Strengthening your Rent Policy

Build a rent policy that supports affordability, strengthens compliance and makes day-to-day decisions easier. 

Overview

Rent policy sits where affordability, compliance and organisational viability all meet, and the pressures rarely pull in the same direction. A policy needs to be fair, consistent and defensible, while still working across multiple programs and regulatory requirements. 

This workshop provides a structured, practical approach to reviewing, developing or refreshing rent policy in a Victorian community housing context. Participants will explore regulatory and program settings, rent-setting models and affordability considerations, and examine the likely impacts of different policy choices. The focus is on creating a policy that stands up to scrutiny and supports confident, consistent rent decisions across the organisation. 

Why this course matters  

• Strengthen policy clarity and reduce inconsistent rent decision-making  

• Reduce complaints and disputes caused by unclear or outdated policy settings  

• Support affordability outcomes while maintaining organisational sustainability  

• Improve compliance confidence across programs, funding streams and regulatory expectations  

• Build a defensible rent policy that stands up to scrutiny  

• Support staff confidence by providing clearer guidance for day-to-day rent decisions  

What participants will learn  

• Key Victorian regulatory and program settings that shape rent policy requirements  

• Affordability considerations and how to assess renter impact in practice  

• How market-based and income-based rent models work, including strengths and limitations  

• Approaches for testing policy settings against risk, equity and sustainability goals  

• How to identify gaps, inconsistencies and unclear decision points in existing policies  

• Practical tools for reviewing rent policy and documenting decision pathways  

• Strategies for communicating rent policy decisions clearly to renters  

• Steps for developing an action plan to review or update organisational rent policy  

Who should attend  

• Policy and Compliance Staff  

• Housing and Tenancy Managers  

• Senior Housing Practitioners  

• Quality and Governance Staff  

• Finance and Revenue Staff involved in rent policy settings  

• Executive and Senior Leaders responsible for affordability and compliance decisions  

Organisational benefits  

• Stronger, clearer rent policy that supports consistent decision-making  

• Reduced organisational risk through improved defensibility and compliance alignment  

• Improved renter experience through clearer explanations and fewer disputes  

• Better alignment between affordability objectives and financial sustainability  

• Increased staff confidence and reduced escalation around complex rent decisions  

What participants will receive

• Practical tools and frameworks for rent policy review  

• Guidance on assessing affordability and organisational impacts  

• Resources to support policy drafting and decision documentation  

• Action planning activities to support next steps after the workshop  

Facilitator - Brett Wake

Brett has extensive experience in Community, Social and Affordable housing across the nonprofit sector and Government. He is a past CEO of the Community Housing Federation of Victoria and founding board member of CHIA (Vic). Brett was an executive manager with Community Housing Limited and more recently worked with Homes Victoria as Director Community Housing.