FOR two weeks people living in a Beach Street apartment complex have been hearing sounds on their roof, their kids complaining of mysterious bumps in the night.

It was only when a plumber was called to investigate a blockage in the upper floor gutter that he found evidence of someone sleeping up there, a mattress on the roof and garbage blocking the drains.

One tenant the Herald spoke to said when she’d called police she was told they weren’t allowed in without authorisation from the WA housing department.

• It’s an easy hop onto the rooftop of the Beach Street housing department from neighbouring properties. Is the rooftop tenant someone who lost their digs when 5 Beach Street was closed down?

Last Saturday morning she contacted the department to get the ball rolling. As our deadline rolled around Thursday there’d been no word of progress.

She says her young children are scared and having trouble sleeping, and this week the sounds have returned.

People have easy access to the rooftop from neighbouring properties. From the back of St Pat’s community centre, a broken fence leads to the rear of number 5 Beach Street, the sprawling block owned by Jack Fazio.

From the top of that building it’s an easy hop onto the housing department complex, with no gap between the two.

In June Fremantle council moved to evict Mr Fazio’s tenants because the place was operating outside the law and didn’t meet basic safety codes. Tenants were in the main people who’d find it difficult affording most other places.

At the time of the evictions, the Herald noted, “too squalid to live in, but where do tenants go now?” The answer appears to be the neighbour’s roof.

by DAVID BELL