Page 365 - Week 03 - Thursday, 1 June 1989
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Leave granted.
(Document incorporated at appendix 2)
PUBLIC HOUSING
MRS GRASSBY: I have an answer to a question asked of me by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday. I will repeat the question: How many Housing Trust houses are currently vacant, how long have they been vacant, how much longer will they remain vacant, and what are the reasons why they are not currently occupied?
The answer is: The Housing Trust has nearly 12,000 properties throughout Canberra. There is a large turnover in tenancies for various reasons, and there will always be some vacant houses in the system as a consequence of tenants vacating the houses. Many dwellings vacated require substantial maintenance before they can be reallocated. At the end of April, 120 dwellings, or about 1.5 per cent of the total stock, were vacant and unavailable for allotment. These dwellings were either recently offered or about to be offered to tenants.
At the same date, 65 substandard houses were being extensively upgraded or remodelled or, because of their poor condition, being assessed for future work. A further 200 houses were undergoing maintenance after the previous tenants left. At present there are 80 dwellings considered to be unfit to be allotted because of water penetration or fire and other damage. Seventy-four of these properties are at Melba Flats and are in no condition to be let at all.
The time for which a house or a flat is vacant varies widely, depending on the reasons for vacancy. The period can vary from a few days to many months, depending on the amount of notice given to the Housing Trust, the condition of the house or flat and the extent of the maintenance or upgrading required. Once a dwelling is ready for allocation, the median period for allocation is about 10 days.
The standard of some stock, especially in older areas, creates difficulties. These dwellings tend also to have a higher turnover rate than the newer houses. The Housing Trust is progressively upgrading or replacing such stock. With 525 dwellings vacant, which is a little over 4 per cent of the total public housing stock, it leaves room for improvement. Improvements can also be made in the time dwellings remain vacant. The Housing Trust is very conscious of this and has recently taken special measures in this regard.
These include obtaining a report on maintenance problems, engaging a consultant to advise on ways to reduce
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