Anti-Social Public Housing Tenants on Notice With New ‘Good Neighbour’ Rules

A man with a disability was killed in his own home at a South Australian public housing property in June.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 23: An elevated view of the Adelaide city skyline. General views of Adelaide on August 23, 2015 in Adelaide, Australia. Photo by Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

Anti-social public housing tenants in South Australia (SA) will face tougher rules under what’s been dubbed the “Good Neighbour” policy.

The action comes after a 65-year-old man was found fatally stabbed in a public housing property in Adelaide in June.

The SA government owns about 33,000 public housing properties in the state with about 50,000 residents.

The new Good Neighbour policy will mean South Australian Housing Trust tenants involved in anti-social activity will be required to “immediately rectify” their behaviour.

Tenants will receive a formal written warning immediately if there is an anti-social behaviour complaint.

If they then breach their tenancy conditions, they will be asked to attend a conciliation conference via the SA Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT).

“This process will look to help tenants understand what needs to change with tenants and the Trust entering into behaviour agreements,” the SA government said.

Tenants who continue to misbehave could then face removal from their government-owned home.

Previously the state government enabled verbal warnings. However, in March the state government moved straight to formal written action, leading to an 86 percent increase in formal warnings between March and July.

“The Housing Trust is introducing a new triaging approach to improve responses into serious anti-social behaviour and serious conduct,” the government said.

“This means that complaints that meet the threshold for serious breaches will be prioritised for action.”

Tenants removed from Housing Trust properties are not allowed to apply for another one for at least 12 months and will be sent to homelessness services.

Tenants ‘Will Not Get Away With Bad Behaviour,’ Minister Says

Housing Minister Nick Champion said the government wants to work with Housing Trust tenants to prevent anti-social behaviour before it becomes a problem.

“Our new Good Neighbour Policy leaves two choices for the small cohort of Housing Trust tenants who engage in anti-social behaviour: change your conduct or face eviction,” he said.

“We are putting tenants who are anti-social on notice that they will not get away with bad behaviour. Tenants with one substantiated serious complaint against them will have to immediately start restitution or face eviction.”

Despite concerns about anti-social behaviour in public homes, Champion said the majority of housing trust tenants were already good neighbours.

“The new Good Neighbour Policy will further keep those people safe and secure inside their homes,” he claimed.

Respect It or Lose It, Says Liberal MP

Liberal Member of the Legislative Council Michelle Lensink suggested public housing tenants who destroy property shouldn’t be given another government home, given the homeless crisis.

“Public housing gets trashed, while homeless families are in hotels, or worse,” she said in a Facebook post.

“For those who can’t or won’t respect a home they’re given, they shouldn’t be reallocated one, because it will happen all over again.”

Lensink pointed to one particular property in Adelaide that had been dubbed the “crack house” by long-suffering neighbours due to disturbances, fear, and awful smells.

“How the tenant and her many unauthorised visitors were allowed to cause so much trouble for so long is anyone’s guess. These scenes are far too common,” she said.

She further said on 7 News that it had taken someone dying for anti-social behaviour in public housing to be taken seriously.

A 65-year-old was found dead at a public housing site at Bentzen Court in June, after which the state government introduced some measures at Gilberton to deal with security concerns.

SA Labor Minister Blair Boyer said what happened at Bentzen Court was a tragedy and his thoughts were with the family and friends of the victim.

SA Police data cited by the government shows there were 367 police incidents at Bentzen Court between January 2023 and June 2025.

CCTV and security lighting will now be installed at this site to stop squatters and prevent non-tenant foot traffic, while a new dedicated housing officer has also been allocated to the complex.

In addition, the SA Housing Trust will replace degraded fencing with anti-climb, durable materials.