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
ATO reveals common rental property errors from data-matching program
Imogen Wilson Accountants Daily (No paywall)The ATO has extended the property management data-matching protocol for 2025–26, with recent results from the program identifying some of the common errors being made. The data-matching program was established to help the Tax Office protect public revenue and maintain community confidence in the integrity of the tax and super systems. The ATO first began collecting this type of data from 2018–19 and will continue to do so for the 2023–24 to 2025–26 financial years.
https://www.accountantsdaily.com.au/tax-compliance/20365-ato-to-…
# Hot topic Australia, .ACCC chair calls for ban on strata insurance commissions as insurance giant Steadfast Group caught misleading clients
Mayeta Clark & Linton Besser ABC (No paywall)Australia's largest strata insurance broker has been caught misleading its clients, burying an offer of cheaper insurance from a rival company, and instead recommending a more expensive policy from its own wholly owned firm. The revelation — described as "of concern" by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission — lifts the veil on the growing power of Steadfast Group, a $7 billion publicly traded insurance giant. The company presently brokers 40 per cent, and writes 55 per cent, of Australia's strata policies.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-09/accc-chair-calls-for-ban-…
# Hot topic Australia, Strata.Homes seized from landlord after complaints ignored
Harrison Galliven BBC (No paywall)A private landlord who ignored tenants' complaints has had their properties seized by a local authority. Merton Council took action after the landlord failed to provide adequate services to residents in its 18 private properties for more than a year. This is the first time the local authority has used powers under the Housing Act 2004 and is among the first in the country to do so. The law means that the rents will be diverted to pay for the repairs with the remaining money handed over to the landlord.
# Hot topic International, Rent, Repairs.To end chronic homelessness, we must stop evictions
Leah Connor The Conversation (No paywall)Homelessness, a crisis that affects about 11 per cent of Canadians in their lifetime, often begins with eviction. Once a person or family is evicted, they are set on a trajectory that can lead to chronic homelessness as they try to find affordable housing in an increasingly competitive market. For example, consider a long-term tenant in Kitchener paying $1,300 for a two-bedroom apartment. If evicted — whether due to a landlord’s decision to move in a family member, demolish the building or sell it — the tenant will be thrust into a housing market where the average rent for a similar unit is $2,327.
https://theconversation.com/to-end-chronic-homelessness-we-must-…
# Hot topic International, Eviction.'Ants are everywhere': Labour MP's tenants reveal condition of flats
Joe Pike BBC (No paywall)A Labour MP rents out flats with black mould and ant infestations, the BBC has discovered. Jas Athwal, the newly-elected MP for Ilford South, owns 15 rental flats, making him the biggest landlord in the House of Commons. In one block of seven flats owned by Mr Athwal nearly half the tenants said they had to regularly clean their bathroom ceilings to remove mould. Mr Athwal has now also admitted his flats do not have the correct property licences required under a scheme he introduced as Redbridge Council leader.
# Hot topic International, Rent.‘No-fault evictions’ to be banned in England – but it won’t solve private renters’ problems
Helen Carr & Edward Kirton-Darling The Conversation (No paywall)It appears that the UK government is going to ban “no-fault” evictions by private landlords in England. It promised to abolish these notices immediately after the election, and the king’s speech in July indicated this was a priority. Of course, this is not the first time this reform has been promised. It was a manifesto commitment for the Conservatives and prime minister Boris Johnson in 2019. But progress was slow, with arguments about the overburdened court system and the length of time it was taking to process repossession cases used to put the change on hold.
https://theconversation.com/no-fault-evictions-to-be-banned-in-e…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent.‘What if we built our own?’: young Amsterdammers fight housing crisis with cooperative build
Jon Henley The Guardian (No paywall)De Torteltuin, or “Dove Garden”, was born from an existential, if depressingly common, question. A group of young Amsterdammers, most still at university, looked into their futures and asked how they would ever afford to live in their own city. “It was 2020, we were 22 or 23 years old,” said Iris Luden. “It was a dream. We were fantasising. What if we built our own place? We imagined a kindergarten, growing our own food … We got together every month to talk about it. But slowly, it happened.”
https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/may/14/what-if-we-…
# Must read International, Rent.More than 50% of Americans opting for 'rent-first' lifestyle, survey finds
Austin Williams Yahoo News (No paywall)LOS ANGELES - As the concept of renting continues to expand beyond housing, a new study by Credit Karma reveals that a significant number of Americans are choosing to rent goods and services as a lifestyle preference rather than out of necessity. The study, conducted by The Harris Poll, found that nearly 3 in 5 Americans (58%) who rent or lease goods and services say they live a rent-first lifestyle, driven by personal choice rather than affordability concerns.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/more-50-americans-opting-rent-2248252…
# Hot topic International, Rent.