Tenure type (TEND)

Latest release
Census of Population and Housing: Census dictionary
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Reference period
2021

Definition

This variable describes whether a dwelling is owned, being purchased or rented.

The tenure category 'Being purchased under a shared equity scheme' refers to households who are purchasing less than 100% equity in the dwelling, and may or may not be paying rent for the remainder. 

‘Occupied under a life tenure scheme' refers to households or individuals who have a 'life tenure' contract to live in the dwelling but usually have little or no equity in the dwelling. This is a common arrangement in retirement villages.

Scope

Occupied private dwellings

Categories

CodeCategory
1Owned outright
2Owned with a mortgage
3Purchased under a shared equity scheme
4Rented
5Occupied rent free
6Occupied under a life tenure scheme
7Other
&Not stated
@Not applicable

Number of categories:  9

Not applicable (@) category comprises:

  • Unoccupied private dwellings
  • Non-private dwellings
  • Migratory, off-shore and shipping SA1s

Question(s) from the Census form

Is this dwelling: (please open this section to view response categories)

Is this dwelling:
Is the dwelling at 1 Smith Street: Include owners of caravans, manufactured homes or houseboats in ‘Owned with a mortgage’ or ‘Owned outright’ regardless of whether or not the site is owned. A shared equity scheme is a government or not-for-profit scheme - assisting 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, and loan and license agreements in ‘Occupied under a life tenure scheme’. • Dwelling ownership • Owned outright • Owned with a mortgage • Purchased under a shared equity scheme • Rented • Occupied rent free • Occupied under a life tenure scheme • Other

Example

Tenure type example - owned outright response selected
Is the dwelling at 1 Smith Street: Include owners of caravans, manufactured homes or houseboats in ‘Owned with a mortgage’ or ‘Owned outright’ regardless of whether or not the site is owned. A shared equity scheme is a government or not-for-profit scheme - assisting 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, and loan and license agreements in ‘Occupied under a life tenure scheme’. Dwelling ownership Owned outright (selected response) Owned with a mortgage Purchased under a shared equity scheme Rented Occupied rent free Occupied under a life tenure scheme Other Rent arrangements These questions do not apply, based on your answer to the previous question.

Example

Tenure type example - rent free response selected
Is the dwelling at 1 Smith Street: Include owners of caravans, manufactured homes or houseboats in ‘Owned with a mortgage’ or ‘Owned outright’ regardless of whether or not the site is owned. A shared equity scheme is a government or not-for-profit scheme - assisting 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, and loan and license agreements in ‘Occupied under a life tenure scheme’. Dwelling ownership Owned outright Owned with a mortgage Purchased under a shared equity scheme Rented Occupied rent free (selected response) Occupied under a life tenure scheme Other

Example

Tenure type example - rented response selected
Is the dwelling at 1 Smith Street: Include owners of caravans, manufactured homes or houseboats in ‘Owned with a mortgage’ or ‘Owned outright’ regardless of whether or not the site is owned. A shared equity scheme is a government or not-for-profit scheme - assisting 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, and loan and license agreements in ‘Occupied under a life tenure scheme’. Dwelling ownership Owned outright Owned with a mortgage Purchased under a shared equity scheme Rented (selected response) Occupied rent free Occupied under a life tenure scheme Other

How this variable is created

This variable is derived from responses to the Tenure type question on the Census form which asks if the dwelling is owned, being purchased or being rented.

Respondents are asked to only mark one response. Where a respondent provides more than one response, the responses are accepted in the order they appear on the form and the extra responses are rejected.

History and changes

The question relating to Tenure type (TEND) was first asked for the 1911 Census. From 1976 to 1991, nature of occupancy data was derived from mortgage and rent questions. For all other censuses a direct question on nature of occupancy was included.

Since 2006, the question on tenure type has changed to remain consistent with the current ABS statistical standard for tenure type. It captures the difference between owners with and without a mortgage. Prior to this it differentiated whether a dwelling was owned outright or being purchased.

For 2021, minor changes were made to category labels.

Data use considerations

There are no known data use considerations at this time.

The non-response rate for Tenure type (TEND) was 5.4% in 2021. This is a decrease from 7.7% in 2016. 

Related variables and glossary terms

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