Eligibility criteria

Before applying for registration

We encourage organisations to consider and discuss potential registration within the organisation, particularly the Board, to think about where a community housing business could sit, who it would serve and how it might be funded and operate.

Here are some resources that might help you decide if registration is right for your organisation:

Performance Standards and Guidelines, which sets out the mandatory requirement all registered providers must meet
Guidance Notes, which explain the rationale for regulatory requirements and how to meet them
the Public Housing Plan(external link), which will help you understand how you might contribute to the broader housing system by providing housing of the type and in the locations desired by the Government.

Registration makes you eligible to enter into a contract to house tenants from the Public Housing Register and to be paid the Income Related Rent Subsidy (IRRS), but it is at HUD's discretion as to whether you will receive a contract for such service.

To be eligible to register as a Community Housing Provider (CHP), you must meet our eligibility criteria and show that your organisation can meet the Performance Standards. These standards provide the Government with an assurance that community housing tenants are housed appropriately and their rights are protected.

To be eligible for registration as Class 1: Social Landlord:

You must be a housing provider with the objective of providing community rental housing and/or affordable rental housing or have detailed plans to establish such a provider.
Your governing body must, after reviewing the Performance Standards(external link), support the application for registration.
CHRA must be satisfied that you have the capacity to meet the Performance Standards.

Exclusions from registration

The following organisations are currently excluded from registration as a Class 1: Social Landlord:

Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities (formerly Housing New Zealand)
Local authorities and council-controlled organisations. A subsidiary of a local authority or council-controlled organisation may apply to register, so long as it is operating at arm’s length from the local authority. The subsidiary must be genuinely operating independently i.e. not part of the parent body’s corporate structure. This should be evident from its constitution, membership of its governing body, and its governance and financial management structures.

Encouraging diversity

CHRA welcomes applications from providers serving diverse communities, such as Māori providers, or providers serving Pacific peoples. These will help to grow the sector’s capability to provide high-quality, culturally appropriate community housing that addresses the needs of the widest possible range of people.

The same Performance Standards and Guidelines apply to all applicants, but registered CHP status is not a ‘one size fits all’ system.

For example, CHRA particularly welcomes Māori applicants, which are encouraged to deliver community housing in ways that align with their kaupapa and tikanga, to meet the required Performance Standards.