Selling government employee housing to tenants
If you are a Queensland Government employee who lives in government employee housing, you may be eligible to apply to purchase your home by private treaty.
The Sales to Tenants policy and procedures includes the:
- eligibility requirements.
- application process
- application form
Conditions affecting the sale of properties
An expression of interest from the existing tenant to purchase the government-owned dwelling (including land) in which they reside will be viewed favourably and progressed to sale, subject to the following conditions:
You are the tenant of the property
Tenants may purchase their home individually, in the name of a company, as trustee, or with another person as joint tenant or tenant in common.
There isn't a shortage of government employee housing
Sales will not occur if the property is in an area where there is a shortage of appropriate alternative accommodation to support the delivery of government services, for example Indigenous and remote communities.
You haven't breached the tenancy agreement
If the applicants have outstanding debts or are in breach of the tenancy agreement, the sale will not proceed.
There is no conflict of interest
To avoid conflict of interest under the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service, in your application you must disclose the:
- department or agency that employs you
- position you hold.
If you have a conflict of interest
If we think there is a conflict of interest, this must be resolved before going any further. For example, if as a result of their employment in the public service an applicant is able to influence decisions made by a government agency in relation to the sale, this would be a conflict of interest.
The steps taken will depend on the circumstances of each case. For example, it may be appropriate to ensure that the applicant is not in a position to take any further action on behalf of the State in relation to the sale of their property.
You must disclose to your chief executive what the potential conflict was, and the steps taken to resolve it.
How to apply
If you are eligible, you can apply to purchase your home by submitting:
- the application form (PDF, 868 KB)
- an administration fee of $150.
Refunds
The administration fee will be fully refunded if the property is:
- determined by the department as not being available for sale
- withdrawn from the sale process by the department at any stage
- withdrawn from the sale process by the applicant, prior to an independent valuer being engaged to conduct the property valuation.
How your application progresses
Once we receive your application form and fee, we will assess if the property is available for sale and advise you of our decision within 20 business days of receiving your application.
Assess the property
If the property is approved for sale, we will conduct a condition audit report or building inspection, including checking for an approved safety switch and smoke alarms in the property. This is not the standard building inspection that would normally be undertaken by the purchaser of a property.
Calculate the sale price
The sale price is based on a valuation undertaken by an independent and registered valuer. You will be advised of the sale price and receive a copy of the valuation report.
The valuation is current for 3 months.
The sale price is not negotiable and is not influenced by:
- any improvements to the property you have paid for
- the length of time you have occupied the property.
We will then seek agreement to proceed to sale. If the property proceeds to sale, the sale price will be adjusted to discount the administration fee.
Sign the agreement to purchase
You will need to sign the agreement form to purchase the property at the sale price. You have 1 month from the date of the letter advising the sale price to return the agreement form. Extensions of time are at the department's discretion.
As part of the contract conditions, any outstanding debts in relation to the tenancy must be paid in full prior to settlement on the property sale. The property will be sold on an 'as is, where is' basis.
Finalising the sale
Once you have returned the signed agreement form, we will:
- prepare the contract of sale and send it to you for execution
- have our authorised delegate execute the contract
- go through the property settlement process
- terminate the rental agreement.