Dear approved participant
Statement of Compliance processing in 2014-15 for approved participants lodging
for the first time
This letter is intended to provide some practical guidance for approved participants who
are lodging their Statements of Compliance for the first time. This letter will provide you
with information on submitting your Statements of Compliance, our requirements for
market rent valuations and general information on our timelines and processes.
All approved participants are required to lodge a Statement of Compliance for each
National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) dwelling. These statements are due to
the Department of Social Services (the Department) by 30 June 2015. When your
Statements of Compliance have been entered into the NRAS Portal and are ready to be
assessed, please advise the Department. This is done by emailing the NRAS helpdesk
at nras@dss.gov.au with #2014-15 <approved participant name> in your email
subject line.
The market rent valuation you have provided, when your NRAS dwellings were first
available for rent, will be reviewed as part of 2014-15 processing for the Statements of
Compliance. This is primarily to check that rent charged to eligible tenants is no greater
than 80 per cent of the market value rent. The Department will review lodged market
rent valuations to check for a range of legislative requirements, including:
 Correct dwelling address was used and matches the address stated in the NRAS
portal
 Weekly market rent that would be charged at 100 per cent market value rent
 Market rent value which is GST exclusive.
To provide some reassurance that your Statements of Compliance have addressed the
necessary requirements of the legislation, the Department has prepared a checklist.
Please take the time to review its contents and use it to guide your preparations.
The checklist is attached for your reference.
After you notify the Department using #2014-15 <approved participant name> that
you are ready for your Statements of Compliance to be assessed, the Department will
begin processing. Our approach for 2014-15 is to review and verify compliance of all
your Statements of Compliance as one batch. Following this, we will proceed with
issuing of NRAS incentives for dwellings which are fully compliant and we will notify
approved participants of any NRAS dwellings which have non-compliance issues to be
resolved, or where further information is required.
The Department has employed additional staffing resources to ensure we have the
number of people required to efficiently process lodged Statements of Compliance.
To assist in receiving your NRAS incentives as efficiently as possible, the Department
requests that you follow the advice outlined in the checklist attached. Furthermore, by
PO Box 7576 Canberra Business Centre ACT 2610
Email  Facsimile  Telephone 1300 653 227
National Relay Service: TTY: 133 677, Speak and listen: 1300 555 727, Internet relay: www.relayservice.com.au
www.dss.gov.au
following up non-compliance issues in a timely manner, the Department can finalise the
processing of your 2014-15 Statements of Compliance.
In the meantime, if you have any further queries about the 2014-15 process or general
NRAS Regulation or policy queries, contact the Department via email at
nras@dss.gov.au.
Yours Sincerely
Damian Coburn
Branch Manager
NRAS and Gambling
29 May 2015
Enc
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NRAS 2014-15 incentive payment processing summary checklist
This checklist summarises the issues that DSS will review in assessing claims.
Statement of Compliance: lodged for each dwelling; and within required timeframe.
NB. If the claim is submitted late, an appropriate lodgement extension form must be
lodged prior to 30 June 2015.
First year market rent valuation: lodged for each dwelling within required
timeframe.
o completed by a registered valuer;
o the specific and correct dwelling address (including unit and street number) to which
the valuation relates, as listed in the NRAS Portal;
o correct bedroom number for the dwelling as listed in the NRAS Portal;
o the specific and correct date in respect of which the valuation has been made (which
is the date that the dwelling first became available for rent);
o the weekly market rent that would be charged at 100 per cent market rent;
o the actual condition of the dwelling in respect of which the valuation has been made
(for example furnished or unfurnished; new, reasonable wear and tear for four years,
or in need of significant renovation); and
o A market rent value which is GST exclusive.
NB. If the valuation cannot be submitted within 91 days for the respective date, the
relevant lodgement extension form needs to be submitted within the 91 day period.
Weekly rent charged: less than 80% of correct market rent value has been entered
into the NRAS Portal.
o Attach signed lease documents and rental ledgers where possible as supporting
evidence including:
o dwelling details including address
o lease dates aligning with and confirming the TDA dates
o The weekly rent charged
TDAs / tenant eligibility: TDAs address all requirements, including tenant income
meeting relevant thresholds.
o If a message appears advising that the TDA is under pending review, please ensure
all appropriate documentation is attached to the TDA to enable compliance
checking.
o Attach appropriate documentation to the TDAs, including but not limited to tax
returns, Notice of Assessment, payslips and Centrelink statements.
Rent increases: Rent increases meet State and Territory legislative requirements.
Assessment of days not rented: number of unavailable days; number of vacancy
days more than 91 days cumulatively in one year; number of combined vacancy and/or
unavailable days more than 182 days cumulatively in one year.
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