Bentley Park residents fed up with neighbours from hell
Fed up neighbours of a Cairns social housing property have detailed living a nightmare as alleged stolen cars hoon up the street and drug-fuelled parties made life hell.
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Fed-up residents living near a social housing property at Bentley Park have detailed living a nightmare as alleged stolen cars hoon up the street and drug-fuelled parties make life hell for neighbours.
Living in the area, a frustrated resident has alleged breaches of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act that relate to maintenance of the property and a clause that obliges all Queensland tenants not “interfere with the reasonable peace, comfort or privacy of a neighbour”.
The frustrated resident, who requested her name be withheld, said the four-bedroom home is leased to a single mother.
“They do doughnuts up and down the street and you can’t see who is driving because they are too short to see over the steering wheel,” she said.
“They have to maintain the property which they don’t and there’s a clause that says they have to be good neighbours.
“The cops are powerless and we know … because the court documents were delivered to the wrong address and they showed the break and enter of multiple addresses.
“I am angry, especially knowing taxpayers’ money goes into the house and they trash it all the time.”
Last year it was revealed by the Cairns Post that horrific end-of-lease clean-ups, ongoing repairs and modifications to 2692 dwellings in the Cairns Local Government Area cost taxpayers $11,873,018 during the 2020-21 financial year.
The resident outlined a list of concerns including, littering in the street, dealing drugs through the window, verbally abusing other residents in the street and deliberately doing everything to “pi-- every c--t in the neighbourhood off”.
In an email to the resident Department of Housing staff stated Edmonton police were approached during an investigation into the property however the correspondence listed a range of issues that fell outside the remit of the body. It was revealed the department was powerless to intervene on allegations of intimidation, threats with weapons, domestic and family violence, drug use, stalking and theft.
“Unfortunately, we do not have the power to make decisions or act on trespassing, vandalism, theft, alleged threats as this does not come under the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy jurisdiction,” a department staff member wrote.
The resident described the response as “disgusting”.
“They said basically, it’s not our problem,” she said.
“The fact that they try to claim that a house they tenant out attracts, houses and facilitates criminal behaviour does not count as disruptive behaviour and still meets the requirement of the ‘good neighbour’ (clause) under the Tenancy Act is disgusting.”
The Department of Housing in response to detailed questions cited privacy reasons when declining to respond to concern relating to the Bentley Park property.
Commenting generally a Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy spokesman said agency does not evict people into homelessness.
“If QCAT has ended a tenancy, the department continues to work with the household as they exit to find an alternate housing solution,” he said.
“Our Fair Expectations of Behaviour policy includes a focus on early intervention when tenancy related matters arise, including referrals to services and supports to help sustain the tenancy.
“If our tenants are found to be breaching their responsibilities, the department takes action.”
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