Dwellings and housing

(Q61 in the Census Household Form)

Governments and councils use information from this question to plan transport. Motorbikes and motor scooters are excluded from this question because of their lesser impact on the transport system.

• Motor vehicles include passenger vehicles (cars, utilities etc.), light trucks and other vehicles like motor homes and motorised cranes.
• ‘Registered’ means that a vehicle is registered with a government authority and can be legally driven on public roads.
• Include vans and company vehicles kept at home.
• Don't include tractors, boats, caravans and heavy vehicles with a gross vehicle mass over 4.5 tonnes or motorcycles and scooters.
• If there will be no registered motor vehicles, owned or used by the residents of this dwelling, garaged or parked at or near this dwelling on the night of Tuesday 5 August 2025:
  • Paper form only: Mark ‘None’
  • Online form only: Enter ‘0’.

(Q62 in the Census Household Form)

This question provides information about the size of a home and helps to understand if there is overcrowding. Understanding if a dwelling is too small for the household living in it helps to understand the need for more programs to provide affordable housing that suits individuals and families.

Include:

• all rooms that were designed as bedrooms on the dwelling plan
• any room that is considered a bedroom, even if it’s being used as another room, such as a study, office, computer room or sewing room
• any bedrooms created as a result of alterations and additions to the dwelling (such as built-in verandas, extensions or sunrooms).

Don't include:

• areas such as a main room, dining room or veranda, even if people are using these to sleep.

If the dwelling is a bedsitter or studio:

• Paper form only: Mark ‘None’
• Online form only: Enter ‘0’.

• Owned outright
• Owned with a mortgage
• Purchased under a shared equity scheme
• Rented
• Occupied rent free
• Occupied under a life tenure scheme
• Other

(Q63 in the Census Household Form)

We ask this question to get information about how many dwellings are rented, owned or lived in under a different basis. This data is important as it's used for various planning purposes, such as making sure enough social housing is provided where it's needed most.

• Owners of caravans, manufactured homes or houseboats should select ‘Owned with a mortgage’ or ‘Owned outright' whether or not the site is owned.
• A shared equity scheme is a government or not-for-profit scheme that helps people on lower incomes to buy a home by sharing up to 30% of the ownership.
• Life tenure schemes are a common arrangement in retirement villages. Include leaseholds, loan and license agreements in ‘Occupied under a life tenure scheme’.

What some of the response options mean

• Owned outright – This includes households who own the property where they usually live and have no outstanding mortgage or loan against the dwelling.
• Owned with a mortgage – This includes households who own the property where they usually live and have outstanding mortgages or loans against the dwelling. This includes dwellings that are jointly owned with someone who is not a member of the household (for example, a relative or friend).
• Purchased under a shared equity scheme – A shared equity scheme is a government or not-for-profit scheme that helps people on lower incomes to buy a home by sharing up to 30% of the ownership. This doesn't include informal arrangements where dwellings are jointly owned by members of the household and someone who is not a member of the household (for example, a relative or friend).
• Occupied rent free – If no money is paid to live there but the household doesn't own the dwelling. This includes if a person doesn't pay rent themselves but someone else pays rent (for example, an employer or relative outside the household). Where a person provides a service instead of rent, is also treated as occupied rent free.
• Occupied under a life tenure scheme – This refers to a lease agreement in which the tenant has the right to occupy the dwelling for an indefinite or unspecified period, but without the full rights of ownership and usually with limited or no investment in the dwelling. This is a common arrangement in retirement villages and can also be referred to as leasehold or loan and licence agreements.
• For all other arrangements, select ‘Other’.

(Q64 in the Census Household Form)

• We only ask this question of those who are renting or occupying a dwelling rent free.
• Select the box that best describes the nature of the landlord.
• For all State/Territory specific government housing, select ‘Government Housing Authority/Housing Department (Public Housing)’.
• Some examples of government housing authorities are:
  • DCJ Housing (NSW)
  • HousingVic
  • Department of Housing
  • Local Government
  • Planning and Public Works (Qld)
  • Department of Communities (WA)
  • Housing SA
  • Homes Tasmania
  • Department of Territory Families
  • Housing and Communities (NT)
  • Housing ACT
  • Aboriginal housing authorities.
• Community housing providers are not-for-profit organisations that provide affordable rental housing to people on lower incomes. This includes housing co-operatives.

(Q65 in the Census Household Form)

We use this information to get an idea of how much people pay for housing in different parts of Australia. This can be used to understand how the cost of rent or a mortgage affects households and their ability to afford other things.

• Include the total amount even if the costs are shared between different people.
• If you don't know the exact amount, please provide your best estimate.
• Only provide an amount for one of the time periods, i.e. per week or per fortnight or per month.
• Include rent and mortgage repayments and site fees if the dwelling is a caravan or manufactured home in a caravan park or manufactured home estate.
• Exclude water rates, council rates, repairs, maintenance, body corporate and other fees.
• If you don't make any payments, please select the ‘$0 or nil payments’ box.
• Don't answer this question if you fully own your dwelling ('Owned outright').