Neighbours want action on vacant Wantirna South house

PEOPLE living near a trashed Wantirna South house empty for more than 20 years are calling for it to be fenced or knocked down, amid safety fears.

Neighbours of this Wantirna South house are calling for the owner to clean it up.

WANTIRNA South residents are calling for a trashed house that has been vacant for two decades to be secured or demolished, amid safety fears.

Dave, who did not want his surname used, said the house in his street had been vacant for 22 years and was a “real eyesore”, with broken windows, doors ripped off their hinges, ceilings falling down, offensive graffiti, and appliances ripped out and strewn everywhere.

He said “dodgy” people were often spotted inside and believed the house was used as a “drug den”.

Someone also recently tried to burn the house down, he said.

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“It’s getting worse and worse,” Dave said.

The house has been empty for more than 20 years.

“A lot of people who live in the street are elderly or have young families and are very afraid.”

He said neighbours had repeatedly contacted the council about the house, but the council had only forced the owner to cut the grass.

Mayor Darren Pearce said the council had spoken to the owner, who volunteered to put new locks on the house.

Cr Pearce said the council had also asked her to keep the grass and general maintenance of her property under control.

“Beyond that, that’s the limit of our power as a council,” Cr Pearce said.

Dave said the house’s owner refused to take action.

“It is starting to become a real worry now,” Dave said.

“I’d like to see it demolished or at least security fencing put around the front.”

The inside is a mess.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the house was a “constant concern” to neighbours and people were begging for the council to erect cyclone fencing.

She said squatters, posing as tradies, had recently gone into the house until police were called to get rid of them.

The house owner, who did not want to be named, said she was considering selling the house, and would make it secure and clean up rubbish in the yard.

She said she had a gardener who came in every month to maintain the garden.

She did not want to comment on why the house had been vacant for so long.

Knox Sergeant Col Clausen urged people to immediately phone police if they saw suspicious behaviour.

But he said police could only investigate theft or damage to the house if the owner contacted them.