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
As Landlords Intensify Tenant Background Checks, Some Lawmakers Want New Limits On Screening
David Wagner (No paywall)In response to California’s broad protections for those unable to pay rent during the pandemic, landlords have intensified their screening of new tenants. It’s now common for L.A. landlords to demand that applicants show months of paystubs verifying high incomes, proof of timely rent payments during the pandemic and excellent credit scores. ... Arguing that the city has a duty to promote fair access to housing, three city council members have put forward a motion seeking to ban landlords from screening tenants based on credit scores, eviction records, applications for rent relief and failure to pay rent during the pandemic. The proposal would also prohibit the use of algorithmic screening tools.
https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-la-rente…
# International, Privacy and access, Rent, Landlords and agents, Personal stories.What happens to rents after an RBA cash rate rise?
Aaron Bell (No paywall)There's plenty of talk about what interest rate rises mean for homeowners and mortgages, but what about renters? ... Leo Patterson Ross, Chief Executive Officer of The Tenants’ Union of NSW, said rents are rising at unprecedented levels, with very low vacancy rates, however the RBA cash rate rise won’t necessarily impact rent prices. “Interest rate rises won't affect prices because prices are set by the supply and demand - both the amount of housing and the matching of size, location and amenity,” he said. "Many people have been misled to think that prices are set by landlord's costs but this isn't true." ... Mr Patterson Ross reinforced the need to address supply for renters. “Providing sufficient public and community housing to meet the gap where the private market is not, and by resetting our housing policy so that it is about ensuring homes for the community first, and investment is a mechanism to achieve that goal, not a goal in and of itself with any homes a lucky by-product. This will be achieved through changes to taxation, planning and regulatory changes." (savings.com.au)
https://www.savings.com.au/news/rba-cash-rate-rise-and-the-impac…
# TUNSW in the media Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development, Tax.The $741m Resilient Homes Fund is designed to help home owners affected by flooding. Who is eligible and how does it work?
Alex Brewster ABC (No paywall)Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has deemed the new state and federally funded flood assistance package the "largest household resilience program" in Australian history. Tagged the Resilient Homes Fund, those affected by the flooding throughout Queensland can apply now for part of the $741 million on offer. The fund allows Queenslanders whose homes were damaged by floods to access grants to raise, repair, retrofit, or have their home voluntarily bought back. Also, check out Lucy Loram's article at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-13/maryborough-flood-residents-eligible-for-buy-back-scheme/101047534].
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-13/resilient-homes-fund-expl…
# Australia, Housing market.A decade of savings isn’t enough for most first home buyers, as deposits soar out of reach
Nassim Khadem ABC (No paywall)It takes a first home buyer almost 11.5 years to save a 20 per cent deposit for an average priced home. And as of March 2022, the national median dwelling value was estimated to be eight-and-a-half times the median annual household income level nationally. This is a record high according to CoreLogic's latest housing affordability report and has increased from 6.8 since the onset of COVID-19 two years prior. Also, read Elizabeth Redman's article entitled: 'It now takes more than a decade to save a home deposit' in Domain at [https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/it-now-takes-more-than-a-decade-to-save-a-home-deposit-20220511-p5aket.html]
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-12/housing-affordability-fir…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.Michael Gove promises Renters’ Reform Bill will deliver ‘new deal for renters’
Liam Geraghty (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Ministers detailed the Renters’ Reform Bill in the Queen’s Speech, promising to boost the standard of private rent homes and to scrap no-fault evictions after three-year wait. (The Big Issue)
https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/government-promise-renters…
# New policy announcement International, Public and community housing, Rent, Tribunal NCAT, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards, No-grounds evictions.More regional aged care homes to close unless government funds pay rise, experts say
Natasha May The Guardian (No paywall)Many more rural Australians may have no choice but to spend their final years away from their families and communities given two-thirds of regional aged care homes are operating at a loss. Closures are already happening and will accelerate if the next federal government fails to properly fund a pay rise for aged care workers, experts say.
At the end of 2020, regional nursing homes were teetering, with almost half (48%) operating at a loss.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/13/more-regi…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market, Older people, Regional NSW.Queen’s Speech: regulator to get powers to impose emergency repairs in social housing homes
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... In documents accompanying the [Queens Speech], ministers outlined some of the additional powers that will be given to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) as part of the Social Housing Bill, including that it will be given the ability to arrange emergency repairs within tenants’ homes. This will occur following a survey and where there is evidence of systemic failure by the landlord.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/queens-speech-regulato…
# International, Public and community housing, Repairs.Public housing eviction leaves mother and son homeless in 'heartless' trend in the NT
Roxanne Fitzgerald ABC (No paywall)In the dark of the night, on a humid March evening, Cherylene Campbell opened the rickety front door of her dream house to security guards and was handed a reminder. She was to be in housing court the very next morning to defend herself against numerous allegations of anti-social behaviour. In a matter of minutes, Ms Campbell and her then 14-year-old son were given two weeks to vacate and find a new home in a pocket of Australia where people remain on a waiting list for public housing for up to a decade. ... Phil Andrews, a solicitor at the Darwin Community Legal Service who has been advocating for Ms Campbell, said evictions of public housing tenants were on the rise in the NT, despite a critical shortage of affordable homes and some of the highest rates of homelessness in Australia. In the four years between 2018 and 2021, just one public housing tenant was evicted, a spokeswoman from the NT government confirmed. But since January of this year, there have been eight evictions.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-14/public-housing-eviction-l…
# Australia, Eviction, Public and community housing.