Rent arrears assistance - Work and Income
If you have overdue rent and you're worried you will lose your housing, you can talk to Work and Income for support.
If money is tight and you're worried you'll lose your housing because you owe rent, you may be able to get Rent Arrears Assistance.
You don't need to be on a benefit to qualify for this help.
It's a one-off payment.
You'll need to pay the money back. We'll put a repayment plan in place to suit your financial circumstances.
Who can get it
You may be able to get Rent Arrears Assistance if you:
are 16 or older
have signed the tenancy agreement (or you're a tenant by way of a Family Violence Act order)
have overdue rent you need to pay
may be evicted because you haven't paid your rent
are able to stay there if you pay the rent you owe, eg:
your tenancy isn't about to expire
you can afford to keep paying the rent.
What you can get
How much you get depends on the amount of rent you owe. The most you can get is $2,000 and you'll need to pay it back.
You can only get this payment once in 12 months unless there are exceptional situations, eg:
sickness or injury, or
you're in a family violence situation, or
a victim of violent crime.
How to apply: Call us
If you're:
getting NZ Super or Veteran's Pension, call Senior Services on 0800 552 002
a student, call StudyLink on 0800 88 99 00
getting another payment from Work and Income, call us on 0800 559 009
not getting any payments from Work and Income, call us on 0800 559 009.
We'll book you an appointment to discuss your application.
Read more about rent arrears assistance here:
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/housing/live-in-home/housing-costs/rent-arrears.html#null