Social Security Act 2018

Assistance - Accommodation supplement

65: Accommodation supplement: discretionary grant

You could also call this:

“MSD can give you money to help with housing costs if you qualify”

You can get an accommodation supplement from MSD (Ministry of Social Development) if you meet certain conditions. MSD can give you this supplement for a period they decide.

To get the supplement, you need to have accommodation costs. These are the costs you pay for where you live. You also need to meet the assets requirement, which is set out in other rules.

You can’t get the supplement if you’re excluded because of social housing or other funding reasons.

Accommodation costs can mean different things:

If you rent a place, it’s the amount you pay in rent, not including any extra service costs or money you owe from before.

If you own your home, it includes payments for your mortgage, repairs, rates, and house insurance. It doesn’t include service costs or any money you owe from before.

If you’re a boarder or lodger, it’s 62% of what you pay for your board or lodging, not including any money you owe from before.

If you share a home with others as a joint tenant or owner, your accommodation costs are the part of the total costs that MSD thinks you’re paying.

Service costs are things like electricity, gas, phone, or internet that you use in your home. Water isn’t counted as a service cost.

If MSD needs to work out your accommodation costs, they’ll do it in a way they think is fair.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783242.

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Part 2 Assistance
Accommodation supplement

65Accommodation supplement: discretionary grant

  1. MSD may grant a person (P), for the period that MSD determines, an accommodation supplement if—

  2. P has accommodation costs; and
    1. P meets the assets requirement (as set out in regulations made under section 423); and
      1. P is not excluded on either of the following grounds:
        1. the social housing exclusion:
          1. the other funding exclusion.
          2. In this subpart, unless the context otherwise requires,—

            accommodation costs, in relation to any person for any given period, means,—

            1. in relation to premises rented by the person, the amount payable by the person for rent of the premises, excluding any service costs included in that rent and any arrears:
              1. in relation to premises that are owned by the person, the total amount of all payments (including essential repairs and maintenance, local authority rates, and house insurance premiums, but excluding any service costs and any arrears) that,—
                1. subject to clause 18 of Schedule 3, are required to be made under any mortgage security for money advanced under that security to acquire the premises, or to repay advances similarly secured; or
                  1. MSD is satisfied are reasonably required to be made:
                  2. in relation to a person who is a boarder or lodger in any premises, 62% of the amount paid for board or lodging (excluding any arrears):
                    1. if a person is a joint tenant of, or an owner in common of, any premises with another person or other persons living in the premises, that applicant’s accommodation costs are the share of the total accommodation costs of the jointly tenanted, or commonly owned, premises that MSD is satisfied the person is paying

                      service costs, in relation to any premises,—

                      1. means the cost as reasonably determined by MSD of any services (for example, electricity supply, gas supply, telephone network connection, or broadband Internet connection) provided to or in connection with the premises for consumption or use by the occupants of the premises; but
                        1. does not include the cost of water supplied to the premises.

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