Office address 73 Nelson Street, Stepney SA 5069
Postal address PO Box 100, Marden SA 5070
General inquiries 08 8165 5300
Email admin@cornerstonehousing.com.au
Housing Services housing@cornerstonehousing.com.au
Water accounts accounts@cornerstonehousing.com.au
Emergency maintenance 0413 618 810
Website cornerstonehousing.com.au
Our Tenant Handbook answers all the questions you might have about your tenancy, including information about before, during and after your tenancy, as well as your responsibilities towards maintenance.
You can also download a PDF of the handbook for printing.
If you have a question that is not covered in the handbook, please call our friendly Housing Services team on 8165 5300 to speak with your allocated Housing Officer.
Originally established as an incorporated association in 1996 trading as the Lutheran Community Housing Support Unit, Cornerstone Housing promotes the provision of housing for low-to-middle-income-earners, primarily for disadvantaged groups of people such as:
Our main funding body is the South Australian Housing Authority (SAHA) via the state government, with the titles to our community housing properties in the name of Cornerstone Housing Ltd.
Cornerstone Housing is regulated by the Office of Housing Regulation through the National Regulatory System (NRS).
Our properties are managed internally with support through our local support groups (LSGs).
OUR VISION is for all people to know Jesus, and be integrated into the body of Christ through the vehicle of Christian-based housing.
OUR MISSION through Christ is to deliver high-quality housing, services, and support for people in need.
LSGs are available to help you in all aspects of your tenancy and life matters. Some services may include:
LSGs operate in multiple suburbs around Adelaide and outlying areas.
To be put in touch with an LSG, please contact Cornerstone.
Cornerstone Housing reserves the right to amend or update this document without notice.
Policies
Cornerstone operates under a set of policies as regulated by the National Regulatory System (NRS) and South Australian Housing Authority (SAHA).
The main policies relevant to your tenancy are:
The current versions of these policies are available at cornerstonehousing.com.au/policy
Information brochure
During your sign-in, you were provided with an information brochure that summarises the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (but doesn’t replace it). The information brochure sets out the general rights and obligations of landlords and tenants renting or leasing a residential property in South Australia.
Please ensure that this form is completed as accurately as possible, and return one of the copies to the Cornerstone office within 14 days of your tenancy start date.
Insurance
Cornerstone does not provide insurance for your personal possessions. We recommend you seek advice in taking out a household contents insurance policy to cover your personal belongings against any damage or theft.
Cornerstone does not provide or allow the use of keyed deadlock mechanisms on its properties due to safety and fire concerns. If a deadlock mechanism is to be used, it must have a hand-turned snib on the inside of the door.
Smoke detectors
Under its regular programmed maintenance, Cornerstone will ensure that all hard-wired smoke detectors are installed and maintained in all of its properties.
Things to Note
If you are in doubt about any safety aspects of your home, please contact Cornerstone immediately.
Payment of all invoices must be made by the due date specified on the invoice. If payment of the invoice causes undue hardship, we encourage you to call Cornerstone before the invoice due date to discuss arranging a payment plan.
Unpaid invoices may result in the matter being referred to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT).
Concessions
Tenants on a Centrelink benefit may be eligible for water and council concessions. This scheme is available to Cornerstone to help keep our operating costs to a minimum.
If required, you will need to obtain these concessions on Cornerstone’s behalf, as directed by our Finance department.
We greatly appreciate your support in this matter.
Water usage
Cornerstone may pass on the charges for water supply and usage as specified in your tenancy agreement.
Where there is only one meter for a group of properties, the water charges will be divided evenly between all tenants sharing the meter.
Cornerstone will send you an invoice for your water charges, usually every three months, with a copy of the original SA Water account.
At the end of your tenancy, Cornerstone will arrange to read the water meter in order to calculate the final water charge.
As the landlord, Cornerstone reserves the right to adopt this policy, however, we understand that in certain circumstances pets can be valuable companions and can create a secure environment.
In these situations, Cornerstone will allow applicants/tenants to apply to have a pet at their property.
The decision to allow pets will be based on the location of the property, property size, and property type, and will be at the sole discretion of Cornerstone. Pets should not be bought or adopted before permission is granted by Cornerstone.
It is important to always return the lease extension document by the return date, otherwise, Cornerstone may terminate the tenancy.
Inside
Outside
Please note that if the keys are not returned to our office within 24 hours, you will be charged for the cost of rekeying the property.
If you believe that your safety or the safety of others is at risk, call the police on 131 444 (or 000 in an emergency).
Antisocial behaviour interferes with the reasonable peace, comfort or privacy of neighbours and residents. It can include but isn’t limited to threats, harassment, obscene language, assault, property damage, and making excessive noise.
Noise or activity associated with daily life, such as children playing, isn’t considered antisocial behaviour. These issues can usually be resolved by talking to the neighbour or contacting a mediation service for help.
How to deal with a dispute:
Responsibilities of Cornerstone tenants
As part of the lease agreement, Cornerstone tenants must respect the rights and privacy of their neighbours and ensure visitors to their home behave properly.
Tenants must not:
Any substantiated instance of antisocial behaviour is a breach of your tenancy agreement.
Lodge a complaint
You can lodge a complaint about a Cornerstone tenant’s behaviour with Cornerstone.
If your complaint relates to a property that isn’t Cornerstone’s, for example, it’s rented privately and is not managed by Cornerstone, Cornerstone cannot deal with your complaint.
Complaints must be made in writing to Cornerstone, or via the website.
If the behaviour is ongoing, keep an antisocial behaviour complaint diary detailing each specific disturbance:
If you are planning to be away for a period longer than four weeks, written advice and approval must be obtained from Cornerstone.
If you would like to arrange for a friend or family member to act as a caretaker in your home while you are away, please discuss with Cornerstone before your departure.
Cornerstone will respect the principles of natural justice for tenants (eg access to information, giving reasons for decisions, internal and external review of decisions, and privacy) and will treat tenants fairly, efficiently, and with respect.
For more information about the termination of tenancies:
Landlords
Landlords have an obligation to ensure that the premises and ancillary property are in a reasonable state of repair at the beginning of the tenancy and to keep them in a reasonable state of repair having regard to their age, character and prospective life.
Tenants
Tenants have an obligation to keep the premises and ancillary property in a reasonable state of cleanliness and must not intentionally or negligently cause or permit damage to the premises or ancillary property. At the end of the tenancy, the tenant must leave the premises in a reasonable condition, and in a reasonable state of cleanliness, taking into consideration any reasonable wear and tear that has occurred since the tenant took possession of the premises.
Tenants should notify Cornerstone of any maintenance and repairs needed. The work will be assigned to a contractor to investigate, repair, or replace as the circumstances require.
Incorrect or false information
If a tenant provides incorrect information regarding the nature of maintenance work and contractors are sent to the property needlessly, the tenant may be liable to pay all or part of the cost incurred in the call-out of the contractor.
If a contractor makes an appointment with a tenant to attend the property and the tenant doesn’t keep the appointment or fails to make other arrangements, the tenant may be liable to pay all or part of the cost incurred in the call-out of the contractor.
The table below outlines the most common examples. Tenants outside the metropolitan area should check what their local contact numbers are for life-threatening emergency repairs.
| Event | Contact company | Phone number |
| Emergency electricity supply faults | SA Power Networks | 131 366 |
| Gas – mains leak | Gas Emergency Line | 1800 808 526 |
| Burst water mains | SA Water | 1300 883 121 |
| Serious storm damage | State Emergency Service | 132 500 |
| Fire | MFS or CFS | 000 |
Emergency water, gas or electrical problems are those that cannot be isolated by turning off the service at its mains, or it is unsafe to do so.
REMEMBER TO CALL FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE BEFORE CALLING CORNERSTONE.
Examples include:
Priority 2 – urgent maintenance requests (action within 24 hours of notification)
Urgent maintenance requests are classified as any repair work that is urgent but does not immediately affect your health, safety, or security.
Examples include:
Priority 3 – non-urgent maintenance requests (action within 14 days or a longer reasonable period)
Covers any other work not defined in either priority 1 or 2. If you request non-emergency maintenance repairs, you will be contacted and advised of the decision of action with the 14 days.
Examples include:
Where damage has occurred to the property or repairs are needed, the tenant must notify Cornerstone so the proper repairs can be organised. If the damages are a result of the tenancy, the tenant may be invoiced the costs associated with the repair.
If the tenant has already sought a quote to repair the damage, they must first be approved by Cornerstone. Cornerstone reserves the right to obtain three quotes for repairs of the damage and use a contractor of their choice.
Intentionally or negligently causing or allowing damage to the premises is a breach of your tenancy agreement, and you may be served with a notice to remedy the breach of the agreement or vacate the premises.
Gutters, downpipes and stormwater pipes
If possible, you should attempt to keep the roof, gutters, downpipes, and stormwater drains free from leaves and other debris that might restrict the flow of stormwater from the property. If you are unable to clean your gutters yourself, you will need to arrange your own tradesperson to do it for you at your cost. If you live in a double-storey building, Cornerstone will clean your gutters for you.
Water filtration systems
If your property has a water filtration system, it is your responsibility to maintain it and get it regularly serviced at your cost.
Picture hooks
Picture hooks and nails are not permitted without prior approval of Cornerstone. We can advise you of the types of picture hooks that are permitted upon request.
Blocked sinks
Never put food scraps or pour fat or oils down the sink. If your sink blocks due to a foreign object, try using a rubber plunger to clear the blockage. If the sink stays blocked, call our Housing Services department. If the blockage is found to be a result of something you have done, then you may be on-charged the costs associated with contracting a plumber.
Dripping taps
The rubber washers inside the taps act as a seal to stop the water leaking through the tap when closed. Over time, these can become worn and need to be replaced. Please let our Housing Services department know if this becomes the case.
Finding the water supply tap
If you ever need to turn off the water to your property in the case of a burst pipe or fitting, it is important to know where the water supply tap and meter is located.
If you live in a standard house, your meter is usually located on the front edge of the property. If you live in a flat or block of units, the supply tap is usually found within a common area.
If you cannot find it, please don’t hesitate to contact the Housing Services department. Please bear in mind that sometimes the meter can become overgrown with grass or shrubs.
PLEASE NOTE THAT CORNERSTONE HOUSING IS NOT LIABLE FOR PEST CONTROL OR ERADICATION IN ALL SITUATIONS.
As a guide, Cornerstone is responsible for the extermination of the following pests if there is an infestation at the start of the tenancy:
You are responsible if the pests listed above become a problem during your tenancy, which includes sourcing your own tradesperson.
The pests listed below are the responsibility of Cornerstone:
(Please note that Cornerstone Housing is exempt from repairing heaters and air conditioners, under the Residential Tenancies Act.)
It is your responsibility as the tenant to clean and replace filter pads for any appliances, such as air conditioners, range hoods, and dryers, on a regular basis.
Under all circumstances, it will be at the discretion of Cornerstone Housing as to the servicing, repair, replacement or removal of heating appliances.
Owned by tenant
Heating systems and air conditioners owned by you are your responsibility.
Any appliances you own must only be serviced or repaired by suitably qualified and licensed tradespeople.
Any property and/or appliance owned at the end of a tenancy must be removed by a qualified tradesperson approved by Cornerstone or, with Cornerstone’s agreement, donated to Cornerstone.
Any repair or restoration costs required due to the installation or removal of your property/appliances is your responsibility.
Ways to reduce mould growth
Mould removal
You can remove mould growth by using products like White King, Wipeout Mould, Domestos, Exit Mould and Selleys Rapid Mould.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SAFETY AND PRODUCT USE.
Never dry-brush mould as doing so will release spores into the atmosphere that can induce allergic reactions in allergy-sensitive people.
If it is necessary to repaint mould-affected areas, please contact our Housing Services department for advice.
Before Cornerstone is able to approve any alterations or additions to your property, you must provide to Cornerstone, in writing, details of plans, including quotes, tradesperson’s details, council approval letters and approval from service authorities.
You may only proceed when written permission from Cornerstone has been received, along with any guidelines and conditions prescribed.
Cornerstone must be notified when work is complete and is not responsible for the maintenance of additions or alterations.
When you leave, you will be asked to make good any changes and repair any damage that the alteration or addition caused, or donate the item to Cornerstone by agreement.
Contractor behaviour
While contractors are in your home, they are expected to conduct themselves in a polite and courteous manner. They are not permitted to use your phone, power, or toilet without your permission.
If you are not happy with the contractor’s behaviour or work, contact our Housing Services department as soon as possible.
Assisting contractors
Any help you can give the contractor, such as moving furniture, keeping children or pets out the way, or turning the water on or off, will make the job easier and faster.
All rent calculations are subject to any government policy changes that may occur in the future.
We recommend those tenants receiving a Centrelink payment to use the free Centrepay service offered by Centrelink.
You must also inform Cornerstone if your family circumstances change, such as getting married or another person moving in.
Cornerstone will require proof of income from all members of your household at the time of each review or at any other time as requested.
If you are a Centrelink recipient, you can sign an authority form allowing Cornerstone to access your income details online, saving you from having to obtain one.
Please note that Cornerstone has a contractual obligation with SAHA policy; therefore, failure to provide information for rent reviews will result in market rent being charged.
Upon receiving your written notice, Cornerstone will be in contact to arrange an outgoing inspection and finalise your tenancy.
When you vacate the premises, you must make sure that it is presented in a reasonable state of cleanliness.
By the date of the outgoing inspection, you must:
All complaints must be received in writing.
Cornerstone will act with transparency throughout the complaint handling process and will attempt to resolve all complaints within 30 days of receiving the complaint.
If a complaint is not able to be resolved, or the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, the complainant may refer the matter to SACAT.
To lodge a complaint please click here.
What is an appeal?
An appeal means a formal application to review:
Who can appeal?
Only the tenant who is directly impacted by the original decision has the right to appeal a decision made by Cornerstone. They will not be disadvantaged in any way by lodging an appeal.
When should I appeal a decision?
An application for appeal should only be lodged after there has been a genuine attempt to resolve the issue through mediation or conciliation.
What can’t I appeal?
How can I make an appeal?
An application for appeal must be made within 30 days of the incident, decision or action after you have gone through the complaints process.
You can fill out an appeals application on our website https://cornerstonehousing.com.au/appeals
For more information, visit https://cornerstonehousing.com.au/policy/, where you will find our Appeals Policy.
Government agencies
Utilities
Medical
Other
Method of rent calculation
Under Section 55(2)(c)(iii), where there is a change in the method of calculating the rent, Cornerstone Housing must give the tenant 60 days’ written notice, specifying the date from which the change will become effective. This notice must be at least 6 months from the date of the agreement and at least 6 months from any prior change in the method of calculating rent.
Subletting
Under Section 74(2)(b)(i) A Cornerstone Housing tenant can only sublet their accommodation with prior agreement of Cornerstone Housing. Cornerstone Housing has absolute discretion to withhold consent.
Maintenance and repair
Under Section 68(2)(b) of the Residential Tenancies Act 1995, Cornerstone Housing is not required to comply with Section 68(1) of the act (repair and maintain) in relation to the following items:
As the tenant, you are responsible for following government recommendations and making your own decision to stay or leave your property based on your bushfire survival plan. You can contact the Bushfire Information Hotline on 1800 362 361 if you are unsure.
Please refer to the CFS website for more information on bushfire preparedness.
