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
Timeline: the 20 housing ministers since 1997
IH Reporters Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The transience of housing ministers continues. As Stuart Andrew resigns after just 148 days in the role, Inside Housing looks back at all 20 housing ministers since 1997.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/timeline-the-20-…
# International, Federal Government.More help for those seeking to buy their first home
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The federal government is ramping up efforts to enable more young families, couples and singles to get a foot on the property ladder. The new financial year sees a whopping 35,000 new places released under the government’s First Home Guarantee (FHBG), up 250 per cent from 2021-22.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/more-help-for-those-seeki…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership.Why falling house prices aren’t the good news that first home buyers think
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Home owners are rushing to refinance as mortgage rates rise, but their chances of getting a better deal could shrink as property prices fall. Home buyers who purchased close to the property market peak could find themselves in “mortgage prison” as values decline, experts say, because reduced home equity and rising interest rates hit their ability to refinance.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/why-falling-house-prices-ar…
# Australia, Housing market.I’m struggling under rising prices and I’m not alone – some can’t even afford to eat
Chris Hanigan The Guardian (No paywall)Fresh vegetables became a bit of a treat – now at their current prices they aren’t really an option.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/09/im-struggl…
# Australia, Families, Work, employment.Fix for holiday lets and affordability
Jummy Thompson (No paywall)But foreign tourists are soon going to start trickling, then flooding back and our governments have done nothing to tackle the crisis in housing caused by rental accommodation being given over to holiday lets.
# NSW, Strata, Housing affordability, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.Buyer’s market? Sydney auctions drop to weakest level since pandemic began
Kate Burke and Melissa Heagney The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sydney’s auction clearance rate has dropped to its lowest level in years, with almost one in two homes failing to sell under the hammer as rising interest rates and affordability constraints hit buyer demand. Also, read Melissa Heagney's article entitled: 'Buyer’s market? Melbourne auctions hit their lowest level since lockdown' in 'The Sydney Morning Herald' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/buyer-s-market-melbourne-auctions-hit-their-lowest-level-since-lockdown-20220707-p5azxf.html]
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/buyer-s-market-sydney-aucti…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market.Everyone deserves a healthy home: Climate disruption and rental homes in NSW
Rita Wilkinson Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Climate change is not new. Scientists have been monitoring the effects of increased carbon in our atmosphere, and the reduction of greenhouse gases has been a well publicised global issue since at least the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. ... [And] it will impact on our lives. Climate disruption will mean more heatwave events, more flash floods, more severe droughts, more outbreaks of viruses and bacteria. Climate disruption will not wait until 2050 nor even 2030. It is here now and is impacting on our lives. And the homes we reside in are a major factor in ensuring a healthy and comfortable life.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/everyone-deserves-healthy-home-c…
# Must read NSW, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Health, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards, Planning and development.Census 2021: Renters are the fastest growing tenure in Australia.
Jemima Mowbray, Leo Patterson Ross, Jack Moon and Zuzia Buszewicz Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its first round of data from last year's Census (2021). This is the key population data collected on Census night, though some really interesting data on mobility and tenure will be released with other 'additional location variables and employment data' due out in October - we'll also then get the ability to dive in more fully to the data. We'll be looking at the 2021 Census data and sharing the insights as they are made available. In this blog, we get started with a few headline results about renting in NSW.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/census-2021-renters-are-fastest-…
# NSW, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas, Families, Housing affordability, Housing market, No-grounds evictions.