Seq No. Metadata item Obligation Max occurs - Address—Australian postcode, Australian postcode code (Postcode datafile) {NNNN} DSS specific information:
This metadata item is used to collect the dwelling postcode.
Mandatory 1 - Address—suburb/town/locality name, text X[X(45)] DSS specific information:
This metadata item is used to collect the dwelling suburb.
Mandatory 1 - Date—accuracy indicator, code AAA Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—Australian state/territory identifier, code N DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected 6 times, once in each of the dwelling, dwelling history, household, person, person income and waitlist files.
Code 9 (other territories (Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island and Jervis Bay Territory)) is not used by this collection.
Mandatory 6 - Dwelling—household occupancy indicator, yes/no code N Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—housing program type, (public rental housing/SOMIH) code N DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected 6 times, once in each of the dwelling, dwelling history, household, person, person income and waitlist files.
Mandatory 6 - Dwelling—major redevelopment indicator, yes/no code N DSS specific information:
If this metadata item uses code 1 (yes) then Dwelling—tenantability indicator must use coded 2 (untenantable).
Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—number of bedrooms, total N[NN] DSS specific information:
Code 999 (not stated/inadequately described) is not used by this collection.
Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—number of days vacant, total N[NNN] Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—number of occupants, total N[N] DSS specific information:
The number of occupants refers to the number of household members who are listed on the tenancy agreement, and living in the dwelling at 30 June. Persons who are not listed on the tenancy agreement should be excluded.
Code 99 (not stated/inadequately described) is not used by this collection.
Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—structure type, code N[N] Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—tenantability indicator, yes/no code N Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—vacancy end date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—vacancy reason, code N.N Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—vacancy start date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Mandatory 1 - Dwelling—weekly market rent value, total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the dwelling and household files.
The market rent value refers to the weekly amount at 30 June.
Mandatory 2 - Household—application allocation indicator, yes/no code N DSS specific information:
This collection uses an alternative code set. These codes should be mapped as follows:
A (allocated) = 1 (yes)
W (waiting) = 2 (no)
U (unknown) = 9 (unknown)
Mandatory 1 - Household—application date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the dwelling and household files.
Record the date an application was placed on the waitlist. Used to determine waiting time period.
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Mandatory 2 - Household—application type, housing assistance code N DSS specific information:
Record the total number of applications as at 30 June of the reference year.
This collection uses an alternative code set. These codes should be mapped as follows:
3 (other) = 8 (other)
Mandatory 1 - Household—assessable weekly income, total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
Assessable weekly income refers to the weekly amount at 30 June.
Assessable income is also used to calculate the rental housing rebate, which allows the household to pay a rent lower than the market rent. Each state and territory uses its own definition of ‘assessable income’.
Mandatory 1 - Household—Commonwealth Rent Assistance amount, total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
The amount should be the total weekly amount of the Commonwealth Rent Assistance entitlement for all members of the household, as at 30 June of the reference year.
Mandatory 1 - Household—Commonwealth Rent Assistance income inclusion indicator, yes/no code N Mandatory 1 - Household—Commonwealth Rent Assistance rent inclusion indicator, yes/no code N Mandatory 1 - Household—disability status, yes/no code N Mandatory 1 - Household—greatest need date, DDMMYYYY Conditional obligation:
Greatest need date is only recorded if the household has been identified as a greatest need household.
DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the household and waitlist files.
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Mandatory 2 - Household—greatest need indicator, yes/no code N DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the household and waitlist files.
Mandatory 2 - Household—greatest need reason, code N Conditional obligation:
Greatest need reason is only recorded if the household has been identified as a greatest need household.
DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the household and waitlist files.
Mandatory 2 - Household—gross weekly income, total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
Gross weekly income refers to the weekly amount at 30 June.
Mandatory 1 - Household—Indigenous status, yes/no code N DSS specific information:
Household Indigenous status identifies whether an Indigenous person is present in the household. The metadata item Person —Indigenous status , identifies which person(s) are Indigenous.
Mandatory 1 - Household—new allocation status (financial year), code N Mandatory 1 - Household—rebated rent status, code N Mandatory 1 - Household—transfer status (financial year), yes/no code N Mandatory 1 - Household—weekly rebate amount, total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
Refers to the weekly rebate on the amount of rent paid weekly by a household at 30 June. Generally, it is the positive difference between the market rent value of a dwelling and the rent charged.
Mandatory 1 - Household—weekly rent charged, total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
Weekly rent charged refers to the amount at 30 June.
Mandatory 1 - Income unit—income unit identifier, X[X(14)] DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the household and person files.
Mandatory 2 - Income unit—relationship to household reference person, code N DSS specific information:
For the purposes of this collection, code 4 (dependant aged between 16 and 24 years) also includes dependants 25 years and over.
Mandatory 1 - Person—assessable income (weekly), total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
For the purposes of this collection, a record should be completed for each income source rather than a single record for total income.
Assessable weekly income refers to the amount at 30 June.
Mandatory 1 - Person—date of birth, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Mandatory 1 - Person—date of leaving household, DDMMYYYY Conditional obligation:
Record only if the person left the household before 30 June of the reference year or before the tenancy ceased.
DSS specific information:
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Mandatory 1 - Person—disability status, yes/no/not stated/inadequately described code N DSS specific information:
In some jurisdictions, disability status is only recorded if the disability impacts on the client's housing need.
Record status as at the date the household tenancy ended or at 30 June, whichever is earlier.
Mandatory 1 - Person—gross weekly income, total Australian currency N[NNNNN].NN DSS specific information:
For the purposes of this collection, a record should be completed for each income source rather than a single record for total income.
Gross weekly income refers to the amount at 30 June.
Mandatory 1 - Person—household single/couple status, relationship in household code N Mandatory 1 - Person—Indigenous status, code N DSS specific information:
This collection does not collect Indigenous status according to the ABS standard. The values collected do not form a one-to-one relationship with the standard, as shown in the table below:
Standard METeOR Value Standard METeOR Label PH/SOMIH Value PH/SOMIH Label 1 Aboriginal but not Torres Strait Islander 1 Indigenous (not further defined) 2 Torres Strait Islander but not Aboriginal 1 Indigenous (not further defined) 3 Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 1 Indigenous (not further defined) 4 Neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander 2 Neither Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander 9 Not stated/Inadequately described 9 Not stated/Inadequately described
Record the status as at the date the household tenancy ended or at 30 June, whichever is earlier.
Mandatory 1 - Person—letters of family name, text XXX Mandatory 1 - Person—letters of given name, text XX Mandatory 1 - Person—principal source of cash income, code N[.N.N.N] DSS specific information:
For the purposes of this collection, a record should be completed for each income source rather than a single record for the main income source.
Mandatory 1 - Person—relationship to household reference person, code N Mandatory 1 - Person—sex, code N DSS specific information:
Code 3 (intersex or indeterminate) is not used in this collection.
Mandatory 1 - Service event—tenancy end date, DDMMYYYY Conditional obligation:
Record only if the tenancy ended before 30 June.
DSS specific information:
This metadata item is used in calculation of measures of periods of support and duration of assistance and for measuring various point in time data.
Record the date on which provision of housing assistance by an agency was completed, ceased or terminated.
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Tenancy end date must be related to a particular housing assistance episode. For each separate housing assistance episode a separate date should be recorded.
For the purposes of this collection, the tenancy end date should be taken from the date specified on the tenancy agreement. Tenants may actually move out prior to this date.
Conditional 1 - Service event—tenancy start date, DDMMYYYY DSS specific information:
This metadata item is used in calculation of measures of periods of support and duration of assistance and for measuring various point in time data.
Record the date on which the provision of housing assistance to a household by an agency commenced, as distinct from the date the household applies and is entered on the waiting list or assessed for eligibility. The date recorded should be the date on which the client began to receive some form of assistance.
Record in DD/MM/YYYY format.
For each separate tenancy, a separate start date should be recorded. Same address transfers, mutual exchanges and succession of tenancy of dwellings are not considered separate housing assistance events.
For the purposes of this collection the tenancy start date should be taken from the date specified on the tenancy agreement. Tenants may actually move in at a later date than this date.
Mandatory 1 - Service provider organisation—dwelling identifier, X[X(14)] DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected 3 times, once in each of the dwelling, dwelling history and household files.
Mandatory 3 - Service provider organisation—household identifier, X[X(14)] DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected 3 times, once in each of the household, person and person income files.
Mandatory 3 - Service provider organisation—person in household identifier, X[X(14)] DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the person and person income files.
Mandatory 2 - Waitlist applicant—waitlist applicant identifier, X[X(14)] DSS specific information:
This metadata item is collected twice, once in each of the household and waitlist files.
Mandatory 2 
