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
Private rent reforms will be hampered by ministers’ ‘poor understanding’ of sector, say MPs
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The government’s plans to address problems in the private rented sector will be hampered by poor understanding of the issues, its watchdog has warned. ... The Public Accounts Committee said that issues such as overcrowding, discrimination and “dodgy” evictions are rife in the private rented sector and has raised concerns about the government’s ability to tackle the problems.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/private-rent-reforms-w…
# International, Discrimination, Rent, Housing market, No-grounds evictions.Building crisis could lead to DIY boom as repairs and renovations stall for lack of tradies, materials
Emilia Terzon ABC (No paywall)Gabriela Stilita and her husband do not own power tools but, with a crisis hitting Australia's building sector, the couple is set for a DIY job to fix storm damage their Brisbane home sustained during the recent Queensland-NSW floods. ... Insurers often organise work for people with approved claims. However, in Gabriela's case, their insurer is giving them a cash payout and asking them to organise their own storm damage repairs.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-13/building-industry-storm-d…
# Australia, Repairs, Housing market.What happened last time house prices fell, and is this time different?
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)House prices could fall by a similar amount to their last major correction if new Reserve Bank modelling comes to pass, but interest rate rises will hit households harder than in the past, economists warn.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/what-happened-last-time-hou…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.When will interest rates rise and how can home buyers and owners prepare?
Chloe Breitkreuz Domain (No paywall)Record-low rates may soon be a thing of the past, with economists tipping the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to start increasing the 0.10 per cent cash rate as early as the second half of this year. But, the big four banks, as well as many other lenders, now expect rates to start rising from June. For buyers and owners alike, the timing and magnitude of any rate rise will be closely watched, as an increase could mean hundreds of dollars more in mortgage repayments per month.
https://www.domain.com.au/money-markets/when-will-interest-rates…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Bidder numbers fall below key threshold, lifting buyers’ chances
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)The average number of bidders at auction has fallen below a key threshold that suggests property price growth is set to level out.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/bidder-numbers-fall-below-k…
# Australia, Housing market.What will happen to house prices after the election?
Melissa Heagney Domain (No paywall)House prices may have risen after the 2019 election, but this time around a post-vote downturn is expected as mortgage holders face the first of many interest rises after they go to the ballot box on May 21. Not all areas of the country are expected to see price corrections, though, with more affordable regional centres and the Brisbane and Adelaide markets likely to hold steady, experts say.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/what-will-happen-to-house-p…
# Australia, Housing market.New research commences as part of the 2022 National Housing Research Program
AHURI (No paywall)AHURI is very pleased to announce a suite of research projects funded through the 2022 National Housing Research Program (NHRP). In all, this year’s program has funded one Inquiry (with four supporting research projects); 12 stand-alone research projects, and one Priority project – a fast-tracked research project focussed on housing policy responses during the pandemic. [Read on]
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/news/New-research-commences-as…
# Research alert Australia, Aboriginal renters, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Disability, Home ownership, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development, Women.Lack of housing options leaves flood-affected Northern Rivers residents in limbo
Leah White ABC (No paywall)Northern Rivers residents whose homes were destroyed by record-breaking floods say a lack of funding for long-term housing options has left many in limbo without a way to move forward. ... Of the more than 14,000 buildings assessed so far across the seven Northern Rivers local government areas since February 28, state government disaster recovery body Resilience NSW said 8,359 are damaged, 3,585 are uninhabitable and 754 had water above the ceiling. ... [Lismore Labor MP Janelle Saffin] has been calling for a Reconstruction Commission to oversee the flood recovery with one chain of command that included all levels of government. "It's still agency by agency, department by department and no cohesive body driving it and making sure that no-one's left behind," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-14/flood-affected-northern-r…
# NSW, Federal Government, Housing market, Regional NSW, State Government.