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Welcome to our blog. Tenants' Union staff and occasional guests offer commentary and analysis of our renting system. We hope to inform, educate and debate the legal, political and cultural aspects of this renting life. For an official quote for media use, or questions regarding our research, policy or publications please contact us. For more articles see news, reports and the Brown Couch archive. For factsheets see tenancy info.

 

Julie Foreman |

No Bang for your Bond!

This is the initial response from Tenants' Union of NSW, resourcing body for 19 NSW-based Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Services, to the release of funding agreements from 2019-2022 for NSW…
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Leo Patterson Ross |

No homes on a dead planet

The evidence has been in for some time that our climate is changing. As the Tenants' Union of NSW this concerns us because we know that renters live in housing that is the least suitable…
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Leo Patterson Ross |

Renting art across Sydney

Art reflecting and questioning housing is currently on display across Sydney. One of the artists, Emily Valentine, comments, "In our real estate centric society, photographs of houses –…
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The Conversation |

Chilly house? Mouldy rooms? Here's how to improve low-income renters’ access to decent housing

People’s quality of life, their health and their comfort can suffer when living in poor-quality housing. It can also impose high ongoing costs of maintenance, repairs, heating and cooling. And…
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Leo Patterson Ross |

In/formal housing – is more formality the answer?

This is the text of an address given by Senior Policy Officer Leo Patterson Ross to the Housing Theory Symposium 2019. Leo argues that "Like water, if we do not get the supply of housing…
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Leo Patterson Ross |

Negative gearing is still not your friend

Negative gearing remains a major issue for tenants - we've written more than 50 articles about it! This article has been one of the most widely read over the last few years, and now we…
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Leo Patterson Ross |

Theresa May shows Gladys the way on eviction reform

Theresa May’s government in the UK has shown that supporting a fairer, balanced renting system is possible for conservative governments. Last week May and Housing Minister James Brokenshire…
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Robert Mowbray |

Millers Point: through the looking glass

Robert Mowbray reflects on the forced relocation of public housing tenants from Millers Point. He collects a selection of posts that report and discuss on the events and issues.
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Leo Patterson Ross |

Do politicans vote with their property interests?

With recent news about Government ministers opposing no grounds reform, we thought it timely to look at whether politicians' votes are affected by their property interests.
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Leo Patterson Ross |

Big numbers and good intentions: Labor's Affordable Housing Plan

The Federal ALP conference is happening in Adelaide at the moment, and one of the big early announcements was a plan to build a lot of 'affordable' housing. This can probably be…
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Leo Patterson Ross |

Factchecking the fourth estate

Media reporting of housing issues is a mixed bag. It certainly has gotten much better over time, and journalists and readers are becoming more educated. Over the last week there have been three…
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Robert Mowbray |

The sale of Millers Point properties has ended: it has made inequality worse

With the sale of the final two terrace houses on Saturday, 3 November 2018, Property NSW announced the end of the Millers Point sales program. Announcement of the successful tender for the sale…
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