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
The suburbs bearing the brunt of the Reserve Bank’s war on inflation
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Outer suburbs filled with first-home buyers and some of the nation’s most established suburbs are likely to bear the brunt of the Reserve Bank’s war on inflation as new data shows higher interest rates have driven consumer confidence down to the depths of pandemic’s national lockdown.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-suburbs-bearing-the-…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market, Regional NSW.The two projects doing regeneration differently
Grainne Cuffe Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Grainne_Cuffe visits two regeneration projects taking different approaches to integrating tenant insights and local needs into their design.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/the-two-projects…
# International, Public and community housing, Estate renewal.MTVH ordered to pay £1,800 compensation over silverfish infestation
James Wilmore Inside Housing (Paywall)Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) has apologised and been ordered to pay £1,800 compensation over failings in its response to a silverfish infestation at a resident’s flat. The case has resulted in the 57,000-home group becoming the latest social landlord to be found culpable of severe maladministration by the Housing Ombudsman.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/mtvh-ordered-to-pay-18…
# International, Repairs.South Australians can soon buy their first home with low deposit on HomeStart loans
Meagan Dillon and Josephine Lim ABC (No paywall)Owning a home could soon become a reality for more South Australians with a state-government backed lender lowering their minimum deposit requirements. Eligible graduates will be able to apply for a home loan with HomeStart Finance with as little as 2 per cent deposit.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-07/homestart-loans-lower-hom…
# Australia, Home ownership, State Government.After peaking at 44 per cent growth, is Byron Bay’s property boom over?
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Byron Bay’s property boom has begun to slow down, as new figures show its rate of house price growth has halved and experts say prices could plateau or fall later in the year. The regional coastal hotspot skyrocketed in popularity when the pandemic hit Australian shores in March 2020 as home buyers left the major cities in droves for warmer climates, driving prices through the roof.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/it-was-extreme-price-growth…
# NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market.'Archaic’ lenders mortgage insurance rules hurt borrowers
Dominic Powell The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Experts warn the rigid and archaic lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) rules could prevent borrowers from getting the best deal on their home loans, calling for banks to allow the coverage to be transferred between lenders. LMI is required by lenders when the amount borrowed for a mortgage exceeds 80 per cent of a property’s value. The insurance is designed to protect the lender if the borrower is unable to meet their repayments, and the property is sold for less than the mortgage balance. The LMI premium is passed on to the borrower as an upfront cost, and can be tens of thousands of dollars, though some lenders allow borrowers to add the cost to their mortgage principal and repaid monthly. However, despite the exorbitant costs, borrowers are unable to move their LMI between lenders, requiring them to cough up again for new insurance if they switch their home loan to a different lender.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/borrowing/archaic-lenders-mortgage-…
# Australia, Housing market.The housing market seems out of control. But there are lots of things we could do
Daniel Ziffer ABC (No paywall)In the decade we've lived here, our house has likely increased as much or more in value than I have earned in income. I’m not poorly paid, but I am out-earned, consistently, by a construction of brick and wood — and, more importantly, the land it sits on — that just keeps getting more valuable as it ages and Melbourne's population grows. Some people will think this is wonderful, that my house has achieved such insane capital growth. But is it? I’m not so sure. This is an excellent overviews of the issues, concluding: 'And I know more families would rest easier at night and live less stressed and more fulfilled lives if our housing market wasn't such a complete mess.'
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-06/australian-property-marke…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Families, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Local Government, State Government, Tax.The housing crisis continues, and there's nothing renters can do about it
Gareth Hutchens ABC (No paywall)The national vacancy rate has fallen to its lowest level on record, and the rental market sits firmly in favour of landlords. According to Domain, tenants will be facing more increases in asking rent, and competition will intensify between families who are trying to find a place to live. So, if you're renting, or trying to find a place to rent, should you expect any sympathy? If you've lived in your own home for a couple of decades and haven't had to live in the private rental market, you may not know what modern tenants have to do to secure shelter. The power imbalance between landlords and tenants is extreme. And a huge part of the problem has to do with the contradiction sitting at the centre of Australia's approach to housing. Shelter is one of the our most fundamental needs, but a generation of Australian policymakers who were bewitched by the siren call of "consumer choice" ended up building a system that restricted the choices of shelter available to people, especially for low income families. And it's feeding a generational and wealth divide between owners and renters, and a severe housing crisis.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-07/rental-vacancy-rates-at-r…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.