By TARA McGRATH
WHAT DO YOU THINK? SCROLL TO BELOW THIS STORY TO POST A COMMENT.
THE Tenants Union of Victoria and a welfare organisation are fighting to ensure more than 120 eastern suburbs residents aren’t left out in the cold this winter.
It has been revealed that a man illegally sub-let 23 unregistered rooming houses then fled with bond and rental money, leaving tenants and landlords in the lurch.
The rooming houses are in suburbs including Wantirna, Forest Hill, Mt Waverley, Glen Waverley, Ringwood, Dandenong and Springvale.
Tenants Union of Victoria chief executive Mark O’Brien said the man leased the properties from separate landlords and then sub-let them as rooming houses.
Mr O’Brien said the tenants handed over cash for bond and regular rent. He said money was never passed on and now landlords were “trying to get possession”.
The tenants have been given 14 days to vacate, despite legislation stating that 45 days notice is required. Many are worried about where they’ll be sleeping.
The union had represented several residents at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, but some had already moved out of properties by choice, Mr O’Brien said. “We’re seeking to get more time for these residents to prepare themselves.”
Mr O’Brien said the tenancy legislation was not properly drafted and the VCAT had decided the 45 days notice “is no requirement if possession can be gained another way”.
According to the VCAT this means that landlords can give just 14 days notice to tenants to vacate.
“These residents need a longer period of time to find another place to live. They’re already in a rooming house, they can’t just find a private rental,” Mr O’Brien said.
Mark Dixon, general manager of homelessness services at Uniting Care Harrison, said his team was helping some former tenants negotiate new leases.
He said UCH would also help tenants find crisis accommodation “so they won’t end up on the street”.
Other options include moving people to a registered rooming house or long-term options such as social or public housing.
Mr Dixon told the Weekly UCH received a call on Monday to help a wheelchair-bound former tenant.
“It could take months to find him somewhere to live. He has an acquired brain injury, and needs disability access and in-house care.”
Mr O’Brien said the state government should amend the tenancy law to protect rooming house residents from summary eviction when incidents like this occur.
The matter has been reported to Consumer Affairs Victoria.
