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
Long-term renters pushed out of the housing market by record rent and house prices
Widia Jalal ABC (No paywall)Katie and her husband will never make any more money than they do now, but already their dream of owning a home is beyond reach. ... Rising rent and house prices are "a double whammy" for people trying to save for a deposit, according to CoreLogic's head of research Australia, Eliza Owen. Key points in this article: It hasn't been this expensive to rent in Australia since 2008; house prices are climbing twice as fast as rent, with the regions outpacing the cities; long-term renters say it's almost impossible to save for a home
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-18/record-house-and-rent-pri…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Regional NSW.Would a rent waiver discourage dodgy tenancy terminations and ease traumatic moves?
Ian Bushnell (No paywall)Submissions on the ACT Government’s consultation paper on tenancy laws closed last Friday, and lobby group Better Renting has come up with an idea that will make landlords wince but is worth consideration. Better Renting proposes that if landlords want to terminate a tenancy without a due cause, then they should contribute to the costs this imposes on the tenant, such as removal and storage charges, end-of-lease cleaning, utilities disconnection and connections, double rent while in transition and the use of annual leave while moving. (Riotact)
https://the-riotact.com/would-a-rent-waiver-discourage-dodgy-ten…
# Australia, Eviction, Rent, No-grounds evictions.Why more Australian women are choosing a solo van life
Tom Forbes and Nicole Dyer ABC (No paywall)Kellie Campbell has just given up her unit on the Gold Coast and her husband is about to move overseas so she's hitting the road to live in a van. The 50-year-old said she and her husband had been living — on and off — in their van for a year, but his decision to return to South Africa for work forced her to travel alone. ... Kellie Campbell says she'll live in her van because she can't afford to rent a unit by herself while her husband is working overseas.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-21/more-australian-women-are…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Rent, Housing affordability, Women.Government to consider ‘long-term regulatory standard’ to improve energy efficiency of social housing
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Ministers are considering setting a “long-term regulatory standard” to improve the energy efficiency of social housing, according to a major government decarbonisation strategy released today.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/government-to-consider-long…
# International, Public and community housing, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change.Khan publishes guidance on green planning requirements for developers
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)Three new pieces of guidance have been published to help developers in London meet new planning requirements around energy monitoring, green space and transport routes.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/khan-publishes-guidance-on-…
# International, Planning and development.House v location: What you need to consider when buying property
Melissa Jenkins The New Daily (No paywall)Should you buy a rundown house in the best location you can afford, an apartment in a trendy spot, or a new house in a less desirable suburb?
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/dollars-and-sense/2021/10/17/…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Wales is in my bones, but I probably won’t be going back
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett The Guardian (No paywall)From Wales ... Housing is another factor. Property prices near where I grew up, in north-west Wales, are low when compared with many parts of England. But the proliferation of second homes is causing prices to rise and forcing young people out of their communities, not to mention having a profound effect on the language. The reasons many choose to stay in Wales – community and culture – cease to persuade when whole villages are being hollowed out and turned into unaffordable, stagnant ghost towns.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/19/wales-wels…
# International, Housing market, Young people.A green home can not only save money but even turn a profit. But how do you know if you own one?
Stephanie Chalmers ABC (No paywall)Jason York says his phone has been ringing off the hook for 18 months with people wanting quotes for insulating their homes. "It's getting to the point where I'm having a lot of trouble getting stock in. Keeping up with demand has been a huge issue," he says. "When I started in 2016, there was seemingly a lack of confidence that insulation could even work." As the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow approaches, governments and major companies are facing scrutiny over their carbon emissions. But Mr York has also found a surge in interest from home owners hoping to regulate the temperature of their homes in an effort to make them more energy efficient and generate a lower carbon footprint.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-20/green-building-commercial…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Home ownership, Minimum habitability standards.