Secret Rich Housos Exposed

[icyfroth]

SOME public housing tenants have declared they have assets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars while happily enjoying cut-price rent at the expense of more needy recipients.

More than 500 tenants of public housing  have admitted  rorting the system. Of those, 141  declared combined assets worth  more than $11 million while 456 declared  extra income worth a combined $10 million a year.

One man had   $450,000 cash and 20 others declared land and property ownership.

The state government put tenants on notice last month, giving them until May 31 to dob themselves in for undeclared income and assets.

The move  will bring more than $250,000 in extra rent into the state’s coffers  each  year.

Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton said 77 more people were reported  by  the public.

“As a result, their rents have been increased, leading to additional revenue which can be allocated to funding vitally needed public housing,” she said.

There are more than  58,000 people in NSW on the waiting list for public housing. A man called “Mr H”   in  public housing on the Central Coast declared $470,000 in cash to the amnesty hotline: a $310,000 term deposit, a $100,000 compensation payout and a $60,000 inheritance.

“Mr S”, 80, of Leichhardt, told the hotline  about $60,000 in savings — $20,000 of which came from a casino visit  after his wife banned him from gambling.

“Mr N” was reported by  a member of the public who said  he owned a property in Penrith from which he earned rental income. The man had illegally taken over a public housing property from a friend who had died but  now must  pay an extra $100 a week in rent until the lease runs out and he is evicted.

While the amnesty is in place, tenants doing the wrong thing can report themselves without being pursued for prosecution or  back rent.

“Once the amnesty is over, quite substantial penalties can apply, including rent increases and eviction,” Ms Upton said.

The government’s previous amnesty held last year — on undeclared occupants in public housing properties — raised $8.9 million a year in rent, following more than 4000 reports from tenants and members of the public.

From Here

Lol @ "Mr S"!

Mr S”, 80, of Leichhardt, told the hotline  about $60,000 in savings — $20,000 of which came from a casino visit  after his wife banned him from gambling.

[freddie*rooster]

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@freddie*rooster wrote:

If Housing Department residence have that kind of money and assets it would be known by Centrelink and the ATO, it's pretty hard to hide an elephant in the refrigerator these days.

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From the article:

"More than 500 tenants of public housing  have admitted  rorting the system. Of those, 141  declared combined assets worth  more than $11 million while 456 declared  extra income worth a combined $10 million a year."

They pulled the elephant out of the fridge, it seems.

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And that is what I don't believe, anyone could say,  "More than 500 tenants of public housing  have admitted  rorting the system. Of those, 141  declared combined assets worth  more than $11 million while 456 declared  extra income worth a combined $10 million a year."

[fourandsixpants]

.....so that's who keeps leaving their footprints in the butter!!

[icyfroth]

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@freakiness wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

I really don't understand the vehemence of your response, freaks. 

The article is not about being down on Housing Commission Tenants, it's about people who could afford standard market rental not declaring their assets and cheating by enjoying cut rate rental that should be available to more needy families.

I would've thought that a step in the right direction, especially in light of the recent budget cuts

I believe this amnesty is an annual thing and was held last year while Labor was in government as well.

Don't you like to see welfare cheats exposed?

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My vehemence?

I'm still waiting for you to produce all the political spam threads I produce.

What? where did I say that? Where did I single you out as a political spam producer?

It is about slamming housing tenants to take the heat off the government. It gives no indication of how these people acquired their wealth, how they came to be living in public housing, or how long they've been residents of public housing.  

Did you read the article? I think you'll find it does.

It's not about exposing welfare cheats at all and no, I don't agree that we should publicly expose all those who have cheated welfare when most instances of so called cheating have been unintentional admin errors rather than deliberate theft.

They called in of their own accord freaks. Because of the amnesty. So they wouldn't be prosecuted. They knew they were doing the wrong thing

When the govt has lost 5 of it's members to the back bench because of ICAC this looks like a deliberate attempt to demonise housos rather than fat cats rip off merchants.

I don't think so. I agree we should go after the fat cats first, but I also think it's good to expose welfare cheats. Especially when those in real need have to go without because of them. 

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[punch*drunk]

I think they should reassess eligilbilty for housing ministry houses every few years. There are people living in quite dire circumstances waiting for houses year after year. If people can afford to pay full rent, they should be moved into the private rental market, even if its subsidised by the goverment initially.

This was many years ago, but I knew of one family that had a 2 bedroom housing commission unit with 5 people living there, all fully employed.

If that kind of thing still goes on they really need to crack down on it. There was also an issue recently where people were able to stay living in their 3 or 4 bedroom homes even when all the kids had moved out and there was only a couple or single person left.

The whole system needs a bit of a shake up in my opinion.

[boris1gary]

does anyone really believe the old and worn out furphy anymore: seriously, the % of "cheats" is so small as to be insignificant when talking money....

but I also think it's good to expose welfare cheats. Especially when those in real need have to go without because of them. 

[boris1gary]

In NSW people's rent in public housing goes up according to income, up to market rate, and has for a long time, the chances of somehow keeping anything "secret" would be next to none.

[fourandsixpants]

maybe there's room in the budget to set up tent cities around Australia for our students, unemployed under 30's, disabled and pensioners?

[punch*drunk]

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@boris1gary wrote:

does anyone really believe the old and worn out furphy anymore: seriously, the % of "cheats" is so small as to be insignificant when talking money....

but I also think it's good to expose welfare cheats. Especially when those in real need have to go without because of them. 

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I dont see the money as the issue....its the people that are denied access to public housing when those that can afford better are not moving on.

An extra 500+ houses isnt a huge amount based on the waiting lists, but it would get a fair few of the priority cases off the streets.

[fourandsixpants]

no money is definitely not the issue......the *bleepers won't 'provide' our the money to/or release the land.

Gosh that would be going against their agenda which is:

 "keep 'em working, keep 'em poor and keep them borrowing 'til they drop down dead"

[freddie*rooster]

It's a beat up, you only need drive around a Department of Housing area to see how many vacant neglected homes there are, it would appear to me a bomb under those who administer the Department would be the first step to puting and end to the need to claim the BS of this report.