Housing Law Brochure

Need help with a Public Housing or Tenancy Problem?

Call Housing Law on (02) 6218 7977.

Who are we?

Housing Law is a specialist legal service of Canberra Community Law (formerly Welfare Rights and Legal Centre) providing free and confidential legal help.

Housing Law can provide you with free legal advice if you are having problems with Housing ACT or a community housing provider in the ACT.

Some examples of problems we can help you with are:

  • Problems getting public housing
  • Evictions
  • Rent arrears - behind on rent
  • Housing transfers
  • Housing debts
  • Repairs and maintenance

We can also help:

Private Tenants

If you rent privately (from a landlord or via a real estate agency) and you have a low income and/or hold an Australian Government Health Care Card.

Occupants

If you have an occupancy agreement or live in a caravan park, hostel or boarding house.

How can Housing Law help you?

We can provide you with initial advice on your situation and the options you have.

In some cases we may also be able to:

  • Talk to Housing ACT on your behalf
  • Help you to challenge Housing ACT or Community Housing decisions
  • Represent you in Tribunal and Court hearings

Need Help with a Housing ACT or tenancy problem?

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Please call us on (02) 6218 7977

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The advice line is opened from 9.30am to 1pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

If you need an interpreter please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450 and ask them to ring us.

If you are deaf or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service at www.relayservice.gov.au

Feedback Welcome!

Canberra Community Law welcomes your feedback. You can telephone the Executive Director/Principal Solicitor on (02) 6218 7922 or by mail at PO Box 337, Civic Square ACT, 2608.

Alternatively you can write to the Chairperson care of our postal address marking your letter “Confidential”.

We cannot provide:

  • Advice to landlords
  • Advice on neighbourhood disputes
  • Advice which may lead to the eviction of another tenant (subject to limited exceptions)

If you are not on a low income you can obtain tenancy advice through the Tenants’ Advice Service on (02) 6247 2011.

We also have a series of fact sheets on common problems faced by people in public housing. These are available from our office (on request) and can be found on our Fact Sheets & Brochures Page.

Our other services and contacts are listed in the sidebar of this page.

An image of The Indigenous Flag & the Torres Strait Islander Flag

Canberra Community Law acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work in the ACT and surrounding region and pay our respects to their elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, traditions, the cultures and hopes of Australia's First Peoples.