Latest news with #SPL-managed
The Advertiser
19-05-2025
- The Advertiser
New renters' rights fail to provide 'peace, privacy and comfort' for lodgers
NEW laws that strengthen renters' rights in NSW have left many people out in the cold. For those who pay rent for a single room in a group house, or who live in a shared accommodation-style arrangement, the new laws do not apply. They appear to be in no-man's land with hopes they will be given some protections when legislative changes to the laws governing boarding houses come into effect. However, there is no timeframe in which that will occur. A decision handed down in the Supreme Court of Appeal has added weight to he notion that people regarded as boarders or lodgers, and who sign agreements as such, are not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. The matter of Shapkin versus the University of Sydney first came to court in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2022. The tribunal sided with the university, as did the Appeal Panel, which held a hearing in January 2023. Mr Shapkin then sought leave to appeal from the Appeal Panel's decision, which was heard in December 2023, and he was granted leave to appeal on two out of three grounds. That hearing took place on May 5, and reasons as to why leave to appeal was refused were handed down on May 16. At each juncture, the courts have sided with the landlord by regarding Mr Shapkin as a lodger, even though his landlord, which can be a person or an entity, does not physically reside with him. For an occupant to be a boarder or a lodger, the owner must remain in possession and retain his quality as "master of the house", with "control and dominion" over the hall, the decision says. The coordinator of the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service, Nicole Grgas, says the Shapkin decision is "really troubling". SPL has come under fire for its treatment of occupants living in SPL-managed group homes, where they are said to conduct spot inspections on a regular basis, as often as every two days, without warning and without waiting to see if anyone is home, rifling through personal belongings. The organisation has also been heavily criticised for evicting people and/or relocating them with little or no notice. "If these were residential tenancy agreements, then you have a right to peace, comfort and privacy, and the landlord can only come with certain notice," Ms Grgas said. "The tribunal has most recently found, and I don't know if I want to advertise it, that these are not tenancy agreements." That means the increasing number of people paying rent per room will not be afforded the protections of the legislative changes, which came into effect on Monday. While it is now easier for those renters to have pets in their homes, and feel more secure in the knowledge that 'no grounds' evictions are now unlawful, lodgers continue to live in fear of being evicted or relocated at a moment's notice. Last week, several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford, to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, on May 5, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days' notice, but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am, the Newcastle Herald was told. Mr Mason has denied any wrongdoing. NEW laws that strengthen renters' rights in NSW have left many people out in the cold. For those who pay rent for a single room in a group house, or who live in a shared accommodation-style arrangement, the new laws do not apply. They appear to be in no-man's land with hopes they will be given some protections when legislative changes to the laws governing boarding houses come into effect. However, there is no timeframe in which that will occur. A decision handed down in the Supreme Court of Appeal has added weight to he notion that people regarded as boarders or lodgers, and who sign agreements as such, are not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. The matter of Shapkin versus the University of Sydney first came to court in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2022. The tribunal sided with the university, as did the Appeal Panel, which held a hearing in January 2023. Mr Shapkin then sought leave to appeal from the Appeal Panel's decision, which was heard in December 2023, and he was granted leave to appeal on two out of three grounds. That hearing took place on May 5, and reasons as to why leave to appeal was refused were handed down on May 16. At each juncture, the courts have sided with the landlord by regarding Mr Shapkin as a lodger, even though his landlord, which can be a person or an entity, does not physically reside with him. For an occupant to be a boarder or a lodger, the owner must remain in possession and retain his quality as "master of the house", with "control and dominion" over the hall, the decision says. The coordinator of the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service, Nicole Grgas, says the Shapkin decision is "really troubling". SPL has come under fire for its treatment of occupants living in SPL-managed group homes, where they are said to conduct spot inspections on a regular basis, as often as every two days, without warning and without waiting to see if anyone is home, rifling through personal belongings. The organisation has also been heavily criticised for evicting people and/or relocating them with little or no notice. "If these were residential tenancy agreements, then you have a right to peace, comfort and privacy, and the landlord can only come with certain notice," Ms Grgas said. "The tribunal has most recently found, and I don't know if I want to advertise it, that these are not tenancy agreements." That means the increasing number of people paying rent per room will not be afforded the protections of the legislative changes, which came into effect on Monday. While it is now easier for those renters to have pets in their homes, and feel more secure in the knowledge that 'no grounds' evictions are now unlawful, lodgers continue to live in fear of being evicted or relocated at a moment's notice. Last week, several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford, to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, on May 5, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days' notice, but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am, the Newcastle Herald was told. Mr Mason has denied any wrongdoing. NEW laws that strengthen renters' rights in NSW have left many people out in the cold. For those who pay rent for a single room in a group house, or who live in a shared accommodation-style arrangement, the new laws do not apply. They appear to be in no-man's land with hopes they will be given some protections when legislative changes to the laws governing boarding houses come into effect. However, there is no timeframe in which that will occur. A decision handed down in the Supreme Court of Appeal has added weight to he notion that people regarded as boarders or lodgers, and who sign agreements as such, are not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. The matter of Shapkin versus the University of Sydney first came to court in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2022. The tribunal sided with the university, as did the Appeal Panel, which held a hearing in January 2023. Mr Shapkin then sought leave to appeal from the Appeal Panel's decision, which was heard in December 2023, and he was granted leave to appeal on two out of three grounds. That hearing took place on May 5, and reasons as to why leave to appeal was refused were handed down on May 16. At each juncture, the courts have sided with the landlord by regarding Mr Shapkin as a lodger, even though his landlord, which can be a person or an entity, does not physically reside with him. For an occupant to be a boarder or a lodger, the owner must remain in possession and retain his quality as "master of the house", with "control and dominion" over the hall, the decision says. The coordinator of the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service, Nicole Grgas, says the Shapkin decision is "really troubling". SPL has come under fire for its treatment of occupants living in SPL-managed group homes, where they are said to conduct spot inspections on a regular basis, as often as every two days, without warning and without waiting to see if anyone is home, rifling through personal belongings. The organisation has also been heavily criticised for evicting people and/or relocating them with little or no notice. "If these were residential tenancy agreements, then you have a right to peace, comfort and privacy, and the landlord can only come with certain notice," Ms Grgas said. "The tribunal has most recently found, and I don't know if I want to advertise it, that these are not tenancy agreements." That means the increasing number of people paying rent per room will not be afforded the protections of the legislative changes, which came into effect on Monday. While it is now easier for those renters to have pets in their homes, and feel more secure in the knowledge that 'no grounds' evictions are now unlawful, lodgers continue to live in fear of being evicted or relocated at a moment's notice. Last week, several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford, to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, on May 5, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days' notice, but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am, the Newcastle Herald was told. Mr Mason has denied any wrongdoing. NEW laws that strengthen renters' rights in NSW have left many people out in the cold. For those who pay rent for a single room in a group house, or who live in a shared accommodation-style arrangement, the new laws do not apply. They appear to be in no-man's land with hopes they will be given some protections when legislative changes to the laws governing boarding houses come into effect. However, there is no timeframe in which that will occur. A decision handed down in the Supreme Court of Appeal has added weight to he notion that people regarded as boarders or lodgers, and who sign agreements as such, are not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. The matter of Shapkin versus the University of Sydney first came to court in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2022. The tribunal sided with the university, as did the Appeal Panel, which held a hearing in January 2023. Mr Shapkin then sought leave to appeal from the Appeal Panel's decision, which was heard in December 2023, and he was granted leave to appeal on two out of three grounds. That hearing took place on May 5, and reasons as to why leave to appeal was refused were handed down on May 16. At each juncture, the courts have sided with the landlord by regarding Mr Shapkin as a lodger, even though his landlord, which can be a person or an entity, does not physically reside with him. For an occupant to be a boarder or a lodger, the owner must remain in possession and retain his quality as "master of the house", with "control and dominion" over the hall, the decision says. The coordinator of the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service, Nicole Grgas, says the Shapkin decision is "really troubling". SPL has come under fire for its treatment of occupants living in SPL-managed group homes, where they are said to conduct spot inspections on a regular basis, as often as every two days, without warning and without waiting to see if anyone is home, rifling through personal belongings. The organisation has also been heavily criticised for evicting people and/or relocating them with little or no notice. "If these were residential tenancy agreements, then you have a right to peace, comfort and privacy, and the landlord can only come with certain notice," Ms Grgas said. "The tribunal has most recently found, and I don't know if I want to advertise it, that these are not tenancy agreements." That means the increasing number of people paying rent per room will not be afforded the protections of the legislative changes, which came into effect on Monday. While it is now easier for those renters to have pets in their homes, and feel more secure in the knowledge that 'no grounds' evictions are now unlawful, lodgers continue to live in fear of being evicted or relocated at a moment's notice. Last week, several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford, to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, on May 5, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days' notice, but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am, the Newcastle Herald was told. Mr Mason has denied any wrongdoing.
The Advertiser
17-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Under review: spotlight on SPL's management of vulnerable people in sublet properties
INDUSTRY insiders say illegal boarding house operator Sanctuary Place Living is running homes that flout laws against restrictive practices involving people with disability and fall short of requirements for parolees. While the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is continuing its investigation into SPL, Corrective Services NSW has announced it is also reviewing the organisation and its suitability to provide accommodation to parolees. Sanctuary Place Living, or SPL, run by Michael Mason and his partner Jacqui Whiteford, lease properties throughout the Hunter which they sub-let to NDIS participants, parolees, and people on workers compensation, disability pensions and unemployment benefits. Their occupancy agreements include rules against "unauthorised" guests entering their rentals, including disability support workers who in many cases are NDIS-funded to work with people in their homes. To deny their entry is in breach of laws designed to ensure people with disability are treated with respect and dignity, and have choice and control over how, who and when their supports are delivered, disability service providers say. "This is a restrictive practice, when they cannot access supports in the home, if they are funded to receive that," said one Hunter-based support coordinator. Having worked with numerous people who live, or have lived, in SPL-managed homes, the woman said she was disgusted with the way the organisation treated some tenants. "The fee structure, the agreement that leaves them with no rights ... they can be moved at any time of day, with a text message, from nobody, just signed SPL, and they have to pack up and they're moved," she said. "They get no say in it, they are thrown together, there is no matching that takes place." This week several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days notice but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am on a Monday (May 5), the Herald was told. A number of other SPL-leased and managed properties have been vacated in the past two months. Multiple property owners who have leased houses to SPL have said the organisation was regularly behind on rent and bills, and did not cooperate with reasonable requests to conduct routine house inspections. In contrast, SPL demands the right to carry out inspections at will, whether or not people are at home, including opening fridges and cupboards and going through personal belongings, sources say. "They just come in whenever they want to, whenever they wish," said one community support worker who did not wish to be named to protect her clients' identities. "They don't give them any warning. They turn their cars off and, when they get to the start of the driveway, they roll it down silently to sneak up on these people and give them no warning. "And they open the doors really quietly and go through their bedrooms. It doesn't matter if they're in there, it doesn't matter what they're doing. They let themselves in and they go through all their stuff." Some residents have had bedbugs in the mattresses they are provided with but are too scared to speak up for fear of being evicted or sent to the Alma Mater, she said. "Because that's what they've done to other residents living in their other homes that have had bedbugs," she said. "And at the Alma Mater .... the rooms are smaller than a jail cell. "We hear that they're being investigated .... Yet, these vulnerable people are still being taken advantage of. And no one's standing up for them. How can we stay silent?" In some houses where people pay between $335 and $370 or more per week for a room, some with an ensuite, SPL is set to make double the rent they are paying to property owners through their sub-lease arrangements, as well as in some cases also claiming a portion of tenants' NDIS-funded supports. In a statement to the Newcastle Herald, SPL said it did not engage in any unlawful restrictive practices. It denied it was running an illegal boarding house at Mayfield, the Alma Mater, and it denied robbing residents of rights under the Residential Tenancy Act. "Moreover, where appropriate, the circumstances of SPL's tenancy agreements have been determined by the NSW Civil Administrative Tribunal to not constitute residential tenancy agreements," the statement said. "Moreover, no parolee has been moved from any residence without sufficient notice except in extreme circumstances where serious crimes have been committed or threatened, such as episodes of violence against other occupants." The City of Newcastle has confirmed SPL did not seek approval to run a boarding house at 88 Hanbury Street, Mayfield, a building now named 'Alma Mater', when it opened two months ago. Corrective Services NSW said following recent concerning reports about the operating practices of SPL, it is "reviewing its suitability as a place of accommodation for parolees". The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has also confirmed it is investigating concerns raised about SPL but is "unable to comment further". "Participants have the right to fair treatment, transparency, and quality services under the NDIS," a commission spokesperson said. "The NDIS Commission strongly encourages participants, their families, and advocates to report any concerns regarding unethical provider behaviour." INDUSTRY insiders say illegal boarding house operator Sanctuary Place Living is running homes that flout laws against restrictive practices involving people with disability and fall short of requirements for parolees. While the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is continuing its investigation into SPL, Corrective Services NSW has announced it is also reviewing the organisation and its suitability to provide accommodation to parolees. Sanctuary Place Living, or SPL, run by Michael Mason and his partner Jacqui Whiteford, lease properties throughout the Hunter which they sub-let to NDIS participants, parolees, and people on workers compensation, disability pensions and unemployment benefits. Their occupancy agreements include rules against "unauthorised" guests entering their rentals, including disability support workers who in many cases are NDIS-funded to work with people in their homes. To deny their entry is in breach of laws designed to ensure people with disability are treated with respect and dignity, and have choice and control over how, who and when their supports are delivered, disability service providers say. "This is a restrictive practice, when they cannot access supports in the home, if they are funded to receive that," said one Hunter-based support coordinator. Having worked with numerous people who live, or have lived, in SPL-managed homes, the woman said she was disgusted with the way the organisation treated some tenants. "The fee structure, the agreement that leaves them with no rights ... they can be moved at any time of day, with a text message, from nobody, just signed SPL, and they have to pack up and they're moved," she said. "They get no say in it, they are thrown together, there is no matching that takes place." This week several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days notice but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am on a Monday (May 5), the Herald was told. A number of other SPL-leased and managed properties have been vacated in the past two months. Multiple property owners who have leased houses to SPL have said the organisation was regularly behind on rent and bills, and did not cooperate with reasonable requests to conduct routine house inspections. In contrast, SPL demands the right to carry out inspections at will, whether or not people are at home, including opening fridges and cupboards and going through personal belongings, sources say. "They just come in whenever they want to, whenever they wish," said one community support worker who did not wish to be named to protect her clients' identities. "They don't give them any warning. They turn their cars off and, when they get to the start of the driveway, they roll it down silently to sneak up on these people and give them no warning. "And they open the doors really quietly and go through their bedrooms. It doesn't matter if they're in there, it doesn't matter what they're doing. They let themselves in and they go through all their stuff." Some residents have had bedbugs in the mattresses they are provided with but are too scared to speak up for fear of being evicted or sent to the Alma Mater, she said. "Because that's what they've done to other residents living in their other homes that have had bedbugs," she said. "And at the Alma Mater .... the rooms are smaller than a jail cell. "We hear that they're being investigated .... Yet, these vulnerable people are still being taken advantage of. And no one's standing up for them. How can we stay silent?" In some houses where people pay between $335 and $370 or more per week for a room, some with an ensuite, SPL is set to make double the rent they are paying to property owners through their sub-lease arrangements, as well as in some cases also claiming a portion of tenants' NDIS-funded supports. In a statement to the Newcastle Herald, SPL said it did not engage in any unlawful restrictive practices. It denied it was running an illegal boarding house at Mayfield, the Alma Mater, and it denied robbing residents of rights under the Residential Tenancy Act. "Moreover, where appropriate, the circumstances of SPL's tenancy agreements have been determined by the NSW Civil Administrative Tribunal to not constitute residential tenancy agreements," the statement said. "Moreover, no parolee has been moved from any residence without sufficient notice except in extreme circumstances where serious crimes have been committed or threatened, such as episodes of violence against other occupants." The City of Newcastle has confirmed SPL did not seek approval to run a boarding house at 88 Hanbury Street, Mayfield, a building now named 'Alma Mater', when it opened two months ago. Corrective Services NSW said following recent concerning reports about the operating practices of SPL, it is "reviewing its suitability as a place of accommodation for parolees". The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has also confirmed it is investigating concerns raised about SPL but is "unable to comment further". "Participants have the right to fair treatment, transparency, and quality services under the NDIS," a commission spokesperson said. "The NDIS Commission strongly encourages participants, their families, and advocates to report any concerns regarding unethical provider behaviour." INDUSTRY insiders say illegal boarding house operator Sanctuary Place Living is running homes that flout laws against restrictive practices involving people with disability and fall short of requirements for parolees. While the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is continuing its investigation into SPL, Corrective Services NSW has announced it is also reviewing the organisation and its suitability to provide accommodation to parolees. Sanctuary Place Living, or SPL, run by Michael Mason and his partner Jacqui Whiteford, lease properties throughout the Hunter which they sub-let to NDIS participants, parolees, and people on workers compensation, disability pensions and unemployment benefits. Their occupancy agreements include rules against "unauthorised" guests entering their rentals, including disability support workers who in many cases are NDIS-funded to work with people in their homes. To deny their entry is in breach of laws designed to ensure people with disability are treated with respect and dignity, and have choice and control over how, who and when their supports are delivered, disability service providers say. "This is a restrictive practice, when they cannot access supports in the home, if they are funded to receive that," said one Hunter-based support coordinator. Having worked with numerous people who live, or have lived, in SPL-managed homes, the woman said she was disgusted with the way the organisation treated some tenants. "The fee structure, the agreement that leaves them with no rights ... they can be moved at any time of day, with a text message, from nobody, just signed SPL, and they have to pack up and they're moved," she said. "They get no say in it, they are thrown together, there is no matching that takes place." This week several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days notice but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am on a Monday (May 5), the Herald was told. A number of other SPL-leased and managed properties have been vacated in the past two months. Multiple property owners who have leased houses to SPL have said the organisation was regularly behind on rent and bills, and did not cooperate with reasonable requests to conduct routine house inspections. In contrast, SPL demands the right to carry out inspections at will, whether or not people are at home, including opening fridges and cupboards and going through personal belongings, sources say. "They just come in whenever they want to, whenever they wish," said one community support worker who did not wish to be named to protect her clients' identities. "They don't give them any warning. They turn their cars off and, when they get to the start of the driveway, they roll it down silently to sneak up on these people and give them no warning. "And they open the doors really quietly and go through their bedrooms. It doesn't matter if they're in there, it doesn't matter what they're doing. They let themselves in and they go through all their stuff." Some residents have had bedbugs in the mattresses they are provided with but are too scared to speak up for fear of being evicted or sent to the Alma Mater, she said. "Because that's what they've done to other residents living in their other homes that have had bedbugs," she said. "And at the Alma Mater .... the rooms are smaller than a jail cell. "We hear that they're being investigated .... Yet, these vulnerable people are still being taken advantage of. And no one's standing up for them. How can we stay silent?" In some houses where people pay between $335 and $370 or more per week for a room, some with an ensuite, SPL is set to make double the rent they are paying to property owners through their sub-lease arrangements, as well as in some cases also claiming a portion of tenants' NDIS-funded supports. In a statement to the Newcastle Herald, SPL said it did not engage in any unlawful restrictive practices. It denied it was running an illegal boarding house at Mayfield, the Alma Mater, and it denied robbing residents of rights under the Residential Tenancy Act. "Moreover, where appropriate, the circumstances of SPL's tenancy agreements have been determined by the NSW Civil Administrative Tribunal to not constitute residential tenancy agreements," the statement said. "Moreover, no parolee has been moved from any residence without sufficient notice except in extreme circumstances where serious crimes have been committed or threatened, such as episodes of violence against other occupants." The City of Newcastle has confirmed SPL did not seek approval to run a boarding house at 88 Hanbury Street, Mayfield, a building now named 'Alma Mater', when it opened two months ago. Corrective Services NSW said following recent concerning reports about the operating practices of SPL, it is "reviewing its suitability as a place of accommodation for parolees". The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has also confirmed it is investigating concerns raised about SPL but is "unable to comment further". "Participants have the right to fair treatment, transparency, and quality services under the NDIS," a commission spokesperson said. "The NDIS Commission strongly encourages participants, their families, and advocates to report any concerns regarding unethical provider behaviour." INDUSTRY insiders say illegal boarding house operator Sanctuary Place Living is running homes that flout laws against restrictive practices involving people with disability and fall short of requirements for parolees. While the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is continuing its investigation into SPL, Corrective Services NSW has announced it is also reviewing the organisation and its suitability to provide accommodation to parolees. Sanctuary Place Living, or SPL, run by Michael Mason and his partner Jacqui Whiteford, lease properties throughout the Hunter which they sub-let to NDIS participants, parolees, and people on workers compensation, disability pensions and unemployment benefits. Their occupancy agreements include rules against "unauthorised" guests entering their rentals, including disability support workers who in many cases are NDIS-funded to work with people in their homes. To deny their entry is in breach of laws designed to ensure people with disability are treated with respect and dignity, and have choice and control over how, who and when their supports are delivered, disability service providers say. "This is a restrictive practice, when they cannot access supports in the home, if they are funded to receive that," said one Hunter-based support coordinator. Having worked with numerous people who live, or have lived, in SPL-managed homes, the woman said she was disgusted with the way the organisation treated some tenants. "The fee structure, the agreement that leaves them with no rights ... they can be moved at any time of day, with a text message, from nobody, just signed SPL, and they have to pack up and they're moved," she said. "They get no say in it, they are thrown together, there is no matching that takes place." This week several residents were forced to move from an SPL-managed property at Rutherford to which police were called on Monday when SPL staff turned up unannounced, demanding access to the property to retrieve furniture. The residents had been given less than one business day's notice that they were being relocated. The week before that, SPL moved 20 people out of homes in Elemore Vale. They were given five days notice but SPL staff turned up without notice with a removalist truck two days early, at 6am on a Monday (May 5), the Herald was told. A number of other SPL-leased and managed properties have been vacated in the past two months. Multiple property owners who have leased houses to SPL have said the organisation was regularly behind on rent and bills, and did not cooperate with reasonable requests to conduct routine house inspections. In contrast, SPL demands the right to carry out inspections at will, whether or not people are at home, including opening fridges and cupboards and going through personal belongings, sources say. "They just come in whenever they want to, whenever they wish," said one community support worker who did not wish to be named to protect her clients' identities. "They don't give them any warning. They turn their cars off and, when they get to the start of the driveway, they roll it down silently to sneak up on these people and give them no warning. "And they open the doors really quietly and go through their bedrooms. It doesn't matter if they're in there, it doesn't matter what they're doing. They let themselves in and they go through all their stuff." Some residents have had bedbugs in the mattresses they are provided with but are too scared to speak up for fear of being evicted or sent to the Alma Mater, she said. "Because that's what they've done to other residents living in their other homes that have had bedbugs," she said. "And at the Alma Mater .... the rooms are smaller than a jail cell. "We hear that they're being investigated .... Yet, these vulnerable people are still being taken advantage of. And no one's standing up for them. How can we stay silent?" In some houses where people pay between $335 and $370 or more per week for a room, some with an ensuite, SPL is set to make double the rent they are paying to property owners through their sub-lease arrangements, as well as in some cases also claiming a portion of tenants' NDIS-funded supports. In a statement to the Newcastle Herald, SPL said it did not engage in any unlawful restrictive practices. It denied it was running an illegal boarding house at Mayfield, the Alma Mater, and it denied robbing residents of rights under the Residential Tenancy Act. "Moreover, where appropriate, the circumstances of SPL's tenancy agreements have been determined by the NSW Civil Administrative Tribunal to not constitute residential tenancy agreements," the statement said. "Moreover, no parolee has been moved from any residence without sufficient notice except in extreme circumstances where serious crimes have been committed or threatened, such as episodes of violence against other occupants." The City of Newcastle has confirmed SPL did not seek approval to run a boarding house at 88 Hanbury Street, Mayfield, a building now named 'Alma Mater', when it opened two months ago. Corrective Services NSW said following recent concerning reports about the operating practices of SPL, it is "reviewing its suitability as a place of accommodation for parolees". The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has also confirmed it is investigating concerns raised about SPL but is "unable to comment further". "Participants have the right to fair treatment, transparency, and quality services under the NDIS," a commission spokesperson said. "The NDIS Commission strongly encourages participants, their families, and advocates to report any concerns regarding unethical provider behaviour."
