The government is offering state house tenants the option to buy the house they are living in. The dream of home ownership may be yours, without even having to call the movers. If you are not interested in buying your house, don’t worry, you can continue to rent from us. You are under no obligation to buy.

It is important to note that not all properties will be made available for sale.

Tenant Home Ownership grant

The Tenant Home Ownership grant is a gift of 10% of the purchase price of selected Kāinga Ora houses up to a maximum of $20,000. The Tenant Home Ownership grant is not available in areas where there is high demand for state houses. These areas include:

  • Auckland
  • Wellington City
  • Christchurch
  • Hamilton and
  • Tauranga.

Note that this is only available for the purchase of specific Kāinga Ora properties and cannot be applied to buy any other properties.

If you are a tenant and want to apply for the Tenant Home Ownership grant you can complete the Tenant Home Ownership grant application form [PDF, 378 KB] as part of your application to purchase the property you currently live in.

Once completed you can scan and email your application to THOGrant@kaingaora.govt.nz.

Buyers can also combine the Tenant Home Ownership grant with the First Home Loan, and/or the KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal, if you are eligible to buy the tenancy you are living in.

If you are a tenant and interested in buying your house either:

*indicates a required field

Page updated: 14 December 2023