1 JAN 2020 TO 30 JUN 2020

Record low interest rates and government assistance have helped support buyer confidence and the housing market more generally throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

This analysis is a collaboration between NHFIC and its major bank panel lenders CBA and NAB and provides data insights on the operation of the Government’s Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) since its inception in January 2020 to 31 May 2022, benchmarked against broader first home buyer data for the equivalent period.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has had a devastating impact on the Australian economy and the day-to-day life of many Australians. The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) and the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) jointly interviewed representatives of 30 Community Housing Providers (CHPs) between June and August 2020 about COVID-19 and its impact on their operations.

This paper provides an update on some aspects of community housing financing in Australia and complementary measures needed to close the funding gap that exists for community housing. This gap is the difference between the costs of delivering and operating new community housing developments (including construction and ongoing management costs) and the rental returns.