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
Moving back in with the ‘rents seems to be a growing trend
CBS News (No paywall)VIDEO: A new study by Cal State Fullerton shows that more young adults between the ages of 18 to 29 are living back at home with their parents or other relatives. Unaffordable home prices and rent is surging nationwide.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/moving-back-in-with-the-…
# Video International, Rent.‘Completely lied to’: horror trend hurting tenants
Taylor Troth realestate.com.au (No paywall)Demand is growing to amend no ground eviction laws as decent tenants are being pushed out of their homes for no reason and with nowhere to turn. Lauren Perry and partner Jason have been booted out of their rental property with no grounds, on two separate occasions. Ms Perry described the experience as “horrific” and that it had severely impacted her mental health. Both times, the couple were told the landlord needed to sell or move back into the property, only to find their property back on the market advertised for rent while they were in the middle of packing up.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/completely-lied-to-horror-tre…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, .'Extremely worrying': rental vacancy hits record low
Benn Dorrington realestate.com.au (No paywall)It’s never been tougher for renters looking for a new home, as the national rental vacancy rate falls to a record low amid Australia’s housing crisis. New PropTrack data showed that the national vacancy rate declined 0.12 percentage points (ppt) to 1.07% in February. The crisis has worsened significantly since the pandemic, with national levels of available rental homes plummeting 60% since March 2020. PropTrack senior economist Paul Ryan said rental markets were proving extremely challenging for renters, with very limited availability across most of the country.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/extremely-worrying-rental-vac…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, .Kim thought she’d found the perfect rental. Then an ‘awful smell’ led to her daughter getting sick
Rhiannon Lewin 7 News (No paywall)The mother said she checked their air-conditioning unit, which wasn’t working, and soon found what was causing the horrible smell. She discovered thick black mould inside the air conditioning unit, and inside the walls of the property. McMahon notified her property manager of the dangerous problem, who sent out a handyman. “We could see it coming through the paint and I emailed the property manager directly, and I said you can’t just paint over mould and expect it not to grow through,” she said. A handyman came out to the property, but it was too little too late, the mother said.
https://7news.com.au/news/kim-thought-shed-finally-found-the-per…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Repairs.Parts of western Sydney are resembling ghost towns despite a record number of residents
7 News 7 News (No paywall)Parts of western Sydney are resembling ghost towns despite a record number of residents crying out for housing help. Thousands of properties are sitting empty tonight, with many people taking desperate measures to put a roof over their head.
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent.Future of homelessness accommodation program left in lurch as funding yet to be renewed
Sarah Gerathy ABC (No paywall)For more than a decade, 30-year-old Tyler Byrnes lurched between homeless shelters, crisis accommodation and sleeping rough. "I got by sleeping rough wherever I could or saving up by getting work here or there to pay for hotel rooms for a night here and there," he said. "Doing anything I basically could to stay dry and safe, whether it be a hotel or under a bridge." But now he calls a one bedroom flat in Sydney's inner west home and rides his scooter to his job at a cafe in a neighbouring suburb.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-18/nsw-together-home-program…
# Must read NSW, Discrimination.Sydney Faces Growing Pains as Its Housing Crisis Deepens
Swati Pandey and Emma Partis Bloomberg (No paywall)Australia is grappling with a deepening housing crisis. Yet when it comes to the most obvious solution — constructing more apartments — city dwellers are pushing back against taller buildings. Placards reading “Save Sydney’s Lungs” and “Wrecking Ball Coming to You” were waved by residents and councilors this week protesting a proposal from the New South Wales state government to boost density by allowing six-story apartment blocks to be built around suburban train stations. That will cause social problems, be destructive to the environment and the city’s heritage, opponents argue.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-13/sydney-faces-…
# NSW, Rent.Build homes over rail lines, starting with Newtown and Burwood
Philip Vivian The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)Federal and state governments now acknowledge housing affordability as one of the most pressing issues faced by Australian cities. It is also certain to be a key election concern, with the Greens firing the opening shot with a controversial $12 billion housing policy. But the urgency to find solutions is leaving good options out of the discussion. NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared our state’s investment in Sydney Metro should be used to increase density and affordable housing by announcing eight metro stations and 31 heavy rail stations for targeted density increases.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/build-homes-over-rail-lines-…
# Hot topic NSW, Public and community housing.