The Housing Minister must work to ensure the Commonwealth and all its agencies use one single definition of affordable housing.

To be called affordable housing, a home must be managed by a registered community housing provider and must stay affordable forever. Commercial hotels or boarding houses cannot be called affordable housing.

Affordable housing can only be rented to key worker households that earn in the bottom 40% of incomes for their state or territory.

Rent for affordable housing is capped. It cannot be more than 30% of a household's gross weekly income, or 75% of the market rent, whichever is lower.

Households in affordable housing must give their housing provider income information at least once a year to check if they still qualify.

If a household's income rises above the top 50% for their state or territory, they can only stay in the home if they pay full market rent.

Housing Australia and the Commonwealth must include rules in loans and grants to states and territories. These rules ban community housing providers from using the term 'affordable housing' unless the homes meet the legal definition.