Tasmania's housing provider says a damaged unit will be unlivable while it undergoes repairs, adding further strain to the housing waitlist.
This month, images of an in-demand social housing unit, with plasterboard smashed, doors broken, the bathroom damaged and a trail of mess were circulated on social media.The Devonport property is owned by Homes Tasmania, the state's housing and homelessness system manager, and will be unliveable for some time while it undergoes repairs.
"I'm worried about the cost, but really, I'm worried about the amount of time that the property is offline and we're not able to help somebody in need from the housing register, that's what upsets me most," she said. "We've seen a lot of increases in interest rates, which means that it's harder for people to afford to buy a home, and of course, what we've also seen is enormous increases in the private rental market," she said.And the time on the register is often "unsafe and unsuitable".
She said Homes Tasmania used a standard residential tenancy agreement, as the private market does, with a condition report at the beginning and end of the tenancy. "We encourage people to not have a debt with us … they're likely to want to be housed in the future, so we want them to have their options open to them, and we're happy to work with them to have a debt repayment plan.""The tenants that you don't hear about are … the vast majority of tenants who do the right thing — pay their rent on time, look after the property and actually value it," she said.