❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks data on public housing tenancies terminated at the end of fixed terms and those terminated without trial. The answer provides data on 'Other' terminations and voluntary vacates, but lacks specific figures requested due to data collection limitations.
AnsweredQoN 2189Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to today's ABC article, 'Calls for government departments to work with families after suicide linked to public housing rejection', and I ask: (a) how many tenancies were terminated in the last five years at the end of a fixed term; and (b) how many public housing tenancies were terminated in the last five years without proceeding to trial?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
22 October 2024
Responded by
Minister for Agriculture and Food representing the Minister for Housing
Response time
5 days
(a)
The Department of Communities reports terminated tenancy data by four categories: Illegal Use of Premises, Disruptive Behaviour, Arrears and Other.
Tenancies terminated due to reasons which do not include illegal use, disruptive behaviour, and or arrears, will be captured in the ‘Other’ category. ‘Other’ includes, but is not limited to, fixed term tenancies (non-renewal), abandoned property, and may also include termination due to property standards that make the premises unsafe to live in.
The Department of Communities data reporting does not separate fixed term tenancies out from the ‘Other’ category. Providing this data would require a manual review of individual case files and is not considered a reasonable use of government resources.
Public Housing Tenancies Terminated State-wide for 'Other' Category by Financial Year
Financial Year
‘Other' Category
2019-20
209
2020-21
42
2021-22
111
2022-23
92
2023-24
108
2024-25 YTD (as at 31 August 2024)
9
(b)
Communities works with tenants to ensure they are given every opportunity to rectify the issues impacting on their tenancy. This includes making appropriate referrals to supports and programs such as Thrive, which provides support to public housing clients.
Where a tenant is at risk of eviction, Communities will increase their contact with the client and link them with relevant support services to help address the issues impacting their tenancy. In most cases, where engagement occurs, clients can remedy the issues impacting their tenancy. Termination proceedings are only initiated when tenants repeatedly or egregiously fail to utilise all the opportunities provided to them to resolve tenancy concerns. Eviction is the last resort for Communities and is often taken to ensure the safety of the community.
Tenants voluntary vacating following termination notices are not evictions. When given a termination notice tenants still have the opportunity to remediate their tenancy and engage with communities to sustain their tenancies.
It should be noted that these figures may include voluntary vacates where tenants have abandoned property or due to property standards that make the premises unsafe to live in.
Court status for tenancies ended is not captured in a reportable data table and would require a manual review of individual case files. Therefore, the data provided may include tenancies that have proceeded to court.
Public Housing Tenancies Voluntarily Vacated State-wide by Financial Year
Financial Year
Total Voluntary Vacates
2019-20
378
2020-21
85
2021-22
213
2022-23
170
2023-24
214
2024-25 YTD (as at 31 August 2024)
36
The Department of Communities reports terminated tenancy data by four categories: Illegal Use of Premises, Disruptive Behaviour, Arrears and Other.
Tenancies terminated due to reasons which do not include illegal use, disruptive behaviour, and or arrears, will be captured in the ‘Other’ category. ‘Other’ includes, but is not limited to, fixed term tenancies (non-renewal), abandoned property, and may also include termination due to property standards that make the premises unsafe to live in.
The Department of Communities data reporting does not separate fixed term tenancies out from the ‘Other’ category. Providing this data would require a manual review of individual case files and is not considered a reasonable use of government resources.
Public Housing Tenancies Terminated State-wide for 'Other' Category by Financial Year
Financial Year
‘Other' Category
2019-20
209
2020-21
42
2021-22
111
2022-23
92
2023-24
108
2024-25 YTD (as at 31 August 2024)
9
(b)
Communities works with tenants to ensure they are given every opportunity to rectify the issues impacting on their tenancy. This includes making appropriate referrals to supports and programs such as Thrive, which provides support to public housing clients.
Where a tenant is at risk of eviction, Communities will increase their contact with the client and link them with relevant support services to help address the issues impacting their tenancy. In most cases, where engagement occurs, clients can remedy the issues impacting their tenancy. Termination proceedings are only initiated when tenants repeatedly or egregiously fail to utilise all the opportunities provided to them to resolve tenancy concerns. Eviction is the last resort for Communities and is often taken to ensure the safety of the community.
Tenants voluntary vacating following termination notices are not evictions. When given a termination notice tenants still have the opportunity to remediate their tenancy and engage with communities to sustain their tenancies.
It should be noted that these figures may include voluntary vacates where tenants have abandoned property or due to property standards that make the premises unsafe to live in.
Court status for tenancies ended is not captured in a reportable data table and would require a manual review of individual case files. Therefore, the data provided may include tenancies that have proceeded to court.
Public Housing Tenancies Voluntarily Vacated State-wide by Financial Year
Financial Year
Total Voluntary Vacates
2019-20
378
2020-21
85
2021-22
213
2022-23
170
2023-24
214
2024-25 YTD (as at 31 August 2024)
36
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