Melbourne locals fume over disgusting state of house – what can council do?
Residents claim council have done nothing, even after multiple complaints.
A dilapidated house in Melbourne's northeast is frustrating locals who are fed up with the disgusting state of the abandoned property.
A photo showing the single-storey home in Preston was shared on social media this week with one person claiming "the house has been abandoned for a long while" — despite the continuing housing crisis leaving many Aussies homeless.
Piles of rubbish, including dumped shopping trolleys, have accumulated in the front garden as the "smell continues to grow", the poster shared on Reddit. The suburb has a median house price of more than $1.1 million, according to Realestate.com.au.
"[It] has been reported to council by multiple residents over multiple months, but so far no action taken," it's been claimed.
Council addresses problematic property
A spokesperson for the City of Darebin, which looks after Preston, told Yahoo News Australia it is "aware of the reported issues at this property" and said an investigation is ongoing.
"Council can’t share specific information about this case due to Council’s obligations under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014," the spokesperson said.
In general, the local law requires property owners or occupiers to maintain their properties and prevent them from becoming unsightly, which refers to properties that are longer clean and free of things including excessive rubbish or graffiti.
What can council do?
Council officers are required to inspect a property that's received complaints, where they will look out for any potential health or safety risks or visual concerns.
If the property is found to be unsightly, the owner or occupier, or both, will be issued a Notice to Comply which will provide an opportunity for the situation to be rectified. If the issue is not fixed by the nominated date, the council may organise a contractor to correct the issue. Fines of $1000 can also be issued.
The state of the house riled up social media users who have hit out at the council for not sorting out the mess. Some pointed out that thousands of Aussies are currently looking for suitable housing and could easily call this place home.
"Why hasn't it been confiscated by the council and turned into affordable housing for 5 tenants?" one person suggested. "Anyone know a homeless family that can squat there?" another said.
Trashed property hits market with $1.1m asking price
How the three-bedroom property came to be abandoned remains unknown however it has been empty "for a fair while," real estate agent Angel told Yahoo. The property on Wood Street in Preston was recently listed for sale with an asking price of $1 - $1.1 million.
The current owner purchased the 585 sqm property in 2019, but it's not known how much of this time the property was being rented, or why the previous tenants left, Angel from Zed Real Estate said.
Speaking of the rubbish Angel believes previous tenants left some mess behind but "people just keep putting rubbish there over time".
Angel confirmed the property is being sold in its current condition along with approved development plans and permits for four townhouses.
"Obviously whoever the builder is can come in and knock down, and if they want to use those plans and permits to build four beautiful townhouses on top [they can]," she said.
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