Passing 100 Station Road in Foster, just opposite the hospital, is a frustrating sight for those looking for a home to rent. But for the former tenant, the last four years of her residence there was a “living hell”.
The property looks for all intents and purposes to be a perfectly livable home, but according to the Department for Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), the house is infested with rising damp and mould.
The former tenant confirmed mould was “in the floor boards, carpet and underlay”, and was “travelling up my furniture. I lost so much, including sentimental items. It’s depressing”.
The DFFH eventually sent down inspectors from Melbourne to assess the property and the tenants were found alternative accommodation elsewhere in Gippsland. However, the fact remains that there is a long and growing list of people awaiting social housing and over six months on from 100 Station Road becoming empty, nothing is being done to rectify the property’s problems.
Rising damp can reach floorboards raised on stumps through a few different pathways, particularly if moisture management around and under the house is poor, so Prom Coast News (PCN) went along to have a look at what could be causing the issues.
On first inspection, you would be hard pressed to find anything wrong with it. Peering in through the windows there is no sign of mould up any of the walls. Indeed, it looks like it’s had a makeover in recent times and is ready to take on the next tenants.
Underneath, it seems to have been restumped and the ground looks dry, but herein lies the problem according to ‘Approved by ED’, building permit specialists in Leongatha. Company owner Elliot was able to ascertain by looking at StreetView that the property would likely suffer from the fact it sloped down into a gully where rainwater would sit. Given the marshy nature of the soil on which much of Foster is built and the likelihood a waterproof membrane wasn’t installed when the restumping was done, rising damp had every opportunity to infest the home.
Elliot suggested improved drainage and fixing the damp ingress issues could cost anywhere between $2000 and $10,000. Surely a small price to pay to get housing stock liveable again.
Whether in the private sector, social or community homes, renters are lining up to make a house their home, so the fact that this one of 46 public housing homes on the Prom Coast has remained unoccupied for so long is a bitter pill to swallow for people like Ted and Anne whom we featured in our last issue.
The Prom Coast News contacted the Department for Families, Fairness and Housing about the property and was told three of the 46 local social housing homes are currently vacant.
“One of these will be tenanted shortly, one requires maintenance to be carried out before it can be tenanted, and one will be tenanted following the completion of VCAT processes”, it continued.
“Through our $6.3 billion Big Housing Build and Regional Housing Fund, we’re delivering more than 13,300 social and affordable homes across Victoria – with more than 10,100 homes already complete or underway”, it concluded.
Yet for the likes of Ted and Anne, the prospect of a new home seems to be a far off dream. It’s a similar story for Stacey Jones and her mother, who had to vacate their rental last year.
“Housing rang me yesterday but they say it’s going to be 18 months before we get anything”, Stacey told the PCN.
“Mum is supposed to be going into surgery which will leave her in a wheelchair for three months and I have just been in hospital thanks to the stress of it all”, she explained.
“We’re homeless living in a car with a cat and dog and just don’t know what to do, no one seems to want to help whether it's housing or the Salvos”, she claimed.
“I’ve worked hard all my life and it’s come to this, it just seems so unfair”, Stacey concluded. David Barrett
