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
Rents fall across capital cities but are still unaffordable for many tenants in Australia
Melissa Heagney Domain (Paywall)The number of people needing affordable housing, including those who have never had to seek help before, is tipped to reach catastrophic levels by next Easter, a new report has found. The Rental Affordability Index (RAI), released Tuesday, found that while rents had fallen across every capital city, they had not fallen enough for anyone on a low income.
You will find a snapview of the RAI at: [https://www.sgsep.com.au/maps/rai/australia-rental-affordability-index-nov20-embargoed/?thirdspace=1].
Download the full report at: [https://www.sgsep.com.au/projects/rental-affordability-index]
https://www.domain.com.au/news/rents-fall-but-are-still-unafford…
# Research alert Australia, Rent, Housing affordability.What’s Between 30 Million Americans and an Eviction Tsunami?
Francesca Mari The New York Times (No paywall)Only government intervention can keep millions of Americans housed.’ The solutions she proposes are pragmatic: reimbursements for renters and small landlords, more short-term direct assistance, low-interest loans to help people pay back rent and a fund that would allow the government, rather than private equity companies, to buy distressed companies. This year’s housing crisis, she writes, is different from the crash of 2008: It’s the result of a natural disaster, not man-made financial engineering. But the solutions will have to come from us.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/opinion/eviction-moratorium-e…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Boris Johnson's 'mutant' planning algorithm could scar England for ever
Simon Jenkins The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... When Dominic Cummings stormed out of Downing Street earlier this month he left behind a time bomb more explosive than any pandemic recession or no-deal Brexit. Those pestilences will pass. If enacted, the Cummings-inspired white paper Planning for the Future will scar England’s face for ever.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/27/boris-john…
# International, Planning and development.We will not rest until the companies behind the Grenfell fire are held to account
Karim Mussilhy The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... ‘The inquiry into that awful night is slowly revealing shocking evidence, and strengthening our pursuit of justice.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/27/companies-…
# International, Public and community housing.New Zealand once led the world on social housing – it should again
Bryce Edwards The Guardian (No paywall)From New Zealand ... A return to a programme of mass state house building could fix the significant problem for those at the bottom of the market.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/28/new-zealand-once-l…
# International, Public and community housing, Affordable housing.Here’s where you can find Australia’s most “affordable and liveable” suburbs
Matt Johnson The New Daily (No paywall)Finding a budget-friendly home close to life’s necessities can be a difficult task for any buyer. But new research has attempted to make it a little easier.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2020/11/26/australia…
# Australia, Affordable housing.HomeBuilder grant and low cash rates boost demand for land lot sales’
Nicole Lindsay The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Land sales in outer Melbourne and Geelong surged towards the end of lockdown, driven by the HomeBuilder grant and record low interest rates.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/homebuilder-grant-and-…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership.Federal Government extends HomeBuilder program for another three months but at a lower rate
Jade Macmillan ABC (No paywall)A Federal Government program offering cash grants for housing construction projects has been extended, but at a lower amount. The HomeBuilder scheme currently provides $25,000 grants to eligible people building a new home or renovating an existing one. It had been due to expire at the end of the year but will be extended to 31 March, 2021, at the lower rate of $15,000.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-29/homebuilder-program-exten…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership.