Almost half of the apartment owners in one of Melbourne's most beloved heritage hotels say the property has been allowed to deteriorate by a body corporate functioning as a "personal fiefdom" serving the building's wealthier tenants, nightclubs and bars.

Poor security and easy access by outsiders to apartments at St Kilda's The George Hotel have led to regular problems for residents. These include drunk patrons from bars downstairs roaming the corridors, sex worker servicing clients on stairwells and drug users injecting on fire escapes. In one notable incident last July a naked intruder walked the corridors knocking on doors and masturbating.

Residents of apartments at The George, Fifi Carbines, Antoinette Starkiewicz, Colin Dowzer, and Jonana Kowenzowski, are among those concerned about problems at the building. Credit:Justin McManus

Of the building's 70-odd owners, 33 say the landmark building – which was turned into apartments two decades ago – has been badly mismanaged and is deteriorating as a result.

They says this has been done to the benefit of "a cabal" of richer owners and bar operators, while the company employed to run the owners corporation has done nothing.