Mass evictions for Baywaters, Batemans Bay as landlords end lease

An “affordable” residential complex has given their dozens of residents 30 days to find a new home, after the property owners revealed they were ending the business’s leases.

One of the Baywaters buildings was damaged in a fire months ago. Picture: Tom McGann.

Dozens of tenants have been given 30 days to hunt for a new home, after an “affordable” residential business has been forced to complete mass evictions.

The evictions come as the property owners of “Baywaters” – the mixed-use residential and holiday business on the corner of the Kings and Princes Hwy, Batemans Bay – decided not to renew their lease agreements.

It’s a second blow in recent times for the coastal residential complex – which offers rents as low as $180 a week – after it was damaged in a fire in 2023.

Dane Taylor has lived at Baywaters for nearly eight years and says he was blindsided by the eviction notice.

A copy of the notice, obtained by this publication, states the property must be “fully vacated” by October 30.

Dane Taylor has lived at the Baywaters for eight years. Picture: Tom McGann.

“I paid my rent and I caused no trouble,” Mr Taylor said.

A Baywaters spokesman declined to reveal who the property owners were, instead stating they could legally “do whatever they want”.

All tenants will need to vacate the Baywaters by October 30. Picture: Tom McGann

“The owners of the property have executed under the lease to take the property back into possession in 30 days,” he said.

“It’s in the lease conditions.”

The spokesman urged any tenants with concerns to contact their office directly.

However, Mr Taylor said it wasn’t good enough.

The eviction notice given to all tenants. Picture: Supplied.

“You speak to a lot of the other tenants and they have no idea what they’re going to do,” he said.

For Mr Taylor, the eviction comes at an already difficult time, having lost his wife just three months earlier.

“It’s tough but we’ll do what we’ve got to do,” he said.

“It’s a shit time for people to be going into the rental market coming into Christmas.”

Naomi Louise is another tenant dealing with the eviction mayhem.

She said she couldn’t afford any other rentals in the area and was now looking for a tent.

“The housing crisis is quite bad here and I have no family or friends with spare rooms,” Ms Louise told this publication.

“Pretty much, my only choice is to live in a tent.”

Like many at Baywaters, Ms Louise chose to live at the coastal residential complex due to its low cost.

“No one has offered me any help except for numbers of homeless services who will now likely be overwhelmed,” she said.

The Baywaters spokesman refused to answer how many tenants were being evicted, however, Mr Taylor believes upwards of 40 residents were being affected.

Mr Taylor said he wasn’t going to attempt to find a rental in Batemans Bay, given the severity of the housing crisis.

“I’m just gonna move to Queensland,” he said.

“I’m lucky, I have that option, a lot of people living here don’t.”

The Baywaters spokesman also refused to reveal what was happening to the property, with currently no development applications for the address submitted to the Eurobodalla Council.

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Originally published as Mass evictions for Baywaters, Batemans Bay as landlords end lease