A ROSEWOOD Grove resident who believes people in his neighbourhood are breaching conditions of owner-occupier covenants will write to Housing NSW asking to have his own covenant lifted.
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In 2007, the NSW government began selling off public housing properties to owner-occupiers as part of a plan to rejuvenate the troubled Gordon Estate, which was subsequently renamed.
The man told the Daily Liberal he was aware of at least two properties that had been rented out during periods in which the owner-occupant condition could not have expired, even if they were among the earliest sold with the seven-year covenants.
The latest allegation follows claims by another Dubbo resident last month who reported a situation where a man had allegedly been renting a former Gordon Estate property purchased under one of the covenants.
At the time, Housing NSW was not able to confirm whether it undertook any proactive checks to ensure covenants were being adhered to, nor that anyone had been caught breaching one of the covenants.
The man said it appeared Housing NSW was a "toothless tiger".
"I know of at least two houses that had been rented out, with one of them this was happening about two years ago," he said.
"We have an owner-occupier covenant and are doing the right thing but if others aren't and are getting away with it, then the whole covenant thing is pointless.
"So we thought of applying to have our covenant removed because it is obviously not being enforced."
The man, who had been a victim of crime while living at the Rosewood Grove address, said he felt "a bit ripped off" by the deal he got.
"When we originally bought the property the promise from the real estate agent was that all the properties in this neighbourhood were going to be owner-occupied, and the reality doesn't quite match that," he said.
"This place wasn't perfect, and for sure we wanted to turn it into an investment, but we bought it in good faith and were prepared to wait out that seven years."
And the man said there was a flipside to the situation that was apparently being ignored.
"You have the unfortunate side of a tenant who was desperate for somewhere to live and they'll get screwed over because the landlord will kick them out when they think they can get a higher rental return," he said.
"In that sort of arrangement there might not be a rental agreement to protect their rights."
The man said the impression he got from nearby residents was that no one really cared if they were caught letting the properties to tenants.
"And if it's just someone saying don't do it but you've got a big chunk of your mortgage paid by someone else for a year-and-a-half, why wouldn't you do it?" he said.
Housing NSW was contacted for comment but referred to a previous statement from the Department of Family and Community Services indicating the Land and Housing Corporation would "investigate and seek to resolve any issues with the landowner" where breaches of agreements were reported.
"Community members with concerns should contact their local Housing NSW office," it said.
