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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
Renter union vents frustration at Federal rent assistance increase
Sarah Petty realestate.com.au (No paywall)A tenant’s union has called out the federal government for increasing rental assistance by about $20, believing they were offering “crumbs disguised as cakes”. The Albanese government announced on the weekend it was raising Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 10 per cent from September 20, which gives renters up to $23 extra a fortnight to put towards their lease commitments. It comes after the federal government also increased rent assistance by 10 per cent in its May budget.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/renter-union-vents-frustratio…
# Must read Australia, Rent.Four Steps To Stop Your Landlord Stealing Your Bond
Listnr Newsroom (No paywall)Complete the condition report carefully at the start and end of your tenancy, ensuring it accurately reflects the property’s state. This helps avoid disputes over any damages. In this two-part feature, The Briefing looks into the messy world of rental bonds. In Part One, CEO of the New South Wales Tenants’ Union Leo Patterson Ross explains how to stop your landlord stealing your bond, and whether there’s a way to run this system that’s better for everyone.
https://articles.listnr.com/news/four-steps-to-stop-your-landlor…
# TUNSW in the media, Audio Australia, Bond, Rent, You want to leave.Rental advocates warn heat-related deaths will increase if Queensland regulations aren't tightened
Shari Hams ABC (No paywall)Air con full blast, office sleepovers and hats in the freezer. Queensland renters say their homes are unfit for a summer scorcher, as parts of the state see out winter with a predicted 36-degree day. Advocates warn predicted record-breaking temperatures in the months ahead could be fatal for some, and renters and public housing tenants with inadequate cooling are especially vulnerable. Bailey Wemyss lives in public housing on the Sunshine Coast. They have Ehler Danlos Syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that makes them unable to regulate their body temperature.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-30/calls-for-better-regulati…
# Hot topic Australia, Utilities electricity water gas.Would a landlord watchdog make a difference to Australian renters?
ABC (No paywall)As the rental crisis worsens across the country, the Greens have proposed a suite of federal reforms to better protect renters. Proposed changes include a national landlord watchdog, rent control and minimum living standards. But how realistic are the measures when states and territories play such a key role in regulation? Guests: Dr Michael Fotheringham, managing director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute; Leo Patterson Ross, CEO, Tenants' Union of NSW; Amy Bosdorf, tenant.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/proposed-chan…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media, Audio Australia, Rent.New Greens 'renters authority' plan to fine dodgy agents $78k and freeze rents
Sara Tomevska SBS (No paywall)On-the-spot fines and taking dodgy real estate agents to police are among the proposed powers of a National Renters Protection Authority (NRPA) the Greens will push in the lead-up to the next federal election. Along with a 1,000-strong workforce to investigate rental breaches, the authority would have sweeping powers to strip agents of their licences and fine dodgy landlords up to $15,650, and real estate agencies $78,250. "Across this country, there are 7 million renters who are powerless in their own homes, unable to push back against unfair rent hikes, dodgy agents, and landlords who never do basic repairs," Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said in a statement.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/new-greens-renters-authority…
# Must read Australia, Rent.The Greens have added a 'landlord watchdog' to a growing housing policy wish list
Tom Crowley ABC ()The Greens will push for permanent rent control and a national landlord watchdog if they hold the balance of power in the next parliament. In a new proposal, the minor party wants to fine landlords thousands of dollars if they breach strict rules including minimum kitchen and bathroom sizes and rent hikes of no more than 2 per cent every two years. The policy would be difficult to implement since it exceeds the legal powers of the federal government and would require major concessions from states and territories. But the framing reflects the minor party's belief it can woo renters squeezed by a historically tight rental market.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-02/greens-call-for-landlord-…
# Must read Australia, Rent.John's relationship broke down when he and his partner bought a house in the suburbs
Matt Gazy SBS (No paywall)John (not his real name) vividly remembers walking his dog with his partner of eight years and asking himself: 'Is this the rest of my life?' Just five months earlier, they had bought their first home in a new housing development 20km from the city. "It felt like we'd gone forward in time 15 years, and we were suddenly 40, living domesticated lives where suddenly we weren't around fun things that we previously had access to," John, 29, told The Feed. "You go, 'Is this the rest of my life living like this — spending a lot of money every fortnight on my mortgage?'"
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/article/johns-relationship-…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/four-tough-truths-about-renting-and-retirement-20240830-p5k6lm.html
Bec Wilson The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)A key goal for a comfortable retirement is owning your own home outright when you get there. Many renters nearing retirement write to me looking for advice, and it’s difficult to respond given the ongoing housing crisis, a problem without an easy fix. In my view, renting is a bad investment, often a necessity, driven by circumstance rather than desire. But this week, I decided to dive deeper and asked some people who rent, why they do it.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/four-tough-tru…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.