Housing ACT tenants left in unsafe conditions

An ACT Ombudsman report has found that Housing ACT tenants have been left waiting in unsafe and hazardous housing conditions for extended periods of time due to poor communication between Housing ACT, tenants and contractors.

Between July 2024 and November 2025, the Ombudsman received multiple complaints from Housing ACT tenants about their requests for repairs or maintenance, alongside media reports of people living in properties posing life-threatening concerns.

'Housing ACT is the biggest landlord in the ACT, providing public housing to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. In these cases, Housing ACT has not satisfied its legal obligations as a landlord,' said ACT Ombudsman, Iain Anderson.

Concerns with Housing ACT properties included collapsing retaining walls and ceilings, leaking sewage, mould issues, faulty smoke detectors, and exposed wiring.

At the time of the investigation, Housing ACT was responsible for maintaining 11,868 rental properties it owns, with maintenance and repairs managed and completed by private company Programmed Facilities Management.

Housing ACT failed to communicate effectively, resulting in tenants being charged without warning or not being told what was being done to fix their problems for months at a time.

'We found that requests were taking far too long to complete, leaving some tenants in hazardous situations with mould or leaking roofs in their homes,' added Mr Anderson.

The investigation found that timeliness of repairs, communicating with tenants, resolving complaints, and quality assurance monitoring were the 4 key areas that needed improvement in the administration of housing assistance.

The Ombudsman made 8 recommendations to help Housing ACT meet its legislative obligations, ensure its tenants have access to suitable housing and provide assurance to the public and legislative assembly that the ACT’s public housing assets are well maintained.
 
In September 2025, the Minister for Homes and New Suburbs announced that Infrastructure Canberra will assume responsibility for delivering public housing maintenance works alongside Programmed Facilities Management until their contract ends in late 2026.

While responsibility for maintaining the ACT’s public housing assets is set to change, the Ombudsman’s recommendations remain relevant to ensuring that public housing maintenance is carried out effectively and efficiently, regardless of the entity delivering the services.

Read the full report on the ACT Ombudsman website.