Complaints about public housing and disruptive tenants in WA have risen 88 per cent, with Mosman Park residents saying longstanding problems involving violence, drugs and antisocial behaviour at the Wellington Street social housing complex remain unresolved.

Residents of 1 Wellington Street said they were living in fear, with reports of threats, drug dealing and people sleeping in common areas. Some said they no longer invited grandchildren or other visitors to the complex because of conditions around the building.

Residents said repeated approaches to police, the Town of Mosman Park and the Department of Housing and Works had produced little improvement. A proposal for the council to do more was unsuccessful, although council engagement with departmental leadership had resulted in a limited improvement in services.

Mayor Paul Shaw acknowledged that quarterly meetings between the Town, department and police had not worked and said advocacy at higher levels of State Government had also failed to produce a satisfactory outcome.

The Department of Housing and Works said it had applied the three-strike eviction system, but the matter was ultimately decided by a magistrate. It said complaints meeting the criteria for disruptive behaviour were investigated, with substantiated complaints recorded as strikes.

Residents and the council have called for greater action over the suitability of tenants placed at the complex, while the department said alternative measures such as caretakers had previously been suggested but refused.