Public housing maintenance bills unfair, unreasonable, Ombudsman says

VULNERABLE Victorians living in public housing are being slapped with unfair repair bills at the end of their tenancy, an Ombudsman’s probe has revealed.

Management of public housing maintenance claims unfair and unreasonable, Ombudsman says.

VULNERABLE Victorians living in public housing are being slapped with unfair repair bills at the end of their tenancy, an Ombudsman’s probe has revealed.

Department of Health and Human Services staff are failing to take tenants’ circumstances into account when assessing debts, sending correspondence to vacated addresses and unnecessarily referring cases to VCAT, Ombudsman Deborah Glass found.

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Of the 165,000 Victorians living in public housing many are being charged tens of thousands for repairs with no allowances being made for who caused the damage or general wear and tear, the report revealed.

Many former tenants were also being denied access to new housing until they committed to a payment plan for a previous debt.

“The stress of a huge debt which could arrive at random, years after the end of a tenancy often comes on top of the social, economic and other challenges already faced by those dealing with disadvantage,” Ms Glass said.

“The refusal of services until they enter a payment plan must be one of the most unconscionable acts of a government department I have encountered.”

The Ombudsman investigation, which looked at 46 detailed cases, was launched in August last year after housing officers chased more than $20,000 from a victim of family violence.

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Director of housing Nick Foa said the department had accepted all 18 recommendations made by the Ombudsman.

“We’ve introduced new guidelines for tenant property damage assessment so that we can intervene earlier and better negotiate with tenants,” he said.

“We’ve increased programs for team leaders and managers, practical guidance for frontline staff who assess property damage and a higher financial threshold so action for property damage at VCAT is less likely.”

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