Angelo Antignani called on state politicians to address the issue.

He said MPs had not yet inspected the many rooming houses in Brimbank. "I'm really surprised that they haven't put the rooming houses on their agenda. None of the politicians has been proactive in pressing the issue."

The Advocate last week reported that council inspectors had discovered 62 unregistered homes since last September. Twenty-three had been closed.

Council administrator Peter Lewinsky said rooming houses were often used by the city's most vulnerable residents because of insufficient affordable housing and the tight private rental market.

Victorian Council for Social Service chief executive Cath Smith told the Advocate the long-term solution to the problem of rooming houses was to address the shortfall in affordable housing.

"One of the most important things governments can do to tackle the housing affordability problem and reduce homelessness is to invest in social housing," Ms Smith said.

"As housing affordability continues to decline, it gets harder for people experiencing homelessness to find and keep a permanent home."

She said many of them might never find a stable home unless there was a sustained investment in affordable rental housing. "It's a commonsense proposition; you can't solve homelessness without adequate housing."