Property ownership
When the client or their partner (if any) has an interest in a property (house and/or land), their net equity is included as an asset in the means assessment of assets.
House and car exemption
Clients in rest homes who have a partner living in the community, automatically have the "house and car exempt" threshold $164,731 (as at 1 July 2026) applied to their means assessment. This threshold allows the net equity in the family home, in which their partner lives, to be exempt.
For previous asset thresholds see: Deskfile Asset thresholds.
For more information see:
Joint tenancy
Joint tenancy is the joint ownership of a property where all owners have an equal share.
To calculate joint tenancy you should assess equal shares in the property for all of the owners (that is 50% each for 2 people, 33.3% each for 3 people), and include the client and their partner's share as an asset in the means assessment of assets.
If the property has been registered as a joint family home under the Joint Family Homes Act 1964, the property is treated the same way as a joint tenancy for the purposes of valuation and the means assessment of assets.
Tenancy in common
Both the client and their partner's share of a tenancy in common (as set out in the title) are included as an asset in the means assessment of assets.
For more information see:
- Granny flats
- Farms
- Residential Care Subsidy Asset verification [no link find out why]
- Residential Care Subsidy Property ownership [no link find out why]
Legislation
- Applicable asset thresholds clause 1 schedule 2, Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018
- assets (definition) clause 4 schedule 2, Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018
- exempt assets (definition) clause 4 schedule 2, Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018
