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
'My Old Apartment' Wants Renters To Know If Their Landlords Illegally Hiked Rent
Maija Kappler Huffington Post (No paywall)From Canada ... Have you ever rented an apartment that seemed expensive, and wondered what the people who lived there before you were paying? Advocates on Prince Edward Island think you have a right to know.
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/my-old-apartment-pei_ca_6032…
# International, Rent, Landlords and agents.Australia's governments must be held accountable for the homelessness crisis
Connie Georgatos (No paywall)THE CAMPAIGNS TO END homelessness must be relentless. It is up to us to make governments respond to the will of the people. In December 2014, the Federal Government defunded Homelessness Australia, the peak advocacy body. Homelessness Australia operates on a voluntary basis – credit to them – and has not employed personnel. (Independent Australia)
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/austr…
# Australia, Federal Government, Homelessness.No incentive for landlords to make homes green as just 12 per cent apply for Green Homes Grant
Jasmine Anderson (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The Government should encourage landlords to make environmental repairs through the Green Homes Grant by legalising minimum energy efficiency ratings, a renting campaign group has urged. (inews.co.uk)
https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/green-homes-grant-landlords…
# International, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas.Instead of Eviction, Landlords and Tenants Talk It Out
Emily Nonko (No paywall)In Philadelphia, face-to-face mediated chats help both parties get what they need. ... Before Janaya Lewinski leads a mediation session as part of Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program, she wants to know as much as possible about the tenant, the details of their living situation and why they’ve fallen behind on rent. Are there underlying issues with the landlord, like a bathroom that’s long needed repairs? Had they been struggling to cover a rent increase, or has an emergency derailed their ability to pay? (reasons to be cheerful)
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/instead-of-eviction-landlords-…
# International, Rent, Landlords and agents.Aged care, death and taxes after the royal commission
Anna Howe The Conversation (No paywall)The Governor General was handed the report of the aged care royal commission on Friday. It will be made public in the coming week.
https://theconversation.com/aged-care-death-and-taxes-after-the-…
# Australia, Federal Government, Older people.‘Throwing petrol on a bonfire’: Property prices tipped to soar if super used for deposits
Jennifer Duke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The nation’s biggest superannuation lobby group has warned capital-city property prices will soar, locking young people into inflated mortgages, if a Coalition backbench push to give first-home buyers early access to their superannuation for a home deposit gets the go-ahead.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/throwing-petrol-on-a-bon…
# Hot topic Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing affordability.The royal commission report should give the Australian government a plan to fix aged care. Will they act on it?
Sarah Russell The Guardian (No paywall)If nothing else, the inquiry has shown us that we finally need to listen to older people and their families ... Read on.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/25/fridays-re…
# Australia, Federal Government, Older people.Bike-friendly, green space, working from home: New planning blueprint for life after COVID-19
Angus Thompson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sydney’s planning rules will be drastically overhauled to make new developments encourage cycling over cars, ensure more people have access to green space, and build apartments with working from home in mind.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bike-friendly-green-space-wo…
# NSW, Planning and development, State Government.