AUSTRALIA | Commonwealth and ACT Ombudsman Report: Public housing tenants falling through the gaps

The Commonwealth and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Ombudsman has released a report about complaints from public housing tenants about their requests for repairs to their homes, alongside media reports of people living in properties posing life-threatening concerns.

In September 2025, the ACT Government passed legislation to recognise housing as a human right in the ACT from 2027. This reinforces the importance of landlords meeting their obligations to their tenants.

The investigation found 4 key areas for improvement:

• timeliness of repairs
• communication with tenants
• complaints resolution
• quality assurance monitoring

The Ombudsman made 8 recommendations to ensure services are provided in a citizen-centric way.

Kindly click here to access the report.

Source: The Commonwealth Ombudsman, Australia