A Perth couple was accused of moving into a multimillion-dollar home in one of the city’s wealthiest suburbs and renovating it despite allegedly having no right to live there.
Schoolteacher Jeremy Hubbard and his wife, musician Rachel Savage, reportedly settled into the property after their offer to buy it was rejected, telling locals they were renting the home from its elderly owner.
Highlights
- A Perth couple was accused of moving into a AU$2 million (US$1.2 million) abandoned home without permission, claiming they had rented it.
- The elderly owner and her nephew denied any rental agreement, sparking a bitter housing dispute.
- Locals debated whether the couple was entitled to stay after renovating the derelict property.
The owner and her family, however, insisted that no agreement ever existed.
The couple said they rented and restored the abandoned home, but the owners said that no such lease existed
Image credits: news.com.au
Hubbard and Savage told a local newspaper they had been renting the 107-year-old Shenton Park home from 81-year-old Marilyn Watson for the past two years, according to the Daily Mail.
They even highlighted the improvements they had made to the home at their own expense, with Google Street View images showing the home’s decline before their renovations.
The couple described the AU$2 million (US$1.2 million) house as having been restored to its former charm.
House in 2020
Image credits: Post Newspaper
According to Watson’s nephew, Greg Preston, his aunt had never met the couple and had never signed any rental contract with the couple.
Watson had reportedly been asking the couple to leave because she did not want them in her house, but they have not been complying.
Preston explained that the home had been uninhabited since 2010 after it was damaged in a hailstorm, and that his aunt had relocated to another home in Mandurah.
Preston noted that he once discovered a card from Savage to his aunt in 2022, calling the house “beautiful” and asking to buy it.
House in 2024
Image credits: Google Street
Unfortunately for Savage, Watson had no intention of selling and did not want strangers living there.
“She hasn’t authorized anybody to live there at any time, and she certainly would never sign a lease for anybody to live there,” Preston said.
Neighbors questioned why the couple renovated a home they had no right to occupy
While some neighbors expressed sympathy towards Watson’s plight, others noted that the couple should have been allowed to rent the property.
One local argued that in a housing crisis, it seemed senseless to leave a livable property abandoned.
“I don’t agree with squatting, but at least give them the option to pay rent, especially considering they improved the condition it was in,” the local said.
Others noted that Hubbard and Savage came from well-off families, owned luxury cars, and enjoyed overseas holidays. This made their apparent decision to squat at Watson's property quite strange.
“This is not a sad case of a poor family with a baby needing a roof over their heads. Their wedding was quite a luxury event. They are both affiliated with large Christian churches, and he is a regular golfer.”
House in 2025
Image credits: Post Newspaper
“This is about taking what’s not theirs. That couple has no right to live in this house,” another neighbor said.
In recent weeks, local media captured removal vans at the property, suggesting that the couple had quietly moved out.
Savage, who once performed in Nashville and Los Angeles, and Hubbard, a teacher at Kings College, deleted their social media accounts after the dispute gained attention online.
Squatters’ rights reignited a housing debate in Perth
In Western Australia, squatters may be able to claim ownership of a property if they occupy it without the owner’s consent for at least 12 years.
That law, along with the dispute, reignited conversations about housing shortages and property ownership. Jordan van den Lamb, a lawyer better known as “PurplePingers” online, has advocated for occupying unused properties.
“Homes are for people to live in, not for people to make money off,” he argued.
Netizens were less forgiving towards the affluent squatters, with some pointing out that in Australia, renovating a property can demonstrate an intention to possess it under adverse possession laws, as long as the renovations are done openly, continuously, and without the owner's consent.
Image credits: news.com.au
“They renovated the property because they intended to claim the property after 12 years. Renovating the property demonstrates this,” one commenter wrote.
“They were praying to be able to squat for 12 years, then they got squatter's rights. They managed two. People need to keep a very close eye on their empty properties,” wrote another.
“Entitled terrible couple. It is the owner's choice to rent, not rent, renovate, or not. Their mothers never taught them not to take what isn't yours. Shame on them for taking advantage of this elderly woman,” another commenter stated.
Netizens weighed in on Australia’s million-dollar squatters on social media
