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
'Honestly, the rental market is putting me off having a baby.'
Elfy Scott Mama Mia (No paywall)About six months ago, I was caught up in a bit of a frenzy of wanting to buy a dog for the first time. I've always been an animal enthusiast and, unfortunately for my partner, I am also quite childish, impulsive, and I was just starting to earn enough money for the first time in my life for buying a puppy to become a legitimate possibility.
# Hot topic Australia, Families, Housing market, Women.Big Bird Backpackers given additional three months to sort accommodation for homeless
Antonia O'Flaherty ABC (No paywall)Vulnerable locals who were set to lose their beds today at an inner-city hostel, sheltering homeless people, have been given a three-month reprieve as authorities race to find alternative accommodation.
About 65 residents at Big Bird Backpackers, which started housing people who were sleeping rough during COVID-19, were set to lose their accommodation today after lease negotiations had broken down and the manager had been given until today to find an extra $400,000 a year to keep the doors open.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-28/vulnerable-tenants-facing…
# Hot topic Australia, Homelessness, Housing market, State Government.‘Zombie’ housing approvals, some buried for up to 40 years, are rising from the dead in NSW
Jordyn Beazley The Guardian (No paywall)Sometimes it’s not until fences appear around bushland that the South West Rocks community knows something is happening, says Larah Kennedy.
Another “zombie” is rising from the dead.
As demand for housing reaches crisis point and land values soar, developments that had laid dormant for years in the New South Wales mid-north coast town are now being revived.
The latest to recommence was approved in 1993. And due to a gap in regulation, it only has to adhere to the environment and planning standards of 30 years ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/30/zombie-ho…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Housing affordability, Planning and development, State Government.‘Brutal action plan’ needed for our housing catastrophe
Fiona Killman realestate.com.au (No paywall)A real estate body has called for a brutal action plan into the “housing catastrophe” across Australia.
Skyrocketing housing demand and a lack of supply has prompted the Real Estate Institute of NSW (REINSW) to put out a call for an immediate and genuine inquiry.
REINSW chief executive officer Tim McKibbin said all levels of government needed to work together with the industry to build thousands of homes with the disparity between demand and supply getting worse.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/real-estate-institute-of-nsw-…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Byron Bay holiday rental cap considered to address lack of housing
Bruce MacKenzie and Danuta Kozaki ABC (No paywall)Getting a holiday house or apartment could soon get harder in the popular coastal destination of Byron Bay in northern New South Wales.
In a shock move, the state's Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has recommended the Byron Shire Council be given the power to impose a 60-day annual cap on short-term holiday lets where the owner or host is not living there on a case by case basis.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-27/recommendation-byron-bay-…
# Hot topic NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.Average Sydney rental now costing record $711 a week
Phoebe Loomes The New Daily (No paywall)The average Sydney renter is now paying $711 a week to keep a roof over their head with the price expected to spiral further as landlords pass on the latest interest rate increase.
The cost of renting a home in Sydney jumped 13.1 per cent over the past year, with landlords putting up rentals 1.3 per cent in April, data released by Core Logic on Wednesday shows.
Rent is up in all capital cities by an average of 11.7 per cent, as the pain from 11 rate rises flows from home owners to tenants.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2023/05/03/average-syd…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Mayors in NSW holiday hotspots consider short-term rental caps after 60-day limit proposed
Tamsin Rose The Guardian (No paywall)Mayors across New South Wales will look to adopt strict limits on short-term holiday rentals to address housing shortages if the state government accepts recommendations to allow the Byron shire council to impose a 60-day annual cap.
Amid warnings from Airbnb that such a cap would cause a hit to Byron Bay’s economy, the Blue Mountains mayor, Mark Greenhill, said he would jump at the chance to impose a similar cap in the region, which is facing comparable pressures.
“I am not against Airbnb but I am against the unregulated nature of it,” he said on Friday.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/29/mayors-in…
# Hot topic NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.NSW eviction rates are on the rise
Luke Grant 2GB (No paywall)The NSW Sheriff’s Office has revealed figures showing that on average, 50 tenants are being evicted each week in the state as reported in the Sunday Telegraph. These evictions only occur in extreme circumstances when a tenant or resident does not leave the premises by the date ordered by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
In addition to impacting tenants, the housing crisis is also affecting homeowners, with an average of four mortgage repossessions being actioned in NSW every week.
Luke is joined by Leo Patterson Ross, Chief Executive Officer Tenants’ Union of NSW, who reports that the vast majority of evictions are “informal,” with tenants leaving the property either before formal action commences or early in the process.
https://www.2gb.com/podcast/nsw-eviction-rates-are-on-the-rise/
# TUNSW in the media, Audio NSW, Eviction, Housing affordability, Housing market.