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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
Dealing with apartment defects: a how-to guide for strata owners and buyers
Sian Thompson and others The Conversation (No paywall)If you own an apartment – or are thinking of buying one – the recent news about building quality has been worrying. There have been evacuations at the Opal and Mascot apartment towers in Sydney, cladding fires at the Lacrosse and Neo200 towers in Melbourne and the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London. While most buildings won’t have such serious defects, many do have significant problems, and owners must get these fixed so they aren’t a health and safety risk. … This how-to guide takes current and potential owners through the steps of identifying and rectifying defects, with links to helpful resources. It includes advice on getting a defect report, whether the developer or builder might be responsible for fixing the issue, how to choose and manage building experts, and how to manage communication with owners and workers.
https://theconversation.com/dealing-with-apartment-defects-a-how…
# Must read NSW, Strata, Asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, Housing market.“The government wants your super”: How Dominique Grubisa sells her wares.
Richard Baker The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A leading Australian property spruiker warned her prospective clients that COVID-19 meant the federal government might try to take their superannuation, but promised she could “bulletproof” their assets for life.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/the-government-…
# NSW, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Ugly duckling turned brutalist beauty
Eliza Spencer (No paywall)Eliza Spencer explores the controversial plans to transform the Sirius building from public housing complex to boutique apartment building for the wealthy. (Sydney Sentinel)
https://sydneysentinel.com.au/2020/12/ugly-duckling-turned-bruta…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Heritage listings, Housing market.Half of surveyed renters suffered mental health decline during COVID-19
AHURI News AHURI (No paywall)New research shows how Australian renters have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 … Australian renters have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 facing income loss, the inability to pay rent, tenure insecurity and eviction risk and a new AHURI publication provides a stark analysis of the impacts of these unprecedented challenges. Twenty leading thinkers from housing, economics, policy, urban planning, and epidemiology have explored the results from a survey of 15,000 renting households for the publication ‘Rental Insights: A COVID-19 Collection’ at: [https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/research-papers/rental-insights-a-covid-19-collection]
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/news/half-of-surveyed-renters-…
# Research alert Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health.Looking back, looking forward: Renting and COVID-19
Jemima Mowbray (No paywall)Early in the COVID-19 health crisis, as the first cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Australia, its seriousness became clear, and we knew the pandemic would have an impact on everyone across our communities. For us, it was also clear renting households would be particularly vulnerable. (Community Legal Centres NSW)
https://www.clcnsw.org.au/looking-back-looking-forward-renting-a…
# Must read NSW, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.“Covid created an opportunity”: Lisbon to turn tourist flats into homes
Ashifa Kassam The Guardian (No paywall)From Portugal ... Initiative offers landlords the option of renting their properties to the city for a minimum of five years.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/01/covid-created-an-o…
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Short-term holiday letting.Airbnb founders set for bonanza as terms set for bumper IPO
Anirban Sen and others The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Airbnb said on Tuesday (US time) it is aiming for a valuation of up to $US34.8 billion ($47.2 billion) in its initial public offering (IPO), in what would cap a stunning recovery in its fortunes after the US home rental firm's business was heavily damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/airbnb-founders-set-fo…
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Short-term holiday letting.‘“No win, no fee” lawyers targeting tenants of “soft touch” social landlords
Nathaniel Barker Inside Housing (Paywall)Social housing tenants are being targeted by unscrupulous lawyers seeking to profit from new legislation intended to raise standards in rented homes, experts have warned.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/no-win-no-fee-lawyers-targe…
# Legal significance International, Public and community housing.