Advising an audience at a real estate information session not to buy a property in close proximity to a particular demographic isn’t easy, it makes some people feel uncomfortable. However, that is exactly what I have been doing.
In Australia some government housing is reserved for people in distress, e.g. people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction or have mental health issues. This says a lot about the fair and compassionate country Australia can be.
In many other countries including first world nations, people suffering these illnesses are left to slowly die on the street. There is no doubt that this type of social housing is essential.
In Melbourne many of these housing commission properties are apartments that were purchased by the state government in the 1970’s and 80’s. Some of these apartments are situated in the most sought after streets and suburbs of inner Melbourne.
I advise buyers not to buy in close proximity to this type of housing based on what I have personally witnessed and been told by others who have also been affected.
The extreme behaviour of some government tenants can make life hell for other people living in the immediate area. This is especially the case in apartment blocks because occupants live side by side.
The fact that there are housing commission properties in an apartment block does not preclude me from recommending to a client to purchase in that particular block provided the housing commission property is not in the same entrance corridor. Having housing commission owned properties in a different section of the block substantially reduces the impacts should antisocial behaviour occur.
I’m not in any way saying that all housing commission tenants are bad people, far from it. What I am saying is that there is a higher probability of bad behaviour by tenants who live in this category of social housing. I have witnessed extreme noise both day and night, the stench of smoke in the entrance corridor, literally hundreds of cigarette butts strewn in the garden area, urinating in common areas and other behaviour I would rather not mention in this article.
Every person has a right to quiet enjoyment wherever they live. Also, investors should not have their property substantially devalued because of the actions of a government tenant.
The state government has a responsibility to react quickly and decisively should one of their tenants cross the line, this does not happen. It can take years for them to relocate an offending tenant. In the meantime, a disastrous situation is waiting to happen such as extreme violence.
On one particular occasion I approached the local state government member about the serious transgressions that were occurring at a government owned property. Not surprisingly I got the standard response, “go report it to the police”. The fact is the police have not got the resources or the time to attend to such matters. For the police to attend it would take a serious incident to occur, by then it is too late.
Housing commission tenants in distress should be relocated and rehabilitated sooner than they are. This should happen for their sake and the residents that reside close by.
