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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
Outasite Lite
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Disclosure – Tribunal clarifies duty ... The obligation on an operator to provide a disclosure statement in the approved form before entering into a site agreement is straightforward. The purpose of the obligation is also clear – to enable a prospective purchaser to make an informed choice about the community. Given the clarity of obligation and purpose, it is difficult to understand why disclosure is becoming a major source of dispute. Perhaps a recent Tribunal case involving Hometown Australia will provide some answers.
https://mailchi.mp/tenants.org.au/duty-of-disclosure-wills-and-p…
# NSW, Land lease communities, Tribunal NCAT, Campaigns and law reform.The Guardian view on unaffordable homes: building injustice into the economy
Editorial The Guardian (No paywall)Britain’s housing stock is being turned into an asset class as a consequence of the excessive financialisation of the UK economy. For those who own their homes, these buildings serve a dual purpose: they provide shelter, and function as investments. For around 2.5 million landlords, who between them accounted for 18% of all property purchases in 2019, they are only investments. If the underlying problem is a lack of homes, then one solution may be to build more. But if the problem is landlords, and the fact that property owners are incentivised by rising prices, as well as their desire for more space (a desire that may have been augmented by the switch to home working), to buy as much of it as they can, then building more homes won’t help. It could even make matters worse, by creating more opportunities to extract exorbitant rents from those who have an income but lack the capital for a deposit, or the confidence to take on a huge debt. [Read on]
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/21/the-guardi…
# Hot topic International, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.New report calls for permanent hardship protections for south west Sydney renters
Kayla Osborne (No paywall)Renters across NSW have felt the financial pinch of COVID-19 lockdowns over the past two years. Especially those living in south-west Sydney, who experienced harsher lockdown restrictions than the rest of the state. However, transitional provisions to support tenants and landlords following the 2021 Eviction Moratorium ended earlier this month. As these emergency protections fall away, a new report from the Tenants' Union of NSW has found NSW tenancy laws weren't up to the job of supporting renters still struggling as a result of the crisis. The union's policy and advocacy manager Jemima Mowbray said the organisation's south-west Sydney support service had noted an increase in 'no grounds' evictions over the past few years. ... The union's chief executive Leo Patterson Ross says the fact that emergency measures were needed during the height of the pandemic demonstrated that the NSW renting system as it stands is not able to respond. "Life crises like losing a job, family breakdown, death in the family, illness or injury impact renting households every day, and can cause significant hardship," he said. know early intervention and support can reduce and prevent that hardship, saving the government thousands more in costly programs and avoiding social housing waiting list blowouts. (Campbelltown Macarthur Advertiser)
https://www.macarthuradvertiser.com.au/story/7624679/new-report-…
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, No-grounds evictions, Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services.Revealed: the rise in housing disrepair claims
Grainne Cuffe Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... “My little boy is still sharing a room with me – he’s 10 years old and has never had his own room because his is smothered with damp and rot,” says Mary, a Lambeth Council tenant. She has lived on the Leigham Court Estate for two decades. During that time she has suffered with leaks, damp, mould and cracks in the walls. The cost of keeping warm in winter has put her up to £3,000 in debt. Despite many requests for repairs, nothing was done. Two years ago, feeling she had no other option, Mary went to Citizens Advice. She met a solicitor and with his help brought a legal disrepair claim against Lambeth. The council agreed to settle and pay £10,000 in compensation. But Mary’s problems remain. In fact, she has so far refused to take the money because so many issues with her home remain outstanding. “I feel like if I take it, they might not do it,” she tells Inside Housing. “I wish – and this is the God’s honest truth – that they had used that money to fix this house.” ... New figures gathered by Inside Housing show how housing disrepair claims against social landlords have been rising over the past few years. Grainne Cuffe reveals a breakdown of the figures, why claims are on the rise and what can be done to halt this concerning trend.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/revealed-the-ris…
# Must read International, Public and community housing, Repairs, Local Government.At least 560 homes sit empty in Launceston and Hobart for three years, prompting call for vacant property tax
Adam Holmes (No paywall)The 'Illawarra Mercury' picks up on this story reported in the 'Housing News Digest' on 21 February 2022.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7625641/the-two-cities…
# Australia, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas, Homelessness, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Tax.Rent Assistance and retirees
Daniel Herborn (No paywall)Is an increase in Rent Assistance the answer for retirees who don't own their homes? ... When CHOICE surveyed Australians about retirement, one recurring theme was that many who don't own their own homes were doing it tough. Geraldine, a retiree who rents, said she relies on public transport being free of charge at certain times, given her income level. "I most certainly cannot afford to own and run a car, and it takes me two hours to travel to my son's house," she said. ... Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) works with Australians aged over 50 who are facing homelessness and housing distress. Fiona York, the group's executive officer, says they're seeing more and more people facing poverty. "We're seeing a lot of older people who are in high degrees of housing distress, paying between 70% and 100% of their income on their rent," she says. "They're basically one cheque away from being evicted." ... The Retirement Income Review made clear that Rent Assistance is too low, but experts say the review didn't go far enough in exploring possible solutions. "Although Commonwealth Rent Assistance provides additional support to retiree renters, it is far below the level that would bridge the gap in their living standards compared to home owners," the review says. ... Ben Phillips, an associate professor at ANU's Centre for Social Research and Methods, says: "In terms of 'bang for your buck', increasing Rent Assistance would be quite a sensible approach and will decrease the depth of poverty even where it doesn't shift a person out of poverty." ... Rent Assistance just part of the solution. Increasing Rent Assistance would undoubtedly help renting retirees. But there are broader issues too, such as the lack of suitable housing for older Australians and the barriers to buying a home. [Read on] (Choice)
https://www.choice.com.au/money/financial-planning-and-investing…
# Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Housing market, Older people.‘It was an agreement’: Daniel Andrews’ affordable housing plans bulldozed by peak property group
Benita Kolovos The Guardian (No paywall)It was launched with great fanfare as a “generational reform” that would fund 1,700 new social and affordable homes in Victoria each year. But just five days later, the Victorian government’s proposed social housing levy on developers is in doubt, with the premier accusing the building and property sectors of reneging on a deal to allow them to make “super profits” in exchange for paying the contribution. The levy, announced on Friday, would see all newly built developments with three or more dwellings or lot subdivisions forced to hand over 1.75% of the expected project value to a social housing growth fund from July 2024.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/23/it-was-an…
# New policy announcement Australia, Public and community housing, Housing affordability, Housing market, State Government.One-third of Canadian seniors who rent or pay a mortgage are struggling to pay their bills
Alex Bierman and Yeonjung Lee The Conversation (No paywall)From Canada ... Seniors are being forced out of their homes due to rent increases. They’re having trouble finding new, affordable accommodations. And the rent for senior housing can be more than a pension pays. Our recent survey shows that these aren’t isolated incidents. Many Canadian seniors who rent or pay a mortgage are having trouble making ends meet. ... Many seniors are struggling to pay bills. Over a third of older adults who rent or pay a mortgage reported trouble paying bills, while only about 12 per cent of outright homeowners struggled with their bills. And they’re not just struggling with rent and mortgage. Seniors are also having trouble affording basic necessities, like food. We asked people about eating less than they thought they should because of a lack of money — over one-quarter of renters and almost one-fifth of people paying mortgages reported having eaten less. Meanwhile, less than 10 per cent of Canadian homeowners also reported cutting back on food.
https://theconversation.com/one-third-of-canadian-seniors-who-re…
# Research alert International, Rent, Families, Housing affordability, Housing market, Older people.