Availability of suitable alternative housing in the area

The tenant may not be able to access suitable alternative housing if there is none available in the area where they currently live or need to live.

Note for alternative housing to be considered suitable, it does not have to be assessed against houses available in the lower quartile rent only. If the tenant has an affordability that indicates they have over 55% of their income available, a property might be considered suitable if it is above the lower quartile rent.

MSD would consider the tenant to have problems accessing suitable, alternative housing when:

• they can't find a modified property to suit their disability needs, for example with wheelchair ramps, modified showers, on a flat section
• there are no properties to suit their household size or type, for example there may be high demand or low supply of specific types of properties such as 1 bedroom units or 4 plus bedroom properties
• demand for housing generally is high, for example local real estate agencies have waiting lists for private rental listings and rent auctions are commonplace
• an assistance dog is required and is impacting on the tenant's ability to access alternative housing, for example a companion pet for an elderly person or guide dog for hearing assistance

Note a tenant must have made a reasonable effort to find suitable alternative housing.

If there are suitable houses available but the tenant can't access them, MSD needs to consider why.

It may be because of:

• discrimination preventing a tenant accessing these houses
• lack of cash resources for costs to move

Where appropriate MSD should work with the tenant to lessen these barriers.