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
Why is Melbourne the cheapest capital city to rent a house?
Allison Worrall Domain (No paywall)Melbourne is Australia’s second-largest city, a sporting mecca, arguably the cultural capital of the country and a hugely popular landing destination for migrants. So, why is it the most affordable city in which to rent a house?
Melbourne’s median house rent has climbed to $520 – a record high after seven consecutive quarters of rent rises, according to the latest Domain Rent Report. There is no doubt the housing market is dire for Melbourne renters, many of whom are struggling to find or keep a roof over their heads in the face of steep rent hikes and a shortage of properties on the market.
But, even after unprecedented rental growth, Melbourne’s median house rent remains far below Sydney ($700), Canberra ($675) and Darwin ($650).
https://www.domain.com.au/news/why-is-melbourne-the-cheapest-cap…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Residents fight ‘traumatising’ mass eviction from Williamstown industrial estate
Rachael Dexter The Age (Paywall)Residents being evicted from a storied industrial estate in Melbourne’s inner west are pleading for mercy after their council suddenly enforced zoning rules that changed more than 30 years ago.
Young families and elderly people are among the residents who have launched a petition and will attend a meeting on Tuesday night to argue for Hobsons Bay City Council to amend the industrial zoning of the area to allow them to stay.
Techno Park Drive in Williamstown had housed refugees and migrants since World War II, before it was sold into the private market in the late 1980s and rezoned as an industrial area, meaning people could no longer legally live there. The council considers it unsafe as a residential area.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/residents-fight-trau…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Eviction, Housing affordability, Local Government.Renters more likely than owner-occupiers to face health risks from house quality, expert says
Sam Nichols ABC (No paywall)When 28-year-old Shay moved to Sydney late last year, she was warned that finding a rental would be incredibly competitive and would take time.
Both predictions came true.
"I would have seen maybe 50 [properties]," she tells ABC RN's The Money.
For weeks Shay and her housemate inspected properties, many of which were charging "an extreme price" but "weren't worth it" because they were decrepit or covered in mould.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-11/australian-renters-mould-…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Health, Housing market, Mould.Australia's worst 15 suburbs for rentals: Where tenants are hurting most
9News Staff 9 News (No paywall)A new report has identified the toughest rental pressure points across Australia.
Suburbtrends analysed a number of factors when putting together the "rental pain index" (RPI), to give an overall score out of 100.
Here are the worst 15 suburbs for rentals in Australia.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/rent-crisis-australia-worst-su…
# Hot topic, Research alert Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Emma has paid $500,000 in rent. Now, she is homeless
Rhiannon Lewin 7 News (No paywall)Emma Lenz says renting in Australia has “broken” her after she was left homeless and forced to sleep in an old caravan along with her two children.
The single mother, 41, her 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, from Darling Downs, a farming region in Queensland’s south, says they were recently booted from their rental home after the landlord sought to increase the rent.
“I had no idea where I was going to go,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.
https://7news.com.au/news/qld/emma-has-paid-500000-in-rent-now-s…
# Hot topic Australia, Families, Homelessness, Housing affordability.Victorian rental crisis: Single dad forced to move 200km to find an affordable home
Sarah Petty realestate.com.au (No paywall)A Victorian single dad has been forced to move almost 200kms from where he was living to find his next rental, splitting his family in half.
When Max Zaid caught wind his landlord was planning to significantly raise the rent for his Ferntree Gully home at the end of his lease, he thought he was getting on the front foot by looking for another option.
But after making hundreds of unsuccessful applications, some declined in “almost minutes”, the 37-year-old sought feedback from property managers.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/victorian-rental-crisis-singl…
# Hot topic Australia, Families, Housing affordability, Personal stories.NSW's first rental commissioner Trina Jones faces big task as Sydney's west feels the pain
Maryanne Taouk and Millie Roberts ABC (No paywall)The New South Wales government has appointed its first rental commissioner in an effort to "rebalance" the market, as a new study shows the crunch being felt by households.
Trina Jones, the former chief executive of Homelessness Australia, said she hoped to be an advocate for renters across the state.
"I look forward to working closely and productively with government, industry, renters, and owners across our state as we collaboratively search for solutions to our housing challenges," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-11/nsw-rental-commissioner-t…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Campaigns and law reform, Housing affordability, State Government.NSW residents to benefit from rental commissioner
Eddy Meyer 9 News (No paywall)Battling renters in NSW finally have new hope on the horizon after the state appointed its first-ever rental commissioner.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw-residents-to-benefit-from…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media, Video NSW, Campaigns and law reform, Housing affordability, State Government.