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 Castle for a new generation, one that will be stuck in share houses forever
Garry Maddox The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Director Rowan Devereux sees his first film as the opposite of The Castle. Yes, it’s a low budget Australian film. And, yes, it’s a warm-spirited comedy. But while the 1997 classic was about owning a home, Devereux’s Evicted: A Modern Romance is about the horrors of renting. Finding an appealing new home for affordable rent in the inner suburbs is even tougher than getting a cheap pair of jousting sticks.
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/the-castle-for-a-new-gener…
# Must read NSW, Rent, Share houses, Housing market.Government adds £10m to housing legal aid bill to help eviction-threatened tenants
Jack Simpson Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... In an announcement today, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the injection of funds would give residents the best chance of keeping their homes through receiving free expert legal advice from contracted legal aid providers. This will run alongside reforms to the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS), which will mean that anyone facing eviction or repossession will now receive free, early legal advice on housing before appearing in court. ... The announcement comes just two weeks after the government’s latest figures on evictions, which show that the total number of evictions for the three months to the end of March was 18,626, up 32% on the previous quarter.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/government-adds-10m-to…
# International, Eviction, Tribunal NCAT.‘Shocking’ rate of sexual abuse of aged care residents barely changed since royal commission
Christopher Knaus The Guardian (No paywall)More than 500 cases of sexual abuse of aged care residents were reported in the last three months of 2021, a rate largely unchanged since the royal commission dubbed the prevalence of sexual crimes in residential care a “source of national shame”. Experts say victims, many of whom live with dementia, are still being failed by systems not equipped to recognise or respond to crimes against those with serious cognitive impairment. Now, the peak rights group for older Australians is demanding urgent change, launching a new project, named Ready to Listen, in an attempt to train providers to properly deal with sexual violence against their residents.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/06/shocking-…
# Australia, Health, Housing market, Older people.High Court quashes G15 landlord’s decision not to prioritise domestic abuse survivor for rehousing
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... A High Court judge has ordered a G15 landlord to rethink its decision not to prioritise the transfer of a family at risk of domestic abuse, in a case that also confirmed housing associations can be subject to judicial review over decisions on management transfers. In a judgment handed down in February, the court ruled that Network Homes failed to provide a “proper and adequate substantive rationale” when it decided not to increase the priority band of a resident who wished to move her family away from her abusive ex-partner.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/high-court-quashes-g15…
# Legal significance International, Domestic violence, Public and community housing.Why keeping Queenslanders and other Aussie homes warm in winter is vital for good health
Alicia Nally and Katherine Feeney ABC (No paywall)Many Australians are shivering through each winter unaware of the impacts cold homes have on their health. From Queenslanders on stilts, often described as wooden tents, to draughty cottages in the southern states, there are many different reasons houses in the country are not keeping out the chill, according to the University of Adelaide's Lyrian Daniel.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-01/how-to-keep-brisbane-quee…
# Australia, Health, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.The Rental Diaries: 'Is it legal for the landlord to raise the rent by $50?'
(No paywall)Welcome to our new column for renters, The Rental Diaries. Fortnightly, real estate rental guru Richard Saville, the founder and director of Break Your Lease, answers your burning questions that can cause conflict or confusion, with sound advice no matter the sticky situation. If you are a renter and have a question for Richard, email it to: epower@nine.com.au (nine.com.au)
https://www.nine.com.au/property/news/the-rental-diaries-is-it-l…
# Australia, Rent.Gold Coast councillors push to remove rates discount for property investors
Dominic Cansdale ABC (No paywall)About 94,000 investment properties on the Gold Coast are eligible for a 10 per cent early payment rates discount. Councillors say removing the discount would provide council with an additional $20 million in revenue. Attempts to remove discount in this year's budget failed, but the issue could return in 2023.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-03/gold-coast-council-rates-…
# Australia, Landlords and agents, Local Government, Tax.Combustible cladding removal costs and uncertainties causing anxiety in building owners
Nicol Asher ABC (No paywall)At an apartment block in Melbourne's south-east, Kerry Ould's retirement savings are crumbling around her. After investing her superannuation into a unit, she discovered it was covered in dangerous combustible cladding and riddled with major defects. "I bought an apartment to set up for my future and right now I haven't got one," Ms Ould said. She has been struggling to cope with the stress since getting the rectification order in December 2018. It's unsellable.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-04/combustible-cladding-remo…
# Australia, Health, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.