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Rent-free surprise for 101-year-old Melbourne public housing tenant

Rent-free surprise for 101-year-old Melbourne public housing tenant

Christmas has come early for a 101-year-old great grandmother who has been told she no longer has to pay rent to live in her Melbourne unit.

If that wasn't a big enough surprise, Ivy was also handed thousands of dollars in back-pay after unnecessarily paying rent on her public housing home since turning 100.

A recent letter from the Department of Housing informed her that by reaching the birthday milestone, she had earned the right to have her housing paid for.

"I couldn't quite believe it," Ivy told 7News.

Ivy celebrated turning 100 in December 2012.

She received a congratulatory letter from the Queen and the Prime Minister on the day, but it was this latest correspondence that put a sparkle in her eye.

"I said Christmas is coming in July," she gushed.

To Ivy's delight, the government just kept on giving, also posting a cheque for $8000 for the 19 months rent she had paid since turning 100.

With three daughters, five grand children and five great grandchildren, Ivy already has plans for her latest windfall.

"I can't take it with me, so I might as well spend it," she said. "The only ones I can and want to spend it on are the children and family."

There are 10 other Victorians who receive free accommodation under the government's 100 year-old tenant policy.