Royce Wells’ Eastwood house without water is the worst that safety authority has seen

AN Eastwood home unmaintained for 35 years and infested with possums is the worst the head of the Housing Safety Authority has ever seen.

Royce Wells at his Eastwood home on Monday. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

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AN Eastwood home unmaintained for 35 years and infested with possums is the worst the head of the Housing Safety Authority has ever seen.

But state housing regulator and registrar John Herrmann said the last thing he wanted was for owner Royce Wells to become homeless, as support came flowing through for the 75-year-old yesterday.

Mr Herrmann said Mr Wells’ case was the “most significant” the authority had seen since it was created in April last year.

“There was no bathroom or toilet,” Mr Herrmann said.

One of the back rooms of Mr Wells’ house.

“I know this is his decision but other people also visit – it’s about the safety of the occupant and the safety of people who might have to visit the occupant for whatever reason.”

It was also the worst Mr Herrmann had seen since he started at the former Housing Improvement Branch in 2013, he said.

The branch was renamed as the authority when new State Government legislation strengthening minimum housing standards came in last year.

Of the 37 notices to vacate and 135 orders for improvement issued since April, only three were for owner-occupied properties.

The authority has given Mr Wells until March 7 to bring his Fullarton Rd house up to standard – or leave.

The authority has given Mr Wells until March 7 to bring his Fullarton Rd house up to standard – or leave.

Mr Wells does not want to abandon the house his grandparents bought in 1915, or his collections of records, books, posters and newspapers.

He said he could not afford to do maintenance on it because of his low income as a disabled pensioner for 35 years.

Possums moved into the back rooms the 1990s and water was cut off at about the same time.

Despite these issues, Mr Herrmann said the order to vacate was not made lightly and if Mr Wells could prove he had engaged people to fix the house he would not have to leave.

“We’re looking at all the alternatives that could be taken rather than an eviction process,” Mr Herrmann said.

“We’ve made sure there’s been the right supports in place for Mr Wells, including the fact we’ve been able to locate a property nearby if he decided to move out.

“We don’t want Mr Wells in a situation he doesn’t want to be in.”

Calvary Community Care, which buys groceries for Mr Wells, yesterday decided to waive the fees Mr Wells pays them and to reimburse fees he has already paid.

Mr Wells with part of his collection, which he does not want to leave. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“We are on a pathway we believe to offer him better services and we’re happy to do that,” Calvary national communications and marketing manager Sue Corlett said.

Friend Colin Beaton said many people who had known Mr Wells over the year had been in touch yesterday and on Monday after a post by photographic artist Alex Frayne spread across Facebook.

“It’s amazing how many people have been providing support – the three or four who have been in touch over the past year and now of course many more,” Mr Beaton said.

On radio yesterday morning, Mr Wells said he believed Glenside Hospital developer Cedar Woods was behind the January 12 complaint that led to the housing authority’s January 15 inspection of his property.

A spokesman for the company denied making the complaint.

Dora Kuang, who with her husband Kuang Koo Sing owns an office next door to Mr Wells’ house, said they had not complained about him or the house to authorities.

“He’s never harmed anyone,” Mrs Kuang said.