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
Home buyer caught in $100,000 bank scam hits out at ‘dismissive’ NAB
Charlotte Grieve The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sanjay Joseph had just bought a property in Sydney’s North Kellyville when he received an email from what appeared to be his conveyancer asking him to transfer almost $100,000 to complete the purchase. The email was branded with the correct company’s details and showed the exact amount owed, so Mr Joseph thought nothing of it and transferred the money immediately.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/home-buyer-c…
# NSW, Home ownership, Housing market.There's no denying the data: Rent control works
Cea Weaver (No paywall)From the United States ... After decades on the defensive, the pro-rent control tenant movement is scoring significant wins despite having to battle constant misinformation from landlords, as recently published on this site. Washington, Oregon, and California have each expanded rent control measures in recent years; tenant organizations in Minnesota and Illinois are running impressive campaigns for rent control. In 2019, New York expanded its rent control system for the first time in decades and closed major landlord-friendly loopholes that were causing the system to disappear by attrition. Rent control is enjoying this moment in the sun for a simple reason: It works! (The Hill)
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/573841-theres-no-denying-the…
# International, Rent, Housing market.Covid: Wales' police helped evict people illegally, charity says
BBC (No paywall)Police forces across Wales have been "assisting illegal evictions" during the pandemic, according to Shelter Cymru. The housing charity told a Senedd committee it had seen it happen in all four police force areas. The Welsh government's ban on evictions during Covid-19 came to an end in June, but was replaced by a six-month notice period for tenants.
# International, Eviction, Coronavirus COVID-19.Higher Land Tax doesn't equal Higher Rent
Heidi Heck (No paywall)If you have been in Hobart lately, you will have seen the Tasmanian Residential Rental Property Owners Association’s (TRRPOA) sign Higher tax = Higher rent. This sign is part of the TRRPOA’s campaign to push for lower land taxes on investment properties in Tasmania. The TRRPOA is implying either a direct correlation between land tax and rent prices or that the current land tax will cause investors to leave the market, creating a supply shortage in rentals. To put it bluntly, either proposition these signs set forth is wrong. A higher tax might be bad for investor profits, but it doesn’t cause an increase in rent prices. (Tasmanian Times)
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2021/09/higher-tax-%E2%89%A0-higher-r…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Tax.Rental vacancy rates down or steady across capital cities in September, new figures show
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Fewer properties are being left empty in Australia’s biggest rental markets, with vacancy rates falling or holding steady in each of the capital cities, new figures show.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/rental-vacancy-rates-down-or-stea…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market.Stamp duty crimps property listings, pushing up prices
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The increasing impost of stamp duty is restricting the number of properties that come onto the market, contributing to record-high prices as buyers compete for tight supply.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/stamp-duty-c…
# Australia, Housing market, Tax.National energy program would boost economy and save power bills, ACOSS report finds
Norman Hermant and Lucy Kent ABC (No paywall)Like a lot of low-income people in Australia, Bronwyn Stretton knows all too well the creeping fear that arrives with summer. Until recently, much of her 1950s home in Geelong became uninhabitable when temperatures rose. ... Three years ago, she was part of an energy assistance program run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence. That gave her the money for insulation, an air conditioning and heating unit, and blinds to block out the hot sun. "It's made it more comfortable for us and made me less panicky about the extreme heat that I think we're going to have more and more," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-06/acoss-calls-for-energy-pr…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Families.New data shows that homelessness is a women’s rights issue
Hannah Brais, Alex Nelson, Jesse Jenkinson and Kaitlin J. Schwan The Conversation (No paywall)Visible homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the housing crisis across Canada. For women, girls and gender-diverse people, homelessness is often hidden, meaning that they are more likely to avoid shelters, couch surf or remain in abusive relationships than end up on the streets. Because of this, we know less about their experiences.
https://theconversation.com/new-data-shows-that-homelessness-is-…
# International, Homelessness, Women.