Grieving daughter shocked to see group of squatters change locks on her late father’s house and throw away all his belongings

A woman’s ‘grotesque’ squatting dilemma has sparked a heated debate over home ownership in Australia. Outspoken writer Clementine Ford is taking an unlikely side.

Victorian woman Carol called ABC Melbourne Mornings to ask for advice about a group of squatters who had moved into her late father’s home.

“Something terrible happened this weekend and I don’t know what to do,” Carol, from Westmeadows in the city’s northwest, said Tuesday.

‘I arrived at my father’s house, which had been largely vacant for the past 12 to 15 years, and my key wouldn’t work.

‘I have been a caregiver for my mother for the past 12 years and before that I was renovating the house. My mother passed away and I have not been in the house for nine weeks.

‘There has been a break-in, all the locks have been changed and everything in the house has been taken: furniture, clothing, personal belongings, toiletries, everything in the kitchen, everything in the garage.’

Carol became emotional as she thought about the belongings the intruders had taken, including precious relics of her deceased father and mother.

“The police came, I proved I owned the house, they spoke to my neighbors who said, ‘Yes, it’s Carol’s house,’ and they called a locksmith who broke in,” she said.

Author Clementine Ford (pictured) defended a squatter who moved into a woman’s late father’s home after it had been empty for nine weeks

Carol said the locks on her home had been changed by the squatters and all her personal belongings had been emptied, including those of her deceased parents (stock photo)

‘[The squatters] weren’t there, but they had moved furniture – they had moved a refrigerator, they had moved a washing machine.

‘…I don’t know who these people are.’

Attorney David Whiting advised Carol to hire a security guard who could keep out any new residents of the property and confront the squatters if they returned.

He also advised her to make an “appointment” so the squatters could remove all their belongings from the house and change the locks.

Outspoken feminist advocate Clementine Ford joined the debate after hearing Carol’s story on the radio.

“I was just listening to the ABC and a woman called with a “very disturbing story”, in her own words,” Ms Ford wrote.

‘I understand why she was angry, but the story also shows how big the problems are with rental rights in this country.’

Mrs. Ford expressed solidarity with Carol’s recent loss of both parents, but noted that her sympathy did not extend to her squatter situation.

Homelessness is on the rise in Australia, with the number of older women seeking help increasing by 40 per cent over the past decade (stock)

“Look, I understand why someone who has lost both parents — and who has probably devoted much of her adult life to caring for them — would feel angry and violated when her things are tampered with in this way,” she said.

‘But that is precisely the problem with the poor rental market and the lack of tenant rights here.’

The ‘revolution’ in Australia’s attitude to vacant properties has been led by far-left commentator Jordan van den Berg, best known for his social media account ‘Purplepingers’.

Mr. van den Berg often encourages squatters to move into the vacant properties he advertises on his social media platforms.

Ms Ford said the commentator had “done a fantastic job of exposing the harsh realities of the Australian rental market”.

‘We’re all in trouble as renters. While an absurd number of people are competing to pay other people’s mortgages on overpriced, moldy junk, empty homes sit all over the country, being used as emergency shelters for owners who are rarely there or as tax breaks.

“It’s disgusting. Why shouldn’t a house that has been largely empty for 15 years be used to house people?”

Ms Ford then reflected on Australia’s general attitude towards property as an investment rather than a basic right, which she said has led to an increase in homelessness, particularly among older women.

The ‘revolution’ in Australia’s attitude to property has been led by far-left commentator Jordan ‘Purplepingers’ van den Berg (pictured)

The government’s 2022-2023 annual report on Specialist Homelessness Services shows that the number of older women seeking help for homelessness has increased dramatically over the past decade.

“It has become increasingly common for older women to be homeless. Between 2011 and 2021, the number of homeless women increased by almost 40 percent, to approximately 7,300 older women,” the report said.

‘While the shortage of affordable housing and an ageing population have contributed to the increasing number of older people experiencing homelessness, lower lifetime earnings and savings are particularly relevant to the experiences of homelessness for many older women.

‘Since women are more likely to take leave from work and return to paid work on a part-time or on-call basis, the amount of wealth accumulated is generally lower than for men.’

Mrs. Ford indicated that she may not have a stable home as she gets older because she cannot get a mortgage.

“The idea of ​​investment properties is grotesque in itself, but in a country where tenants have essentially no rights, it is outrageous that homeowners are treated as if their ‘investment’ is anything but another kind of high-stakes gamble,” she said.

Mrs Ford (pictured) described the idea of ​​investment and/or vacant properties as ‘grotesque’

‘I’ve been paying rent for 25 years, but because I don’t have a permanent job and don’t expect an inheritance, I will probably never be able to buy my own house.

‘Even if I could ever borrow enough money for a small apartment, what bank would give a loan to a woman in her 50s with an unreliable source of income?

‘In the meantime, how many houses and apartments have I bought for other people so they can arrange their retirement?’

Ms Ford said Australia’s property sector was in “crisis” and called on investors to implement stricter laws to ensure homes were not left empty.

“We are facing a homelessness crisis, particularly among women over 65, and the government’s response to this is to simply put a sticking plaster on the wound and do absolutely nothing about the insane rights afforded to property investors,” the spokesperson said.

‘If you own multiple properties – and I mean two or more – then you should be legally required to offer fixed-term leases, with an option for long-term contracts of 10 years or more.’