More than 580 Housing ACT tenants have requested to transfer to another property in 2018-19; up from 543 in 2017-18.
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![Sally Madelly and her daughter Shani Madelly, who have had several sewage overflows in the past three years at their Housing ACT residence. Picture: Jamila Toderas Sally Madelly and her daughter Shani Madelly, who have had several sewage overflows in the past three years at their Housing ACT residence. Picture: Jamila Toderas](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc76r50kdcq0p154sarh5j.jpg/r0_222_5000_3333_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
While the reasons for transfers vary, and could include the desire to downsize or upsize, or to be closer to family or specific services, applications include a proportion of residents who have had to relocate because of unsafe and therefore uninhabitable housing.
"If a property is found to be unsafe, Housing ACT works with the impacted tenants to arrange alternative accommodation immediately," a Community Services Directorate spokeswoman said.
"Regardless of the reason, or whether Housing ACT or the tenant completes the transfer application, all tenancy transfers are included in annual transfer figures."
The government does not collect specific data on transfers attributable to unsafe housing, the spokeswoman said.
Residents say the number of transfers because of living conditions could be high given their own experiences and recent statistics.
The Productivity Commission's 2019 Report on Government Services found the ACT had the second-lowest proportion of public housing dwellings meeting agreed minimum acceptable standards in the country, equal with Western Australia at about 80 per cent in 2018.
NSW was the worst performing jurisdiction with less than 76 per cent of tenants living in satisfactory homes. More than 81 per cent of ACT residents had acceptable dwellings in 2016.
Public housing residents Sally and Shani Madelly, who have lived in a property at Holt since January 2014, have had intermittent sewage overflows out of a grate in their driveway for about three years.
Just because someone rents in public housing it doesn't mean they're not entitled to a decent standard of housing.
- Better Renting chief executive Joel Dignam
They reported the issue several times and have had contractors from both Housing ACT and Icon Water attend.
On each occasion, both put the responsibility of fixing the problem back on the other. Icon said it was an internal issue because of tree roots interfering with the property's plumbing; housing said the issue lied in pipes Icon owned, and therefore they should fix it.
"It has been extremely frustrating," Sally Madelly said.
"I don't understand how two government departments can keep throwing the responsibility over to each other."
Sally Madelly was considering applying to transfer from the property because of the issue; she believed it was risking her and her daughter's health.
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Icon attended the property once more in August after The Canberra Times contacted the Community Services Directorate, Icon, and the property's maintenance manager, Programmed. Icon's crew said they would fix the issue within a few days.
"I just think it's sad that it takes something like [the Times' interference]... to make [Icon and Housing ACT] sit up and take notice," Ms Madelly said.
Icon did not explain why it decided it was responsible for fixing the issue after several years. It had cleared sewerage lines at the property during previous visits.
"Icon Water will continue to work with Housing ACT, Programmed and the tenant to resolve the issue," a spokesman said.
Better Renting chief executive Joel Dignam said people in both private and public rentals in the ACT struggled to have maintenance issues resolved, sometimes for "months on end".
"Just because someone rents in public housing it doesn't mean they're not entitled to a decent standard of housing," he said.
"The ACT government should be making sure these people can have a home to be proud of that is going to give them decent shelter and allow them to have a decent life."