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
Living with density: will Australia’s housing crisis finally change the way its cities work?
Elias Visontay The Guardian (No paywall)Experts agree medium – and high-density development in established suburbs is an essential part of making housing more affordable. But the opposition from existing home owners is fierce.
For many Australians it must seem as though the housing crisis cannot get any worse.
Rents have skyrocketed with record low vacancy rates, while assistance to lower-income families is being wound back, young people face often insurmountable obstacles to buying a property and some who have obtained a mortgage are struggling to stay above water after repeated interest rate rises.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/16/living-wi…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Can Australia revive the 'golden era' of housing?
Alan Kohler ABC (No paywall)If you rent or know anyone who does, you would know costs are soaring and there's barely anything on the market, while the wait for public housing can be more than a decade.
Meanwhile, the Airbnb and holiday rental world is booming, where there are tens of thousands of properties ready for short-term lease.
So how did we get to this point?
And how do we get out of it?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/abc-news-daily/alan-kohler…
# Audio Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Thousands of young people experiencing homelessness in Australia, as services call for national plan
Myles Houlbrook-Walk ABC (No paywall)Chelsea Mitchell has a roof over her head, but she is still considered homeless.
Living in her mother's overcrowded home in a town camp in Alice Springs with her two-year-old daughter, the 18 year-old Western Arrernte woman describes her situation as dire.
"There's not enough space," she said.
"It's really stressful. Overcrowding is really having an impact on me and my baby and also [on] my mum."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-19/youth-homelessness-austra…
# Hot topic Australia, Aboriginal renters, Homelessness, Young people.Queenslanders to have their say on state's proposed rental reforms
Staff 9 News (No paywall)Queensland residents will be able to have their say on a new stage of rental reforms put forward by the state government.
An online portal has been launched to inform renters about five key changes proposed under stage two of the reforms. Community members can also provide their feedback through the portal.
Under the proposed changes, rent payments will need to be fair and landlords must be transparent about any claims against bond when a tenancy ends.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/housing-crisis-australia-queen…
# Hot topic, New policy announcement Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Queensland council seeks to block disability housing project over fast-tracking concerns
Eden Gillespie The Guardian (No paywall)A legal stoush has broken out between a disability accommodation developer and a suburban Queensland council over a two-storey project and whether it deserves to be fast-tracked amid a housing crisis across the state.
Disability Homes Investments (DHI) said it is developing the property to house people with disabilities on a quiet street in Cleveland, south-east of Brisbane.
Once complete, the Danielle Street building would have a therapy pool and four separate two-bedroom units, each with their own bathrooms, a kitchen and a balcony, as well as a studio for a carer, according to development plans.
But the Redland city council claims the property is not a community residence and is seeking to block any works from happening, arguing the project is not exempt from seeking development approvals.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/16/queenslan…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Disability, Planning and development.Cyclone Ilsa: how disasters, the housing crisis and underinsurance can conspire to worsen inequality
Kate Booth The Conversation (No paywall)Most communities along the northwest coast of Western Australia appear to have dodged a bullet after Cyclone Ilsa made landfall overnight. While some structures, such as the Pardoo Roadhouse, were damaged, the destruction was less than we feared.
But unfortunately, there will be a next time. Climate change is predicted to bring increasingly severe and frequent weather events and disasters.
As those in recently flooded regions of New South Wales and Queensland know, it takes a long time to rebuild and recover from disasters. And alarmingly, our resilience is being undermined by the housing crisis, underinsurance and inadequate planning.
https://theconversation.com/cyclone-ilsa-how-disasters-the-housi…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Climate change, Housing affordability, Planning and development.The complete guide to your rights as a renter
Melissa Heagney and Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Many Australian renters are finding it difficult to find and keep a roof over their head amid the nation's rental crisis, making it increasingly important for them to know their rights.
Rental markets across the country have been recording ultra-low vacancy rates and rapidly rising rents – even for substandard homes – for months.
While a competitive market can make tenants wary of rocking the boat with their landlord, there are some protections in place to help those facing excessive rent increases or living in maintained properties.
https://www.nine.com.au/property/news/the-ultimate-guide-to-your…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Renters relying on hacks to dodge housing crisis, as advocates call for cultural change
Brianna Morris-Grant ABC (No paywall)Every time he rethinks living in a stranger's home, Nick McClure only has to look at the Sydney housing market.
The 29-year-old bank worker started house-sitting a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, thinking it was a loophole to staying with friends or paying for accommodation on a trip to Melbourne.
But with rental properties becoming scarce, what started as a travel hack has become an ongoing state of flux for Mr McClure.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-14/rental-market-house-sitti…
# Must read, Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Personal stories, Renting culture.