Applications on the Victorian Housing Register (VHR)

The Victorian Housing Register (also known as ‘the VHR’) is where Victorians can register for social housing in Victoria.

Find more information on the VHR and the eligibility criteria, including how to apply for social housing.

Homes Victoria is committed to increasing transparency of social housing data. The VHR application data summarises demand for social housing and represents households who have applied and been assessed as meeting eligibility for social housing.

To uphold privacy information requirements, the release of the data is in line with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.

Data is accurate at the time of publication. Regular quality checks may result in small changes to previously published data.

Data is reported by:

• New applications on the VHR are people who are not current social housing residents and have applied for social housing in Victoria

Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria for social housing are placed on the VHR according to their housing need.

The VHR consists of 2 application types:

• Priority access: for people most in need of housing, and
• Register of interest: for people who do not have an urgent housing need but are seeking to live in social housing.

Applications by type — new applications only

There are 6 broad categories of priority access on the VHR. An eligible applicant must meet specific criteria within one of these categories to be approved for priority access. In addition to register of interest, new applicants are eligible for the following priority categories: 

• Emergency management housing (new applicants): for people whose housing is no longer safe or habitable, due to an emergency, for example, a bushfire, flood or storm
• Homeless with support (new applicants only): for people who are homeless or experiencing family violence and need support to obtain and establish appropriate, long-term housing
• Supported housing (new applicants only): for people who live in unsuitable housing and have a disability or long-term health problem requiring major structural modifications and/or personal support to live independently
• Special housing needs (new applicants): for people who are living in housing that has become unsuitable and who have no alternative housing options
• Special housing needs aged 55 years and over (new applicants only): for people who are eligible for social housing who are aged 55 years and over and are not eligible for another priority category. This category only applies to single people or couples.

Find further information on VHR application categories.

VHR category — new applications only

This data reports on VHR applications where the primary applicant has been approved to the VHR for the reason of family violence. Victim survivors of family violence may apply for any VHR category where they meet the criteria. There are also specific ‘family violence’ priority types within 2 priority access categories on the VHR where experiences of family violence are the basis of eligibility for social housing for new applicants: 

• Homeless with support – family violence (for new applicants only)
• Special housing needs – family violence (for new applicants only)

Applications approved for the reason of family violence - new applications only

This data reports on the number of households where one or more individuals identify as Aboriginal (which includes people who identify as Aboriginal, people who identify as Torres Strait Islander and people who identify as both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) and are approved for social housing on the VHR according to application type.

The Victorian Government is continuing to work with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to advance self-determination. This supports the Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework (VAHHF) – Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort: Every Aboriginal Person Has a Home which sets out a blueprint to improve Aboriginal housing outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians.

This section contains the following tables for households where one or more individuals identify as Aboriginal:

• New applications only, further reported by:
  • New priority access applications
  • New Register of interest applications

Households where one or more individuals identify as Aboriginal — new applications only

Households where one or more individuals identify as Aboriginal — new Priority access applications

Households where one or more individuals identify as Aboriginal — new Register of interest applications

The different household types on the VHR are outlined below:

• Single youth – one person on the application under the age of 25 years
• Single general – one person on the application between the ages of 25-54 years
• Couple with children – 2 people who are a couple on the application with dependants
• Single parent – one person on the application with dependants
• Couple no children – 2 people who are a couple on the application
• Group household – Households comprising of 2 or more single persons over the age of 18 years. The individuals may or may not be related. For example this could include 2 or more single people intending to live in a shared arrangement or a single parent with dependants whose family member/s are also living in the household.
• Elderly couple – 2 people on the application both over the age of 55 years with one household member related to the other household member
• Elderly single – one person on the application over the age of 55 years.

This section contains the following tables for household types:

• New applications only, further reported by:
  • New priority access applications
  • New register of interest applications

Household type — new applications only

Household type — new Priority access applications

Household type — new Register of Interest applications

Sharing data on the number of bedrooms a social housing applicant has been approved for provides transparency around demand for social housing properties by number of bedrooms.

The social housing sector aims to match eligible applicants to a suitable property with an appropriate number of bedrooms, in accordance with the Housing Size Guidelines.

Rooming houses are mainly accommodation for single people. There are several long-term social housing dwellings that are managed under the rooming house provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.

Registered Housing Agencies who manage properties using the rooming house provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 allocate eligible social housing applicants from the VHR. Applicants will need to select their preference for a rooming house when registering for social housing.

This section contains the following tables for number of bedrooms:

• New applications only, further reported by:
  • New priority access applications
  • New register of interest applications

Number of bedrooms — new applications only

Number of bedrooms — new Priority access applications

Number of bedrooms — new Register of interest applications

A preferred social housing provider includes both public housing, which is owned and managed by the Victorian Government, and community housing. Community housing is provided by a range of Registered Housing Agencies. Find the full list of Homes Victoria approved Registered Housing Agencies participating in the VHR.

When registering for social housing, applicants can choose if they only want to live in public housing, community housing or can choose to select both (that is they are happy to live in either public housing or community housing).

Preferred social housing provider — new applications only

Transfer applications on the VHR are people who are current social housing residents and have applied to move to another social housing property in Victoria as their circumstances have changed. Find more information on transfer applications.

Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria for social housing are placed on the VHR according to their housing need.

The VHR consists of 2 application types:

• Priority access: for people most in need of housing, and
• Register of interest: for people who do not have an urgent housing need but are seeking to live in social housing.

Applications by type — transfer applications only

There are 6 broad categories of priority access on the VHR. In addition to the register of interest, transfer applicants are only eligible for 3 priority categories:

• Emergency management housing (transfer applicants): for people whose housing is no longer safe or habitable, due to an emergency, for example, a bushfire, flood or storm
• Priority transfers (transfer applicants only): for existing social housing residents who require urgent relocation to another social housing property due to their current property being unsafe or unsuitable, being sold, redeveloped or better utilised
• Special housing needs (transfer applicants): for people who are living in housing that has become unsuitable and who have no alternative housing options

VHR category — transfer applications only

This data reports on VHR applications where the primary applicant has been approved to the VHR for the reason of family violence. Victim survivors of family violence may apply for any VHR category where they meet the criteria. There is also specific ‘family violence’ priority type within one priority access category on the VHR where experiences of family violence are the basis of eligibility for social housing for transfer applicants: 

• Priority transfers – family violence (for transfer applicants only)

Applications approved for the reason of family violence – transfer applications only

This data reports on the number of households where one or more individuals identify as Aboriginal (which includes people who identify as Aboriginal, people who identify as Torres Strait Islander and people who identify as both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) and are approved for social housing on the VHR according to application type.

The Victorian Government is continuing to work with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation’s to advance self-determination. This supports the Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework (VAHHF) – Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort: Every Aboriginal Person Has a Home which sets out a blueprint to improve Aboriginal housing outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians.

Households where one or more individuals identify as Aboriginal — transfer applications only

The different household types on the VHR are outlined below:

• Single youth – one person on the application under the age of 25 years
• Singles general – one person on the application between the ages of 25-54 years
• Couple with children – 2 people who are a couple on the application with dependants
• Single parent – one  person on the application with dependants
• Couple no children – 2 people who are a couple on the application
• Group households – Households comprising of 2 more single persons over the age of 18 years. The individuals may or may not be related. For example this could include two or more single people intending to live in a shared arrangement or a single parent with dependants whose family member/s are also living in the household.
• Elderly couple – 2 people on the application both over the age of 55 years with one  household member related to the other household member
• Elderly single – one  person on the application over the age of 55 years.

Household type — transfer applications only

Sharing data on the number of bedrooms a social housing applicant has been approved for provides transparency around demand for social housing properties by number of bedrooms.

The social housing sector aims to match eligible applicants to a suitable property with an appropriate number of bedrooms, in accordance with the Housing Size Guidelines.

Rooming houses are mainly accommodation for single people. There are several long-term social housing dwellings that are managed under the rooming house provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.

Registered Housing Agencies who manage properties using the rooming house provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 allocate eligible social housing applicants from the VHR. 

Applicants will need to select their preference for a rooming house when registering for social housing.

Number of bedrooms — transfer applications only

A preferred social housing provider includes both public housing, which is owned and managed by the Victorian Government, and community housing. Community housing is provided by a range of Registered Housing Agencies. Find the full list of Homes Victoria approved Registered Housing Agencies participating in the VHR.

When registering for social housing, applicants can choose if they only want to live in public housing, community housing or can choose to select both (that is they are happy to live in either public housing or community housing).

Preferred social housing provider — transfer applications only

When applying for social housing, applicants select their location preferences for where they want to live by choosing up to 5 ‘waiting list areas’. Waiting list areas, also known as ‘broadbands’, are generally made up of neighbouring suburbs and/or towns that are linked by public transport. Applicants may be offered a property in any suburb or town from their chosen waiting list areas.

Applicants can choose to list between one and 5 waiting list areas on their application. This means that when reporting on this data, up to 5 waiting list areas may be counted for one application, but not all applications will have 5 waiting list areas. On average, an applicant selects 2 to 3 location preferences. As a result, the total number of preferences will always be higher than the total number of applications on the VHR*.

For more information on preferred waiting list areas, please see the list of Victorian Housing Register areas.

*Disclaimer for preferred waiting list area report

Preferred waiting list area data aims to provide an applicant’s location preference(s) of social housing across Victoria. Preferred waiting list area data is derived by an applicant selecting up to 5 location preferences per application. As applicants can select up to 5 location preferences; a single applicant can therefore be counted anywhere from one to 5 times in the data set. There is no rank order for preferences selected. There is no comparability with number of applications on the wait list due to the variability of the number of preferences chosen by each applicant. 

Bedroom sizes are reported on by preferred waiting list area to indicate the type of housing size requirements an applicant is approved for. To uphold confidentiality and privacy requirements, figures between the numbers of 0-4 are reported as <5.

Fluctuations in numbers over time may be influenced by changes to allocation policies, priorities and eligibility criteria. 

Organisations who choose to use this published report for demand data modelling make strategic business decisions at their own risk.  

VHR application data was previously published on housing.vic.gov.au in a different format. This data set included the total number of VHR applications and the total number of VHR transfer applications, broken down by Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Division and Area.  

This data showed VHR applications by the Area office that corresponds to where the applicant resides. This means that demand analysis was limited as it did not report on an applicant’s locational preference when seeking social housing. To enable greater locational understanding of demand we now publish data on VHR locational preferences by preferred waiting list area. 

Publishing insightful data on social housing demand requires the analysis and review of a large volume of data to ensure the figures published provide meaningful insights for public discussion. The data published here has undergone data remediation. As a result there may be small differences in data published here with data published in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Annual Report.