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
In this Sydney suburb, one in three homes is empty. It’s not just a data error
Angus Dalton, Billie Eder, Millie Muroi, Anthony Segaert and Angus Thomson The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Barney Gardner watched as his once-bustling, working-class suburb of Millers Point was turned into extravagantly renovated townhouses and rows of empty holiday homes.
“Just about all of them are Airbnb because they were turned into one- bedrooms, and there are still quite a lot of empty properties that have been sold, and the people haven’t done anything with them,” Gardner said.
The harbourside enclave, which was once known for its social housing, has become the Sydney suburb with the highest proportion of unoccupied dwellings, with 34 per cent of its homes empty on the most recent census night.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/in-this-sydney-suburb-one-in…
# Must read NSW, Public and community housing, Housing affordability, Short-term holiday letting, Sydney.Rental crisis: Pensioner forced to move hours away from family, friends
Jorge Branco 9 News (No paywall)More than two hours from her children and just a few months into life in a new town, Karren Warren spent Christmas alone for the first time.
After 12 years in Merimbula on the NSW South Coast, the pensioner said she had no option but to pack up and leave when her beloved two-bed rental was sold in October, leaving her priced completely out of the market.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/rental-crisis-australia-pensio…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Rent, Campaigns and law reform, Housing affordability, Housing market, Long-term tenant, Personal stories, Regional NSW.Sydney renter describes all too common nightmare in current market
Madeleine Achenza news.com.au (No paywall)Sydney renters are being forced to either cop massive rent hikes or move out into the uncertain competition for the city’s overpriced rentals.
Emily* lived in a three-bedroom, two bathroom townhouse in Sydney’s east for more than a decade before the property manager sent out a text saying her rent would be increasing from $720 to $850 a week – an 18 per cent price hike.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/sydney-rente…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.The housing game is rigged. We need more than window dressing to fix it
Jenny Leong and Abigail Boyd The Age (No paywall)Rents are rising out of control and the public housing waitlist continues to grow. Even before the pandemic, while we had record housing supply, we had record levels of homelessness. The crisis extends well beyond those trying to buy their first home, and yet – nine weeks away from an election – that is the cohort the two leaders vying for the top job seem most keen to impress.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/the-housing-game-is-rigge…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development.Homeless NSW South Coast woman calls for more action on housing crisis after premier visits region
Fatima Olumee ABC (No paywall)Robyn Goodsell has always believed the public housing system is "broken", especially after experiencing homelessness herself.
Now, after dedicating decades of her life to working in the sector, she is without a home yet again and living in a tent.
The first time she was homeless, Ms Goodsell was fleeing a violent relationship and now, after being forced to move out of her relative's home, she is in the same boat.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-23/homeless-nsw-south-coast-…
# Must read NSW, Aboriginal renters, Public and community housing, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development.Woman’s rent increases $12,000 overnight
Staff writers news.com.au (No paywall)A Sydney influencer has revealed how her rent increased by an eye-watering sum overnight, after a “shady” email from apartment giant Meriton was leaked.
Milly Rose Bannister was commenting on an internal email which surfaced online last week in which the country’s biggest apartment developer instructed employees to take advantage of the current market to squeeze renters.
“Hi all, as you are all aware, the market is on fire and vacancy extremely low, so please ensure you’re pushing rents as hard as possible,” read the email, which was shared to Facebook and Reddit.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/womans-rent-…
# NSW, Rent, Landlords and agents, Sydney.Byron Bay blue between “Airbnb mafia” and grassroots groups highlights costly housing crisis
Callum Foote Michael West Media (No paywall)Pandemic lockdowns crushed Airbnb, Stayz and other short-term rental operators but the market has bounced back sharply, creating tensions in popular tourist destinations between councils, community groups and well-heeled property owners. Callum Foote reports on the case of ritzy Byron Bay.
A powerful lobby group for short-term rental providers, whose politically connected members oversee hundreds of properties, has nixed local council legislation and led to a community backlash and claims of profiteering at the expense of a housing supply and cost of living crisis.
https://michaelwest.com.au/byron-bay-blue-spotlights-tensions-be…
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Campaigns and law reform, Local Government, Regional NSW, Short-term holiday letting, State Government.Sydney couple earning $240k reveal struggle to find a rental
news.com.au news.com.au (No paywall)Australia’s rental crisis is continuing to worsen, with the situation becoming so competitive that even seemingly perfect applicants are finding it impossible to secure a property.
A young Sydney couple revealed they have been repeatedly knocked back for apartments, despite having great references and a combined income of more $240,000 a year.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/sydney-coupl…
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.