WHO ARE WE?

Brisbane Boarders Ltd is a public company limited by guarantee registered under the Corporations Act 2001. We are a not-for-profit community based organisation, registered by the Australian Taxation Office as a Public Benevolent Institution  Income Tax Exempt Charity and a Deductible Gift Recipient.

There are 13 employees who administer the day to day affairs of the Company including office, property maintenance, tenancy management and a range of tenant caretakers.

 Our staff and Directors possess a diverse range of professional qualifications, skills and experience, including:

All systems and procedures are fully documented and form part of our overall Management Plan.

Our tenants are housed in over 350 units of accommodation, ranging from traditional boarding house rooms and bed-sits to houses and apartments. Most of our properties are located in the inner suburbs of Brisbane, but our portfolio is spread across a wide area, from Stafford to Ipswich.

The accommodation that we lease out to individuals, couples and families is supplied by such organisations as Brisbane City Council, Department of Housing, Brisbane Housing Company and private developers.

Our organisation has traditionally focused on the provision of social and community housing but confronted with the escalating housing crisis in South East Queensland we have in recent years become increasingly involved in the provision of affordable housing.

WHAT IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

Affordable housing is accommodation for those who are economically disadvantaged.  A tenant is deemed to be in ‘rental stress’ if the rent payable exceeds 30% of the tenant’s gross income (after taking Commonwealth Rent Assistance if available into account). 

To qualify as affordable housing, the rent payable must be no greater than 74.9% of market rents for similar properties in similar areas. Market rents are usually determined in consultation with real estate agents and valuers. The Department of Housing has developed more specific affordability criteria which are required to be complied with for Brisbane City Council approved affordable housing projects.

Unlike social and community housing, which is usually constructed, purchased or owned by government or charitable organisations, affordable housing projects are generally constructed by private developers.

WHAT ARE ‘AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS’?

Affordable housing projects are projects where developers build low cost accommodation to rent at affordable housing rates for the first ten years of residency.  Ownership stays with the developer until the ten years expires whereupon the developer can then decide whether to hold or sell. As part of the Covenant which is applied to this project by the Council, it is generally necessary that the property is managed by a community housing provider for the duration of the 10years. After this time, the rental rates can be at market level and the requirement for a community housing provider to manage it is no longer necessary.

While gross rental returns from affordable housing projects are of course generally lower, the cost of constructing affordable housing projects are also generally lower.  A developer can therefore achieve a profitable rate of return while at the same time helping to address a serious social problem within the community, provided of course that the project is managed and administered carefully and properly.  This is where our organisation can help.

HOW CAN WE HELP THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPER?

1.   Special considerations with development approval

We can use our experience in affordable housing projects to help the developer obtain useful cost-saving special considerations in the development approval process.  In the past, these have included allowances for higher density, reduced car parking requirements, higher ground floor area for the block and even reduced rates for headworks.

2.    BBL relationships with government

Our staff have developed good working relationships with both local and State government departments. These relationships have in the past proved successful in achieving useful outcomes for clients interested in developing affordable housing projects.

3.   Staff assistance through planning stage

Our staff are happy to be consulted during the planning phase of such projects, generally without charge. However, where detailed consultations or specialist advice is sought, a fee for service arrangement may apply.

4.  Tenancy and property management services

Our organisation has over 11 years experience in providing specialised tenancy and property management services for social and affordable housing projects.  We recognise the importance of both meeting the special needs of the tenants and achieving the financial expectations of the developers and owners, and we consistently achieve low vacancy rates, low arrears and low bad debts.

Our tenancy management services include the management of:

• wait lists, including assessing applicants, interviewing applicants, reviewing status of list and allocating accommodation. This also requires effective ongoing liaison with various referral and support agencies;
• rent collection, including management of arrears, RTA processes, etc;
• dispute resolution;
• tenant participation;
• lease renewals;
• bond collections and disbursements;
• tenants to ensure they achieve a sustainable tenancy.

Our property management services include the provision of:

• regular property inspections;
• responsive maintenance;
• planned maintenance; and
• other services as negotiated (including cleaning, gardening, etc).

HOW CAN WE HELP THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TENANT?

Some of the specific features of our approach to tenancy management which help maintain long term tenants are:

• encouraging and assisting our tenants to qualify for and receive maximum rent assistance;
• ensuring that all of our tenants are protected through full compliance with the Residential Tenancies Act, giving them a greater sense of security;
• assisting our tenants to qualify for a Bond Loan from the Department of Housing; and
• assisting our tenants to maintain their tenancies through independence of living and if necessary and agreed to, support from other agencies to assist them in those areas affecting their tenancy.

Our approach to tenancy management focuses upon achieving an effective tenant mix to promote better social outcomes. Tenant participation in the management of the property is encouraged through regular communication in the form of newsletters and tenant meetings. We ensure that consultation occurs where significant matters are likely to impact on tenants. These and other such initiatives have resulted in our tenants developing a sense of “social ownership” of the properties they occupy, which in turn results in benefits to the developer/owner in the form of more stable tenancies, lower maintenance and repair costs and, most importantly, satisfaction from knowing that those in need are being given not just shelter but a home.