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
I’m a real estate agent, and even I think renters should have 20-year leases
Jacob Caine The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Aspiring to own your home has long been a cornerstone of our national identity. It is an idea deeply embedded in our cultural narrative – a symbol of success, security, and, most Aussies insist, a right. This belief, however, has come at a significant cost to a growing segment of our community. By holding on to the notion that home ownership is the ultimate marker of success, we have shaped a society and system that regards those who rent as a subclass.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/i-m-a-real-estate-agent-and-even…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.How to get lower rent: Aussie tenants and landlords get creative in the housing crisis
Kylie Dulhunty Domain (No paywall)Three months ago, Blue Mountains grandmother, Karren, faced an unimaginable prospect – living in her car. The proud 63-year-old had spent the past five years renting a room in a friend’s home, but with that connection moving north, Karren came to a chilling realisation. She couldn’t afford to rent the entire home or any other in the tight, expensive mid-Mountains market. Karren, who not too long ago ran a successful cleaning business before her health dictated a slowdown, had lived in the area since 1987 and wasn’t keen to move to another area.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/how-to-get-get-cheaper-rent-aussi…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Should Evictions Be Banned After Hurricanes and Climate Disasters?
Patrick Sisson Bloomberg (No paywall)At the height of the 2021 hurricane season, Congressperson Val Demings, who represented Florida’s District 10 in the US House of Representatives, introduced a bill that would have mandated an automatic 90-day moratorium on evictions in areas impacted by disasters. But the bill failed to pass, and the following year, when Hurricane Ian tore through central Florida, the costliest storm in state history triggered the kind of tenant crisis the bill was designed to help prevent.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-08/hurricanes-wi…
# Must read International, Disasters, Eviction, Rent.Cost of house rentals continue to rise
Clodagh Rice BBC (No paywall)The cost of renting a home in Northern Ireland has risen by 10% in the last year, according to data from PropertyPal. Average rent in Northern Ireland is £891 per month, but prices can vary depending on the location. The Belfast area has seen the largest annual increase, with the average rent now £1,027 per month. The property website says each advertised rental property had an average of 73 enquiries over the past 3 months.
# Hot topic International, Rent, Starting a tenancy.Vancouver housing expert questioning consensus finds a following in SF
Keith Menconi SF Examiner (No paywall)Want to solve California’s affordability crisis? The popular answer these days is to allow developers to build more homes. Supporters say it’s an intuitive solution that follows the basic logic of supply and demand laid out in economics 101. But as San Francisco city officials move forward with a controversial plan to allow much denser housing development across large swaths of The City, some residents who oppose that effort are embracing a heterodox housing researcher who argues that the mainstream housing consensus is simply wrong.
https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/housing/why-a-vancouver-housing-…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Charities warn bill doesn't protect renters enough
Harry Farley BBC (No paywall)Renters could still face demands for large upfront payments, charities are warning, despite a Labour election promise to cap the amount landlords can ask for in advance. The Renters’ Rights Bill, which bans Section 21 or "no fault" evictions, will be debated by MPs for the first time on Wednesday. But the bill does not mention Labour’s election promise to “end massive upfront payments” that landlords can demand.
# Hot topic International, Eviction.Family of deceased tenant refused entry to property containing life’s work
Anna Tims The Guardian (No paywall)The family of a social housing tenant who has recently died fear losing his life’s work because bureaucratic red tape has barred them from entering his flat. Glen Hutchinson, a performance poet, was found dead in his home in August but Cambridge city council has refused to allow his two daughters to access the property until they have been granted probate.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/oct/08/family-of-deceas…
# Hot topic International, Public and community housing, Rent.I escaped homelessness and then Lambeth council raised my rent by £470
Anna Tims The Guardian (No paywall)I have been homeless for two years, living in temporary accommodation supplied by Lambeth council. Finally last month my dreams came true; I successfully bid for a council flat. The rent was advertised at £121.64 a week and I duly signed the contract and paid the first week in advance. However, a week later, my online account showed I was in arrears. I rang the council, which told me there had been a mistake and my rent was actually £130.69 a week. For a disabled person on a very low income, an extra £470 a year is a lot of money.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/sep/30/i-escaped-homeless…
# Must read International, Rent.