Housing News Digest
Housing News Digest
The Tenants' Union Housing News Digest compiles our pick of items from all the latest tenancy and housing media, sent once per week, on Thursdays.
Below is the Digest archive from November 2020 onwards. From time to time you will find additional items in the archive that did not make it into the weekly Digest email. Earlier archives are here, where you can also find additional digests by other organisations.
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Archive
Lynette is on the pension, a casual teacher, a golf instructor – and homeless
Cait Kelly The Guardian (No paywall)In the shed of the house where Lynette* sleeps, boxes are piled high. The 66-year-old dreams of unpacking the cartons – placing plates on shelves, hanging her coats in a wardrobe, picking fresh flowers for her favourite vase. Lynette is on the pension and works as a casual primary school teacher. On the weekends she teaches golf. She is also homeless. She has been staying with a friend in Kilsyth, in Melbourne’s outer east. It’s not ideal for either of them, but it is keeping her from rough sleeping.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/09/lynette-i…
# Must read Australia, Rent.Broome rental market forces residents out as town hits 'affordability ceiling'
Esse Deves ABC (No paywall)Two years ago West Australian mother Jenni Lowe was struggling to find a secure and stable rental property with her young son. The Kimberley health worker was relying on house-sitting and couch surfing with friends in between house-sits as Broome grappled with what was then a 40 per cent increase in rent. At the time, tenants were paying an average of $895 per week on rent. However, the Real Estate Institute of WA's (REIWA) latest quarterly report showed average weekly rents in the tourist town 2,000 kilometres north of Perth had now reached $1,000 per week.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-10/broome-rental-market-prop…
# Hot topic Australia, .Melbourne landlord fined after entering rental 29 times
Orana Durney-Benson Domain (No paywall)A landlord has been ordered to pay her tenants financial compensation for illegally entering their home, at times without their knowledge. The homeowner visited the rental home in Prahran, in Melbourne’s inner city, 29 times over 15 months. In one instance, the landlord entered the home four times within a single week. In Victoria, a landlord can only legally enter a rental property for a general inspection once every six months.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/melbourne-landlord-fined-after-en…
# Hot topic Australia, .Financial Support Available for those impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The NSW Government is offering some financial assistance for people affected by the weather events over the weekend. We have compiled some information on the ones that might apply to you and your family, make sure to read through the eligibility criteria and see if your area and circumstances apply. What financial assistance might be helpful for renters?
https://www.tenants.org.au/news/financial-support-available-thos…
# Must read NSW, Disasters.Aboriginal communities in Bundjalung Country are preparing for more pain as Cyclone Alfred approaches
Dan Butler SBS (No paywall)A flood-ravaged town is expected to be inundated for its second major natural disaster in three years as local rivers swell beyond their banks before the arrival of Cyclone Alfred. Thousands of people have already been forced to evacuate in northern NSW ahead of the cyclone's predicted arrival on Saturday, when it is expected to make landfall in south-east Queensland. Many residents across a stretch of coastline and hinterland spanning more than 100km from Evans Head to the Queensland border were without power and facing the prospect of days-long outages on Friday morning. In Lismore, where several people died and more than 1000 homes were badly damaged during the 2022 floods, locals were told to evacuate by Thursday night from low-lying areas.
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/aboriginal-communities-in-th…
# Must read NSW, Aboriginal renters, Disasters.Fresh insult for Sydney tenants as rental affordability stoops to new low
Aidan Devine realestate.com.au (No paywall)NSW tenants have been battling the worst rental conditions on record after the share of rental homes considered “affordable” for average income earners dropped to a new low over the past year. PropTrack’s latest Rental Affordability Index revealed a household on the median income of $116,000 a year could afford just 26 per cent of the rentals listed on realestate.com.au over July to December. PropTrack noted that this was the worst affordability measure in the 18 years since rental affordability records began in 2008. Those on $70,000 a year – placing them among the lowest third of income earners – could afford just 2 per cent of the state’s advertised rental stock, the index revealed.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/fresh-insult-for-sydney-tenan…
# Must read NSW, Rent.Takeaways from the Rent Bidding insights report from NSW Fair Trading
Leo Patterson Ross LinkedIn (No paywall)1. Regulatory activity works if you work it.
Government responded to an issue by adjusting the rules and then - crucially, for the first time in a long time, held people accountable for following the rules. The improvement in advertising practices are clear and it's because the regulatory activity was visible and real. The number of fines issued on this is about the same as issued for all other Residential Tenancies Act breaches combined over at least the 10 years prior.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/leopattersonross_two-key-takeaway…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, .Fury over huge queue for Sydney rental, but agent says landlord just a ‘real nice bloke’
Chantelle Francis news.com.au (No paywall)Sydney’s rental crisis has been summed up in one depressing photo showing dozens of people lining up to inspect a one-bedroom apartment in the city’s Inner West. The Leichhardt apartment - complete with a balcony, internal laundry and access to swimming pool - drew in a massive crowd thanks to its dirt-cheap asking price of $500 a week. The photo of the queue for the inspection on Sunday showed more than 40 people waiting outside as real estate agents appeared to collect details. One of those people, a local with three months left on their own rental lease, snapped the photo and shared it to Reddit. Real estate agency Hudson McHugh told news.com.au the owner was simply a “real nice bloke” who was happy to accept less than other landlords.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/fury-over-hu…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Starting a tenancy.