More than 200 public housing properties are sitting empty across Tasmania, with some vacant for more than five years, new data reveals.
Right to Information figures obtained by Labor show 204 dwellings were unoccupied as of September 30, out of a total stock of 5,216 properties managed by Homes Tasmania.
Shadow housing minister Meg Brown said the statistics would make “painful reading” for the 5,336 applicants currently on the public housing waitlist.
“Many Tasmanians I speak with about housing have questions about why the house in their street or neighbourhood is sitting empty and why no one can live there,” she said.
On average, the vacant dwellings had been empty for 262 days.
Two properties – units in St Leonards and New Town – have been offline for more than five years.
Despite the long-term vacancies, the figures show most of the state’s public housing stock remains occupied, with 96.1% of properties tenanted.
Homes Tasmania categorises vacancies as either “normal” or “offline”.
Normal vacancies cover properties going through administrative processing, undergoing maintenance or ready for allocation.
38 dwellings fell into this category, accounting for 0.7% of total stock and were vacant for an average of 49 days.
The remaining 166 empty properties are deemed offline, meaning they can’t be let out due to insurance claims, legal issues or major repairs.
These properties were vacant for an average of 311 days – just over 10 months.
Insurance claims are the most common reason behind extended vacancies among the longest-empty homes.
Other factors include subsidence, fire damage and redevelopment works.
Units make up 57% of Tasmania’s public housing stock and have the highest offline vacancy rate at 3.6%.
The state’s south has the most empty properties, with 88 offline dwellings out of 2,659 in the region.
Brown criticised the government’s housing performance since taking office 11 years ago.
“Given this government’s abysmal track record building houses, you’d think they would be doing more make sure the ones they do have can be lived in,” she said.
