How we assess applications | Community Housing Regulatory Authority

The first 30 working days of the application process is a lodgement phase. During this phase, we’ll be assessing whether your application meets the eligibility criteria (external link). We’ll also review the supporting documents to make sure you have provided the information we need to assess whether you can meet the Performance Standards.

We aim to make a decision within 60 working days of receiving a complete application with all the required supporting evidence. Incomplete applications will take longer to assess.

How do we decide?

When we review applications for registration, we want to know that:

community housing tenants will be housed appropriately for the duration of their housing need
their rights under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986(external link) are protected at all times.

We will determine this by assessing applicants’ capacity to meet the five Performance Standards:

Governance: The provider will ensure it is well-governed at all times.
Management: The provider is managed in a safe, efficient, and effective manner at all times.
Financial viability: The provider demonstrates financial viability and solvency at all times.
Tenancy management: The provider is a responsive and effective landlord.
Property and asset management: The provider manages its housing assets in a manner that ensures properties are suitable.

After we evaluate the application, we’ll make a recommendation to the Manager, who will make the decision on whether the applicant should be registered.

Our principles

To help guide our work, we have a set of principles we apply when assessing applications for registration and continued compliance with the Performance Standards:

Proportionality
We consider the level of risk CHPs and their tenants are exposed to, including size, scale, location and experience in carrying out regulated activities.

For registration, this means assessing whether the policies, procedures and systems an organisation has in place demonstrate the capacity to meet the Performance Standards for an organisation of its size, and scale of housing provision. For example, we would not expect a small CHP with 10 houses and no aspirations for growth to produce a detailed strategic plan.

Transparency
This principle involves CHRA being able to justify decisions, and being open to public scrutiny. We collect, use and share the information we obtain consistent with Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Transparency Statement.

Fairness and consistency
We have fair, clear and open processes, and our decisions are made in an unbiased and consistent manner.