A Home Ownership Sublease comes as close as possible to an ordinary freehold title that exists in places like Darwin and Alice Springs.
Under a Township Lease, the Executive Director of Township Leasing is able to grant long term Home Ownership Subleases to community residents who want to buy or build their own home.
A Home Ownership Sublease comes as close as possible to an ordinary freehold title that exists in places like Darwin and Alice Springs. This means financial institutions (such as Indigenous Business Australia or a bank) can issue home loans to eligible community residents.
As part of Public Housing policy, the Northern Territory Government has decided to make some Public Housing available for sale. This means that in Township Lease communities a tenant can apply to the NT Government to buy the house they are living in.
Read some good news stories about home ownership.
For more information, see out fact sheet Home ownership and township leases.
Many Australians buy or build their own homes or are planning and saving to do so. But for most Aboriginal people who live on Aboriginal land this has not been possible.
One of the benefits of township leasing is that the community residents can now buy their own homes. This is because the lease allows for a regular, tradable and transparent land administration system that provides certainty of tenure for homeowners through long-term subleases.
Owning a home can provide a foundation for your family's future financial stability. It also means you own the building and you can do what you like to the building. A home can be used as security with a bank, so if eligible you can get a loan for more investment – for example for doing renovations to your home, or a second home.
When you buy your own home, you normally get a home loan. This means some of your pay goes into paying off a home loan rather than paying rent to a housing authority. However before buying a house it has to be worked out with a bank whether you are eligible for a home loan if you are working and if you can afford to pay back the home loan. Paying a home loan back is normally done so over a long time – around 20 to 30 years.
When you have a home loan then it is your responsibility to pay it back. You also have to take care of the home by paying for repairs and maintenance. This is very important as it is no longer the responsibility for someone else to fix the house anymore.
When you own your own home you're able to sell your home to somebody else or, through a will, pass it on to somebody like a family member if you pass away.
It is important to understand that owning a home is not for everybody, but it is about a choice and the township lease allows you to explore this possibility. Having this choice marks the beginning of new opportunities for financial security and independence for the people in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.