State government buys four-bedroom house for road extension and lets it sit empty

A four-bedroom house acquired by the state government for the now-delayed Torrens to Darlington project has been empty for four months while SA is gripped by a housing crisis.

A four-bedroom house acquired by the state government as part of the Torrens to Darlington project has been sitting vacant for more than five months while the rental crisis is spiralling out of control.

The former owners of the home, on Garland St at Glandore, moved out in January before the property was seized in early February.

It has not been tenanted since then, despite Acting Premier Susan Close claiming this week that “every house every house that is able to be lived in is being lived in or is currently out to be available for renting”.

Recent pictures of the property obtained by the Advertiser show the home, valued at more than $1m, in a liveable condition, but the backyard and pool in need of maintenance.

The opposition has called on the government to rent out homes that have been acquired to help alleviate the state’s housing crisis, after it was earlier revealed the start of the project would be delayed to 2024.

Social and community housing spokeswoman Michelle Lensink identified six acquired homes had been sitting vacant on the same street at Clovelly Park.

But the government said those homes were uninhabitable and unavailable for rent because they will be demolished in two months’ time, and Dr Close said “the opposition seems to have come up with an idea that’s already happening”.

Of the 119 properties that have so far been acquired, 13 at Clovelly Park will be demolished and 33 are still occupied by either original owners or by renters in cases where the home had been used as a rental.

At Glandore – the northern end of the southern tunnel – 39 houses are still occupied and six, including the Garland St property, will be made available for rent, according to figures supplied by the government.

Ms Lensink said South Australians were freezing in tents or jam-packed into tiny motel rooms while a huge home had been allowed to sit empty.

“Those desperate people will look at this property and dream of having something like it to call home, but then also wonder why Nat Cook – the minister in charge of helping them — is keeping it hidden during a housing crisis,” she said.

“This house has been ready to rent for months, so how many more homes are out there empty and gathering dust when people are crying out for a safe place to lay their heads?”

A government spokeswoman said the Opposition had an opportunity to rent the home at the time of acquisition.

“If Michelle Lensink and Vincent Tarzia wanted this property rented out earlier, they should have done so – they were in government at the time it was acquired,” she said.

“Our government is doing what the previous Liberal government failed to do, and placing these properties up for rent as quickly as possible.”

The former Liberal government entered caretaker period on February 19 – nine days after the property was acquired.

... but the back lawn could do with a trim. Picture:Supplied