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
Tom was given a 48% rent hike. But that’s not why he’s upset with his corporate landlord
Jim Malo Domain (No paywall)Tom French received a 48 per cent rent increase from his corporate landlord, but that’s not why he’s upset.
He says the property manager didn’t inform tenants of all their options and attempted to evade Victoria’s ban on no-grounds evictions.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/tom-was-given-a-48-percent-…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Eviction, Housing affordability, Personal stories.The real forces driving Australia’s rental crisis
Mike Seccombe The Saturday Paper (Paywall)Despite increases to JobSeeker and rent assistance, the national housing crisis has reached a flashpoint – and most Australians are affected in one way or another.
Four. That was the number of places available to rent in all of Australia, affordable for a single person on JobSeeker, according to Anglicare Australia’s 2023 survey of 45,895 listings. All four were for rooms in share houses.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/economy/2023/05/20/the-…
# Hot topic Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development.Housing crisis warrants vacancy tax on greedy investors
Mike Reddy The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Investing in some assets that may appreciate over time is a hobby that generally does not affect the greater good. If a non-art lover buys a Brett Whiteley canvas just because they may make a profit on their investment in a few years time, it does not hurt others. Similarly, a teetotaller buying a carton of Grange purely to sell at a profit later may be seen as a wise investment. If a property investor, however, buys a house or unit with the sole purpose of making a capital gain there is a risk that the wider community could be the loser.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/housing-crisis-warrants-vaca…
# Hot topic Australia, Campaigns and law reform, Housing affordability, Housing market.Will we finally see the housing reforms we sorely need?
Adam Antonelli The South Sydney Herald (No paywall)One doesn’t need to look far to notice the housing crisis gripping Australia – it’s the subject of daily media coverage and news commentary.
Rent increases have far outpaced wage growth, increasing over 10 per cent in Sydney over the past 12 months. Prospective homeowners are locked out of the inner and middle rings of the city as house prices regain momentum following consecutive interest rate rises. Mortgage home occupiers, having taken advantage of low-cost mortgages when interest rates were low, are struggling to meet repayments and are living in after-housing poverty. The most jarring symptom of the crisis is the growing number of rough sleepers on our city streets. Those sleeping in their cars, couch-surfing or living in overcrowded, unsafe housing are less visible.
https://southsydneyherald.com.au/will-we-finally-see-the-housing…
# Hot topic Australia, Campaigns and law reform, Housing affordability, Planning and development.Airbnb has lost its way. Even the chief executive agrees
Lee Tulloch The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Airbnb was launched in 2008 as an online marketplace for short and long-term stays. The name is short for AirBedandBreakfast.
The launch has been so successful that any short-term rental is now colloquially referred to as an “Airbnb”, even though there are now several companies occupying the same space.
https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/airbnb-has-l…
# Must read, Hot topic International, Housing affordability, International, Short-term holiday letting.Do New York’s Affordable Housing Lotteries Fuel Segregation?
Mihir Zaveri The New York Times (Paywall)For decades, affordable housing in New York City has followed a seemingly simple rule: To make new development more palatable, half of new affordable apartments must first be offered to people already living in the area.
The policy, put in place in 1988 by Mayor Ed Koch, was designed to benefit low-income communities.
It has since been used by politicians to push major neighborhood transformations, like the redevelopment of Greenpoint and East New York, while addressing fears of displacement. San Francisco, Minneapolis, Portland and Austin have adopted similar strategies as housing costs rose and gentrification accelerated.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/nyregion/nyc-affordable-housi…
# Hot topic International, Affordable housing, International, Planning and development.Westchester tenants could soon get attorneys for eviction proceedings
Eduardo Cuevas lohud.com (No paywall)Compared to landlords, renters are drastically underrepresented by attorneys in eviction cases. But they could soon access free legal representation in Westchester County under a bill that lawmakers moved forward.
On Monday, the county Board of Legislators unanimously passed an “Access to Counsel” bill to guarantee legal representation to low-income households facing eviction. More than nine in 10 landlords in eviction proceedings have attorneys, whereas less than 10% of renters have legal representation, according to estimates by the Westchester Right To Counsel Coalition, which has long advocated for the policy.
“It’s the right thing to do to even the playing field,” Legislator Damon Maher, D-New Rochelle, told USA TODAY Network New York.
https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2023/05/19/westchester-ny-to-gi…
# Hot topic, Legal significance International, Eviction, Rent, International.Squeezed by your rent? A third of tenants spend at least HALF of their take-home pay on housing
Myra Butterworth Daily Mail (UK) (No paywall)Tenants are spending an alarming percentage of their salary on their rent, new data has revealed.
While 81 per cent of tenants spend more than 30 per cent of their take home pay on rent, 34 per cent spend at least half of their salary.
These tenants are labelled as being 'severely rent burdened', in the research by flat share site SpareRoom.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-12114829/Third-tena…
# Must read, Hot topic International, Rent, Housing affordability, International.