Save our Boarding Houses. Protect our neighbours from homelessness.

Movement:Take Action on Australia's Housing Crisis
Recent signers:
bret robinson and 19 others have signed recently.

The issue

The loss of affordable and low cost housing in Sydney is alarming.

It has seen boarding houses converted into luxury residences and the most vulnerable in our community displaced from the homes that they have lived in for decades, in many cases. Our neighbours are not only displaced, they are forced into the streets of a city that has a less than 1% vacancy rate. They have no-where to go.

My friend and neighbour Ray is nearly 80 years old. He has had multiple strokes, has severe mobility issues and has no family. He has lived in his boarding house home for 45 years. He pays $150 a week to rent his bedroom and his kitchenette. He shares a shower and toilet with his neighbours.

Ray lives in a room in 1 of a row of 4 boarding houses with 30 other people. Many of his housemates are just like Ray. Many with chronic physical and mental health issues. Simon has lived there for over 50 years. Steve for 30, Alfie for 30 and so on. 

The developer - LFD Homes bought these terraces knowing who lives there. The developer's plan is to convert these 4 boarding houses, home to 30 people, into 4 luxury apartments that will be home to 8 people. LFD Homes bought these terraces knowing they would make 30 people homeless. 

If LFD Homes succeeds, my friend Ray will be on the street.

The Council Planners have so-far refused the developer's application to convert the boarding houses, so the developer has taken the Council to the NSW Land and Environment Court. They still think it's OK to make our neighbours homeless.

How you can help.

1. Sign this petition. Help us influence the City of Sydney Mayor and some Councillors to do 3 things that we have been calling for now for many months:

  1. Put an immediate ban on all rent increases in all boarding houses in the city so that residents cannot be removed due to loss of affordability.
  2. Immediately enforce tighter controls on adherence to safety, security and amenity standards so that residents cannot be removed due to loss of habitability.
  3. In the case of the Selwyn Street boarding houses, buy the developer out using the City's Developer Contribution fund of $50M. Keep 30 vulnerable members of our community in their homes.

2. Contact us to learn more about our campaign.

Our community must stand in the way and protect our most vulnerable from the greed of developers. It's time this is stopped. Everywhere in the city. Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home. Everyone.

avatar of the starter
Mike MannixPetition starter
Media enquiries

27,925

Recent signers:
bret robinson and 19 others have signed recently.

The issue

The loss of affordable and low cost housing in Sydney is alarming.

It has seen boarding houses converted into luxury residences and the most vulnerable in our community displaced from the homes that they have lived in for decades, in many cases. Our neighbours are not only displaced, they are forced into the streets of a city that has a less than 1% vacancy rate. They have no-where to go.

My friend and neighbour Ray is nearly 80 years old. He has had multiple strokes, has severe mobility issues and has no family. He has lived in his boarding house home for 45 years. He pays $150 a week to rent his bedroom and his kitchenette. He shares a shower and toilet with his neighbours.

Ray lives in a room in 1 of a row of 4 boarding houses with 30 other people. Many of his housemates are just like Ray. Many with chronic physical and mental health issues. Simon has lived there for over 50 years. Steve for 30, Alfie for 30 and so on. 

The developer - LFD Homes bought these terraces knowing who lives there. The developer's plan is to convert these 4 boarding houses, home to 30 people, into 4 luxury apartments that will be home to 8 people. LFD Homes bought these terraces knowing they would make 30 people homeless. 

If LFD Homes succeeds, my friend Ray will be on the street.

The Council Planners have so-far refused the developer's application to convert the boarding houses, so the developer has taken the Council to the NSW Land and Environment Court. They still think it's OK to make our neighbours homeless.

How you can help.

1. Sign this petition. Help us influence the City of Sydney Mayor and some Councillors to do 3 things that we have been calling for now for many months:

  1. Put an immediate ban on all rent increases in all boarding houses in the city so that residents cannot be removed due to loss of affordability.
  2. Immediately enforce tighter controls on adherence to safety, security and amenity standards so that residents cannot be removed due to loss of habitability.
  3. In the case of the Selwyn Street boarding houses, buy the developer out using the City's Developer Contribution fund of $50M. Keep 30 vulnerable members of our community in their homes.

2. Contact us to learn more about our campaign.

Our community must stand in the way and protect our most vulnerable from the greed of developers. It's time this is stopped. Everywhere in the city. Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home. Everyone.

avatar of the starter
Mike MannixPetition starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Hon. Alex Greenwich, MP
Hon. Alex Greenwich, MP
Member for Sydney
Responded
“Dear Supporter of the Selwyn Street boarding house residents Thank you for supporting this campaign to save the boarding house at 58-60 and 62-64 Selwyn Street, Paddington. I was proud to work with the Paddington Residents who demonstrated care, compassion and determination to help their neighbours in their time of need. Boarding houses and boarding house residents are integral to their communities, and neighbours do not want to see residents kicked out because of their lack of means. I recently spoke in Parliament about this and called on the Government to strengthen boarding house protections through planning laws that recognise their importance. We must implement the recommendations of the 2020 statutory review of the Boarding Houses Act to increase protections for residents, including minimum notices for eviction. You can read my speech and tribute to the Paddington Community at https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard/Pages/HansardResult.aspx#/docid/HANSARD-1323879322-152521/link/98”
Clover Moore
Clover Moore
Sydney Lord Mayor
Responded
“Dear Supporter of the Selwyn Street boarding house residents, Thank you for signing this petition to save the boarding house at 58-60 and 62-64 Selwyn Street, Paddington. I write to update you on the City of Sydney’s efforts to support the residents of the boarding house. I know there is a lot of concern in the community about the distressing situation facing these residents due to the impending closure of their boarding house. I saw this firsthand last year when I visited the boarding house to meet with residents, and held meetings with neighbours who have been supporting them. I appreciate the important role these boarding houses play in providing low-cost housing and a strong community. The City is doing everything we can to support all efforts to find appropriate alternative accommodation for the residents, and to defend the refusal of the development application (DA) that seeks to convert the boarding house into four luxury homes. I know there have been calls from the community for the City and the NSW Government to buy the boarding house. Last year, Council asked the CEO to investigate the possibility of supporting a registered community housing provider (CHP) to purchase the Selwyn Street boarding house in conjunction with relevant NSW Government agencies. I wrote to the Minister for Housing last November to ask if the NSW Government would also contribute towards a CHP purchasing the site, and she indicated they could assist if the owner was willing to sell at a reasonable price. I also asked her to commit to finding the residents alternative accommodation that is affordable and in the local area, and Homes NSW has been working closely with the residents to do this. The City wrote to community housing providers to gauge interest in purchasing the boarding house. However, no community housing provider has indicated an interest to purchase, and the owner has not indicated a willingness to sell. While I appreciate that some residents have insisted that the City or NSW Government should buy the property regardless, it is not for sale. Next steps Most of the residents of Selwyn Street have now moved to new homes, and we will continue to support all efforts to secure housing for the remaining residents. The Selwyn Street DA was refused in November 2023, and we are still defending this refusal in the Land and Environment Court after the owner appealed this decision. The hearing will take place in May 2025. I have repeatedly asked the NSW Government to review the outdated planning policies and laws that apply to boarding house conversions, so that we do not keep losing this important form of diverse housing, and boarding house residents have better rights and protections. Later this year, I will also host a roundtable with community housing providers, Metropolitan Councils, Homes NSW, the Tenants’ Union of NSW, Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, the NSW Rental Commissioner and peak bodies about protecting and increasing safe and secure affordable rental housing, including boarding houses. If you have any questions, please email me at cmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. If you would like to be kept up to date on this issue and other news from the City, I encourage you to sign up to my newsletter at https://www.teamclover.com.au Yours sincerely Clover Moore AO Lord Mayor of Sydney”
Selwyn Street Boarding Houses
Selwyn Street Boarding Houses
NSW Land and Environment Court
NSW Land and Environment Court

Petition Updates

Share this petition

Petition created on 14 July 2024