Our services to Defence
The ADF is our primary customer. We provide housing solutions for members with dependants (MWD) in accordance with the Services Agreement on Housing and Related Matters (Services Agreement) and housing solutions for MWOD and MWD(U) in accordance with the MCA Agreement. In doing so, we contribute to ADF recruitment, retention and operational goals.
Housing solutions
Defence determines ADF member housing entitlements. The current system uses the ADF member's rank and their family composition to determine their eligibility for properties within rent band classifications. Individual properties are segmented into rent bands based on their geographic location and market rent. Defence reviews the rent bands and ADF member entitlements annually. We are responsible for administering any changes.
Each year, Defence provides us with a forecast detailing ADF member housing requirements by location and rent band classification. We use this information to determine the proportion of housing we can supply, taking into account properties we own, lease, manage on behalf of Defence, intend to add to our portfolio and intend to dispose of.
Where DHA-managed housing is not available at the appropriate classification, or if the home and grounds are not suitable for pets, an ADF member and their family may choose to rent through the private market. ADF members are responsible for finding the accommodation but must engage us to seek approval. We then administer payment of their Defence-paid rent allowance (RA).
We also manage the booking and allocation of on-base LIA for ADF members in transit, temporary, permanent and course accommodation at most ADF bases. This equates to approximately 32,500 rooms and 45,000 beds Australia-wide.
Online Services, our web-based system, provides ADF members and their dependants with self-service capability to view properties within their entitlement, lock down a property prior to posting to a new location and complete various tasks, such as view their DHA-managed property's condition report, view the status of maintenance requests or update their dependant information.
More information about our housing portfolio is provided later in Section 1, Purpose 2 in Section 2 and Appendix A of this report.
More information about how we manage RA and LIA is provided in Purpose 1 in Section 2 of this report.
Property and tenancy management
Where an ADF member or family chooses to live in a DHA-managed property, we are responsible for property allocation and the resulting tenancy. This includes undertaking a welcome visit when the ADF member or family first tenants the property, conducting routine inspections and providing general support throughout the posting.
We are also responsible for coordinating repairs and maintenance of properties we manage, including property-related damage, defects and deterioration. To deliver these services, we have a panel of contracted maintenance providers comprising over 850 businesses across Australia.
More information about property and tenancy management and our repairs and maintenance service is provided in Purpose 1 in Section 2 of this report.
Property upgrades
We coordinate upgrades of Defence-owned properties on-base and in regional and remote areas. Modernising the properties provides a better standard of living to ADF members and their families who tenant the properties, and extends the life span of the properties by 10–15 years.
We also manage 71 Commonwealth Heritage Listed (CHL) properties Australia-wide and coordinate related maintenance and refurbishment. More information about this program is provided in Purpose 2 in Section 2 of this report.
We contract over 850 businesses Australia-wide to help us maintain the quality of our property portfolio.
