About the Housing Appeals Committee

The Housing Appeals Committee (HAC) is an independent agency that deals with appeals from people who are unhappy with an internal appeal decision made by Homes NSW or a registered provider of Community Housing.

Our service is free of charge, informal and accessible. Our values include:

• integrity
• trust
• service
• accountability.

Watch our video, ‘Making a difference in social housing’ to see how we help our clients.

The appeals process

We undertake merits review of each eligible Second Tier Appeal that is lodged. Reviews are based on information available to the Committee at the time of the appeal.

An appeal to HAC can be referred to as an:

• external appeal, or
• Second Tier Appeal.

We review decisions to see if they are:

• fair
• reasonable
• made within the policy of the housing provider.

We can make recommendations to social housing providers that either the original decision be:

• maintained, or
• be changed in full or in part.

We provide advice to social housing providers on issues to improve the consistency, efficiency and transparency of decisions.

You can find out how the appeals process works in our video, ‘Anna’s story’.

Our people

The Housing Appeals Committee is comprised of the Committee as well as the Secretariat.

Committee

Our Committee is appointed by Cabinet and comprises presiding chairs and members.

Members

Members are appointed by the Minister. The members bring a range of qualifications and skills including:

• knowledge of housing, community services, health, law, psychology and social welfare
• expertise in merits review
• an understanding of issues relating to service delivery for people with special needs and from communities 
• knowledge of social housing policies.

Presiding Chairs

Presiding Chairs are experienced Committee members who chair appeal hearings and prepare appeal reports following a hearing.

The Committee Secretariat operates as a business unit of Homes NSW to support its operations and obtain administrative and business support.

Manager

As executive head of the HAC, the Manager is accountable to the Minister for Housing. The Manager is also responsible for the administration of the Committee Secretariat. 

The Manager advocates for best practice decision making by social housing providers for their clients. 

Secretariat

The Secretariat provides business support to the Committee and is responsible for the corporate and operational functioning of the HAC.

The Secretariat is also the first point of contact for clients and social housing providers and informs all parties about the appeals process. The Secretariat does not determine the outcome of appeals.