility to be allocated social housing:
  • suspend their application to determine whether the client is eligible to be allocated social housing or
  • decline the client's application to become a tenant of social housing
• who has been assessed as eligible for social housing but is on the register:
  • suspend the process to refer the client to Housing New Zealand or a community housing provider to be allocated a suitable house
  • decline the client's application to become a tenant of social housing and remove from the register
  • calculate an Income Related Rent for the client on the basis of the Ministry of Social Development's own understanding of the circumstances of the client (this information may be from other sources)
  • set the client's rate of Income Related Rent at the market rent

For an existing tenant (someone who is already eligible to be living in social housing):

• treat the client as having had a change in circumstances (and the date in change in circumstances) on the basis of the information you do have
• calculate an Income Related Rent for the client on the basis of the Ministry of Social Development's own understanding of the circumstances of the client (this information may be from other sources)
• set the client's rate of Income Related Rent at the market rent

For more information see:

• Social housing Income Related Rent
• Income Related Rent Increasing the rate of Income Related Rent to the market rent rate