NSW Local Scheme

Purpose of the NSW Local Scheme

Some organisations are not eligible to register as community housing providers under the Community Housing Providers National Law. The NSW Local Scheme allows some of these organisations to register to provide community housing in New South Wales.

The NSW Local Scheme:

• has requirements that are as similar as possible to the National Regulatory System for Community Housing (NRSCH)
• makes sure that any help the NSW Government gives to these providers is appropriately protected
• is focused on registering NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs).

The Minister for Family and Communities in 2017 laid out these requirements. This was through an amendment to the Community Housing Providers (Adoption of National Law) Act 2012 (NSW).

Benefits of registering under the NSW Local Scheme

It's not mandatory for organisations to register under the NSW Local Scheme. But organisations registered under either the NRSCH or the NSW Local Scheme:

• are eligible for help in the form of housing, land or funding
• can only keep this help for as long as they are registered
• may be eligible for funding or funded housing services from other government agencies if they are registered.

Which organisations are eligible to register under the NSW Local Scheme

Registration is open to organisations that:

• are incorporated as a Local Aboriginal Land Council
• can show they will protect any assets or help provided by the NSW Government if the organisation is no longer in business (winds up) or is no longer registered
• can demonstrate an ability to meet and stay compliant with the NSW Local Scheme Regulatory Code
• provide, or plan to provide, community housing services.

The NSW Local Scheme Regulatory Code

The NSW Local Scheme Regulatory Code:

• aligns to the National Regulatory Code
• sets out the rules that allow community housing providers to take part in the NSW Local Scheme
• describes the outcomes expected from registered community housing providers.

These outcomes are in the areas of:

• tenant and housing services
• housing assets
• community engagement
• governance
• probity (integrity and honesty)
• management
• financial viability.

Helping community housing providers to register

Some community housing providers applying to register may not have had to meet the outcomes set out in the Regulatory Code before. The Registrar provides support to LALCs (and other eligible providers) to help them:

• improve their organisation’s ability to meet NSW Local Scheme requirements
• successfully register.

We will help providers to identify the areas they need to work on and invite them to apply again if they:

• do not yet meet the requirements to register
• need to make significant improvements before being eligible to register.

Ensuring compliance of registered community housing providers

One of our priorities is making sure the community housing sector in NSW is sustainable. We actively monitor the compliance of registered community housing providers.

We do this through:

• regular formal assessments (annually for larger providers, and once every 2 years for small providers)
• as-needed assessments (when we receive a complaint or other information that leads us to believe a housing provider may not be meeting requirements).

Registered providers are also expected to track their own organisation’s compliance and notify us if:

• they suspect any non-compliance
• there is a significant change in their operations.

When needed, we will:

• investigate providers
• take enforcement action to protect community housing tenants and the sustainability of the community housing sector.

NSW Local Scheme Provider Register

The NSW Local Scheme Provider Register lists the details of all community housing providers (current and former) registered under the NSW Local Scheme. This document is updated as changes occur.

Information access and sharing

Our policy on collecting and disclosing information related to the NSW Local Scheme aligns to:

NRSCH Information access and sharing policy.

Tools to assist in applying for registration

There are a number of documents available that will assist you in applying for registration. These documents can be accessed on our resource page.