Housing NSW tenants

I suggest your leg is being pulled!

Housing NSW would not put a family of 8 into a two bedroom appartment.

I do not know where you live but I suggest you ask for proof from whoever told you about it. It should be easy to contact the agent to confirm if the story is true.

This sounds more like one of those racist stories that go around because some NIMBY people get upset about Dept of Housing residents or refugees moving into their area.

If there is a rogue landlord only concerned about getting rent from a large family, then that is another matter and I would report to the local council.

Sydney city council is supposed to be cracking down on landlords of high rise units who cram four overseas students into each bedroom of their unit.

Sorry “Fcf” and “Strugs” – but I disagree, as most rumours have a basis in fact, and perhaps that’s the case here where possibly NSW Housing has taken a Lease over the Unit prior to sub-letting to one of its “clients”.

That’s becoming more and more prevalent as Owners find such arrangements attractive, particularly as NSW Housing (NSWH) is seen as a regular payer, who undertakes repairs promptly, including to Common Property in my personal experience, and who voluntarily makes-good any damage at the end of each occupancy.

The good news is that the preamble to the NSW Strata Schemes Management Act (SCMA) states “… this act binds the Crown”, so NSWH is bound by the provisions of the SCMA including the requirement to provide tenancy notifications to the Owners Corporation and to ensure that its “clients” comply with all By-Laws.

Again, in my personal experience at my Plan when we had some absolutely shocking “clients” of NSWH in residence, the Executive Committee resolved to issue a Notice to Comply to NSWH – and why not, they’re the tenant after all?

The result was a phone call from NSWH’s Regional Manager, who then arranged for a personal visit by his “Anti Antisocial Behaviour Officer“ (I kid you not) who took details of the various incidents involving the “clients” and arranged an off-site meeting with them.

Within two (2) weeks the “clients” had been relocated, and follow-up correspondence to the E/C from NSWH’s Regional Manager undertook to select future “clients” from a listing of existing people in Public Housing who “would benefit from and appreciate accommodation in a Strata Complex” (their words) such as ours, as opposed from those people on the Public Housing Waiting List.

So my advice would be to have your E/C keep a close eye on NSWH “clients” just as it would with other residents, and IF there’s a problem, be comforted by the fact that NSWH is extremely keen to be a good strata tenant, and even keener to ensure that its “clients” do likewise.    

Reading Whale's post, it strikes me that there are plenty of provisions for dealing with problem tenants (whether or not they are Housing NSW's sub-tenants).

There are parts of Sydney that are considered no-go areas because of massive Housing NSW blocks where there are third and fourth generation unemployed and anti-social behaviour is part of the cultural norm.

It strikes me that if there is some way of giving a hand up to the odd family that has a chance of dragging itself out of this quicksand of deprivation, then we should do so. You would hope that Housing NSW would put their best and not their worst clients in these sub-lets … and one way to make sure that happens is to issue Notices To Comply to Housing NSW, as Whale described, if and when things go wrong.

Yes , there will be yahoos and idiots – but they could just as easily be owners (like the father who bought a flat for his teenage son and his mates so they could have somewhere to party and not bother him.)

Otherwise, the only people who are against second chances are those of us who've never needed one … so far.

Judging by emails to me and postings to this website, concerns over Housing NSW and rent-assisted tenants being placed in strata sub-lets seems to be growing.  And while there is always the opportunity for scaremongering and a level of paranoia, there are genuine concerns expressed by apparently reasonable people.

If you are interested, have a look at to the first post in this topic (at the very bottom) and read a variety of views.

For the record, I don’t assume that Housing NSW tenants will be any better or worse than any other tenants (or owners, for that matter) but I have written to Housing NSW and asked the following questions.  They are based more on the fact that there is a general lack of understanding of how strata communities work, rather than any assumption that Housing NSW tenants will present a problem:

1. Is there a policy to place Housing NSW and rent-assisted tenants in privately owned strata developments?
2. If so, does Housing NSW consider the suitability of the individual  strata developments for its tenants?
3. Does Housing NSW consider the suitability of individual tenants for strata developments?
4. How many families does Housing NSW currently have in strata developments?
5. To what lengths does Housing NSW go to make tenants aware of the by-laws (and their enforcement) in the buildings where they are placed?
6. Does Housing NSW have a policy related to complaints and Notices To Comply issued by Executive Committees in strata developments?

I await their response which I will pass on to you Flatchatters as soon as I get it.

I own a unit in a large block owned partly by the Department of Housing. Most of their tenants are excellent, however there are a couple of exceptions.

   One is in the habit of urinating in the lift. I have found faeces on the floor of one of the lobbies and another has mental problems. A number of residents are afraid of him. The EC has written to the Department of Housing who have told us they will send a warning letter to the their tenant.

    He is still living in the block.

   The other day the building manager found feathers and fat in the lift. No one knows who is responsible as we do not have surveillance cameras in the lift.

Can we send a “Notice to Comply” to the Department of Housing? They are not renting but they own the units.

Bomb Thrower

@JimmyT said:
You certainly can issue  Housing NSW with a Notice To Comply – it has been legally established that as landlord they are responsible for the behaviour of their tenants, especially if they know there’s a problem that would be a breach of by-laws and therefore the terms of the lease but they do nothing about it.

I would guess that if you are prepared to make enough of a fuss, they will act. Why?  Because they are taking apartments in buildings all over Sydney (rather than building their own housing stock) and they don’t want to scare the horses.  The last thing they need is to see a story in the daily papers about a urinating poo-dropping loony that they have placed in a private housing complex.

In fact, I would just cut to the chase and tell them there’s this idiot who writes about strata for the SMH and he’s sniffing around the story – AND send them a Notice to Comply. That should get their attention.

Thanks to all for all your comments re Public Housing, it seems that I am not alone with this problem.  I am now very concerned as this appears to be what we can expect more of in the future.  So far we have not experienced any of the terrible events that some of you have indicated.  My main concern is that the value of my property will be deminished as more of our owner’s enter into arrangements with NSWPH.

I read one comment on the forum which covered one of my biggest bug-bares – overcrowding in units. (not public housing – so far)  It does become a problem when there are many people per unit with water usage and wear and tear on the building.  I think strata laws need to be changed URGENTLY to cover this.  Why should we all subsidise these people and pay more for their water usage?

Don’t get me started!!!!!

@Worriedowner said:

@JimmyT said:
You certainly can issue  Housing NSW with a Notice To Comply – it has been legally established that as landlord they are responsible for the behaviour of their tenants, especially if they know there’s a problem that would be a breach of by-laws and therefore the terms of the lease but they do nothing about it.

I would guess that if you are prepared to make enough of a fuss, they will act. Why?  Because they are taking apartments in buildings all over Sydney (rather than building their own housing stock) and they don’t want to scare the horses.  The last thing they need is to see a story in the daily papers about a urinating poo-dropping loony that they have placed in a private housing complex.

In fact, I would just cut to the chase and tell them there’s this idiot who writes about strata for the SMH and he’s sniffing around the story – AND send them a Notice to Comply. That should get their attention.

Thanks to all for all your comments re Public Housing, it seems that I am not alone with this problem.  I am now very concerned as this appears to be what we can expect more of in the future.  So far we have not experienced any of the terrible events that some of you have indicated.  My main concern is that the value of my property will be deminished as more of our owner’s enter into arrangements with NSWPH.

I read one comment on the forum which covered one of my biggest bug-bares – overcrowding in units. (not public housing – so far)  It does become a problem when there are many people per unit with water usage and wear and tear on the building.  I think strata laws need to be changed URGENTLY to cover this.  Why should we all subsidise these people and pay more for their water usage?

Don’t get me started!!!!!

I live across the road from a Dept of Housing tenant in Bidwill, Western Sydney, he has made our lives, and those of other neighbours, a living hell. He has repeatedly vandalised our property by slashing tyres and scratching cars parked outside, he gets drunk and yells abuse at me and my small children. If it’s not bad enough that taxpayers subsidise this lunatic but DOH have repeatedly refused to act.

I have resorted to writing to Pru Goward, the NSW Minister for Housing and still nothing has been done. He continues to vandalise our property and shout abuse at us and others in the street. He stalks and intimidates young women who visit our home. Still DOH do nothing.

We are now left with the prospect of having to sell our home, it will cost us thousands to move. My husband and I work hard and to see this man, who has never worked a day in his life, continue to leech off taxpayers and get away with the most extreme anti-social behaviour is sickening.

Don’t be under any illusion that DOH will accept responsibility for unruly tenants and behave like responsible landlords. They won’t.

Several friends have rental properties and state ‘No DOH tenants’ when advertising. It’s a very sensible move. This government department is completely irresponsible and incompetent.

FG said:
I live across the road from a Dept of housing tenant ….. he has repeatedly vandalised our property by slashing tyres and scratching cars parked outside, he gets drunk and yells abuse at me and my small children. If it’s not bad enough that taxpayers subsidise this lunatic but DOH have repeatedly refused to act.

I have resorted to writing to Pru Goward, the NSW Minister for Housing and still nothing has been done…. We are now left with the prospect of having to sell our home, it will cost us thousands to move. My husband and I work hard and to see this man, who has never worked a day in his life, continue to leech off taxpayers and get away with the most extreme anti-social behaviour is sickening……

  Not long ago a campaigner for increasing “newstart” payments to single people indicated how little money would be left over after renting the cheapest one bedroom flats in theSydneyarea.  No suggestion that there should be alternative accommodation at a much lower cost (in a place of the government’s choosing).  An anti – social person as described above clearly needs to be accommodated in prison like conditions with some level of supervision/attempt at rehabilitation and probably no cash payments (food and travel vouchers in lieu) as well as working to cover those costs.  Otherwise they can just be inflicted on new neighbours if/when the current ones manage to get the DOH to move them on.