Qld Dept of Housing

TT had a story last night on how public houses are being trashed. They state it costs the Qld state government $112 million each year in repairs. NSW was much worse at around $385 million pand nationally over one billion per year. Here is the link to the TT site which has the video "Stop Them" on it. http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/latest.

My daughter with a history of illness and her two young children are on the waiting list for housing. Qld supposedly have a new priority system and we think she was on the highest level of priority. We seem to get conflicting messages depending on whom one speaks to at housing. We are terribly overcrowded in our little two bedroom retirement style unit since the three of them moved in here as an emergency measure a few months ago when her illness took a turn for the worse and they had no where to live.

During the course of application, Qld Housing requested a TICA report ( Default Tenancy Control System). This is where REs and other landlords can register a tenant who trashes rental property or fails to pay rent.

Unbelievably, someone from housing who did seem to know what she was talking about told my daughter she could be dropped off the highest priority level because she wasn’t listed on TICA.

In other words, it appears that the Qld Housing gives preference to those with a history of trashing rental properties. Not sure if this is the same in other states. Housing's point of view seems to be it is one less obstacle in getting a private rental, but what's the point of providing valuable property to people with a known history of trashing.

This seems to be an utter waste of tax payer funds… Meanwhile, those in genuine need and who have a good history of caring for their rental properties are being made to wait or kept out.

Totally unbelievable…

Sails TICA is an agency that registers tenants, maybe the government is looking for a good reference see if you can get one put on. Approach Real Estate agencies where she has previously rented and see if you can get a reference even if it is written, if she has ever sold a house approach the real estate agent and ask them to write a reference re the condition of the property when sold. I went to the TICA site and apparently you can pay a casual fee.
If all else fails your brother would know what a good tenant she is. (Stepping out of line here, a lot of good real estate agents never take private landlord references by the way) Even a letter by an agent may help her prospects with the government agency. I hope things work out for her.

I hope it works the other way around, that they have list of all tenants and if you ever were public housing tenant you will be on their list.


TT also asked for assistance:

If you know of a trashed public housing property you want us to investigate, please let us know.

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/contactform/30607

TT mentioned that all the info would be compiled and lodged with appropriate State Governments.

I wander if there are any Multi-State vandals?

Q Build have a bit to answer for I have been to houses they do up to be wrecked, pull up good carpet and dump it, paint interiors each time a tenant moves, put in concrete were possible basically throw money at the houses.
Must be a good avenue for a bit of back handers ????
The inspector went to some Island of Brisbane to look at a property and sent the cleaner back to collect a ciggy packet that had been left there after he had cleaned the place, appears the tenant have got back in after the clean.
Another he went to an open Carport to remove rubbish asked around but got the wrong c/port and collected the junk, the tenant complained his Mothers ash's were there and wanted a refund, Q build backed the tenant.

REA said:

Sails TICA is an agency that registers tenants, maybe the government is looking for a good reference see if you can get one put on. Approach Real Estate agencies where she has previously rented and see if you can get a reference even if it is written, if she has ever sold a house approach the real estate agent and ask them to write a reference re the condition of the property when sold. I went to the TICA site and apparently you can pay a casual fee.
If all else fails your brother would know what a good tenant she is. (Stepping out of line here, a lot of good real estate agents never take private landlord references by the way) Even a letter by an agent may help her prospects with the government agency. I hope things work out for her.

Click to expand...

The implication from housing is that if you're on TICA it is because you have either trashed a place or defaulted on rent, making it impossible to get a private rental. So, by default, they get priority and will likely trash again. That was really the main point in my original post.

But thanks for the suggestion, REA - will give housing a call and see if a good reference will help...

REA said:

Sails TICA is an agency that registers tenants, maybe the government is looking for a good reference see if you can get one put on. Approach Real Estate agencies where she has previously rented and see if you can get a reference even if it is written, if she has ever sold a house approach the real estate agent and ask them to write a reference re the condition of the property when sold. I went to the TICA site and apparently you can pay a casual fee.
If all else fails your brother would know what a good tenant she is. (Stepping out of line here, a lot of good real estate agents never take private landlord references by the way) Even a letter by an agent may help her prospects with the government agency. I hope things work out for her.

Click to expand...

Just as I thought. Have spoken to dept of housing and asked if having a history of being a good tenant would help with the application.

The reply was that the dept of housing is not a private rental organization, so having a bad tenant history is not an issue with them.

It appears that their only issue is in "grading" applicants and having a bad tenant history puts those applicants into a "higher category" as it means it is almost impossible for them to get private rentals.

I didn't take the issue up with the lady I spoke to as she was extremely helpful and polite. I understand they have to use the guidelines they are given and it is probably something which should be taken up with our local MP.

As a tax payer, it is astounding to think that state governments are wasting millions of dollars each year on repairs (as per the today tonight report mentioned earlier in this thread) when those same funds could be used to purchase much needed public housing.

I would have thought that even public housing tenants should be on some sort of good behaviour scheme. Something like - three evictions and you go back on to the bottom of the waiting list and free up housing for those genuinely in need, effectively freeing up housing for those who are more likely to care for their tax payer funded properties.

Well it's all looking good the recession is under way here, a house every is foreclosed every 13 seconds in USA, Citi group are laying off 72,000 workers, Japan is in a depression, UK is just about, the bailouts are a waste of money.
Stock up on Bake beans and Face mask's better get a gun as well.

opps wrong thread
Back to the topic Tenants have RIGHTS and never for get that.

sails said:

Just as I thought. Have spoken to dept of housing and asked if having a history of being a good tenant would help with the application.

The reply was that the dept of housing is not a private rental organization, so having a bad tenant history is not an issue with them.

It appears that their only issue is in "grading" applicants and having a bad tenant history puts those applicants into a "higher category" as it means it is almost impossible for them to get private rentals.

I didn't take the issue up with the lady I spoke to as she was extremely helpful and polite. I understand they have to use the guidelines they are given and it is probably something which should be taken up with our local MP.

As a tax payer, it is astounding to think that state governments are wasting millions of dollars each year on repairs (as per the today tonight report mentioned earlier in this thread) when those same funds could be used to purchase much needed public housing.

I would have thought that even public housing tenants should be on some sort of good behaviour scheme. Something like - three evictions and you go back on to the bottom of the waiting list and free up housing for those genuinely in need, effectively freeing up housing for those who are more likely to care for their tax payer funded properties.

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Sails, I can really understand your frustration. TICA as a system works well in the private market. People who have defaulted on rent or left a mess behind are definitely penalised. e.g. when they are looking to rent again, the prospective real estate agent checks on the TICA register and sees their history. So they go to the bottom of the pile.

I can't imagine why Dept of Housing doesn't respond similarly.

Julia said:

Sails, I can really understand your frustration. TICA as a system works well in the private market. People who have defaulted on rent or left a mess behind are definitely penalised. e.g. when they are looking to rent again, the prospective real estate agent checks on the TICA register and sees their history. So they go to the bottom of the pile.

I can't imagine why Dept of Housing doesn't respond similarly.

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Yes Julia, frustrating for sure. However, personal reasons aside, it seems shocking that bad tenant behaviour is likely rewarded by public housing.

The link below to TT's story is quite sickening. It seems an incredible waste of tax payer funds to be favouring these people, keep cleaning up after them at huge tax payer expense and then put them back into another clean place so they can do it all again.

Suppose there are two people qualifying equally for high need public housing except one has a bad TICA record. Under the present guidelines, it appears the tenant with a bad history would be housed first and the gentler one made to wait for goodness knows how long

I see the initial link to the TT story on video doesn't work, so here is another one of the archived story: http://au.video.yahoo.com/watch/4431989/11880875.. Can't find a link of the transcript though.

Yes, agree that there should be some constraints on those who habitually destroy properties - and subsequently free up much needed public housing.

sails said:

Yes, agree that there should be some constraints on those who habitually destroy properties - and subsequently free up much needed public housing.

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+1

Should they be impossible to learn better behaviour and manners, maybe Government could build special purpose living quarters of steel and concrete, in other words difficult to damage.
And for ease of clean up, slide out external walls and hydraulically pushed internal walls, or with ram to tilt the whole house and tip out all the rubbish left behind.

Happy said:

+1

Should they be impossible to learn better behaviour and manners, maybe Government could build special purpose living quarters of steel and concrete, in other words difficult to damage.
And for ease of clean up, slide out external walls and hydraulically pushed internal walls, or with ram to tilt the whole house and tip out all the rubbish left behind.

Click to expand...

LOL, Happy! Would keep the costs down and would probably make huge inroads to the waiting list too!

Seriously though, with so many likely to become homeless as a result of this economic downturn, it would be great to think tax payer funds are being used to help those that really need it instead of potentially recycling valuable properties for further trashing.