Search the list: Worst SA suburbs for most Housing Trust tenant complaints

Rogue Housing Trust tenants are wreaking havoc in some of Adelaide’s quietest suburbs and prompting numerous complaints. Here are the worst.

Rogue Housing Trust tenants are wreaking havoc in some of Adelaide’s quiet leafy suburbs and prompting thousands of complaints from neighbours, freedom of information documents show.

Latest State Government figures show despite a tough new “three strikes and you’re out” rule resulting in a doubling of evictions in the past three years, many more neighbours are complaining.

The Housing Trust received 5987 complaints in 2017-18 compared with 6715 in 2019-20, despite a no-eviction COVID-19 measure in the last quarter of ’19-20.

SA Best MLC Frank Pangallo applied for the information using FoI legislation and said complaints should not be increasing so sharply.

“It is most concerning that reporting of bad or anti-social behaviour arising in Housing SA properties continues to rise,’’ he said. “I suspect it is a combination of mental health issues and drug-related abuse.

“It is one thing to talk tough about cracking down on recalcitrant tenants … there needs to be a closer look at the causes for inappropriate conduct and something to help people.”

Until now the government has focused on the success of its “three strikes and you’re out” rule, which began in 2019 and recorded an increase in evictions that year from 148 to 297.

Henley Beach was ranked 11th for most complaints over the three years, with 280, Gilberton was ranked 12th with 276, Magill 19th with 228, and Kensington 33rd with 149.

Trust tenants of Whyalla Stuart attracted the most complaints with 573, then Morphett Vale on 555, Mount Gambier 473, Seaton 420 and Adelaide on 419.

The figures released to Mr Pangallo also reveal that many tenants are evicted because they cannot pay their rent, not for behaviour-based reasons.

In 2017-18 debt evictions outnumbered those for behaviour 59 to 56 and the next year 126 to 108. Only in the 2019-20 financial year did 187 behaviour-based evictions outnumber bad debts for 97.

Acting Human Services Minister Vicki Chapman said the debt figures included overdue bills of tens of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, significant property damage.

“The majority of Housing SA tenants receive stable income via Centrelink payments, however if debt is an issue, tenants are offered support by Housing SA and it is up to them to engage with help including payment plans and financial counselling,” she said

Housing Trust tenants pay 25 per cent of their income in rent to the trust.

Damage caused to a Housing Trust property that let to evictions. Picture: Supplied.

Uniting Communities spokesman Mark Henley said the figures revealed poor people were being forced out of housing and into homelessness because of a lack of decent affordable housing.