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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
$1 billion per year (or less) could halve rental housing stress
Rachel Ong ViforJ, Chris Martin, Hal Pawson and Ranjodh B Singh The Conversation (No paywall)COVID has shown us what’s possible when it comes to alleviating poverty. For six months JobSeeker payments were doubled and then maintained at a level 50% above normal. When the bonus finishes at year end it is likely to be permanently increased for the first time in almost 30 years. Commonwealth rent assistance could do with the same sort of attention.
https://theconversation.com/1-billion-per-year-or-less-could-hal…
# Must read Australia, Welfare, Affordable housing.Improved targeted rent assistance needed for low-income tenants
Jan Arreza The Fifth Estate (No paywall)Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) is not reaching many of those who need it, with about 18 per cent of low-income private rental households in housing stress, yet not receiving the income supplement, a new AHURI report reveals.
https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/impro…
# Must read Australia, Welfare.Wins and ongoing battles in the midst of the crisis
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Our latest Tenant News e-magazine. Contents includes: COVID renting update, pets in strata, Tribunal advice, social housing, religious freedoms, and future visions of renting.
https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=29c79d2825cb376b3f0b06385&id…
# Must read NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Pets, Strata, Tribunal NCAT, Public and community housing, Discrimination, Renting culture.Economic, Social Disadvantage Tsunami to hit NSW and more
Shelter NSW (No paywall)COVID-19 has set in motion an economic tsunami that will exacerbate mental health distress, domestic violence, homelessness and child neglect across NSW. This is the sobering conclusion of the expert report by Equity Economics,
A wave of disadvantage across NSW: Impact of the COVID-19 recession.
https://mailchi.mp/533d1c6dd534/special-ebulletin-new-modelling-…
# Must read NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Renting culture, Health, Domestic violence, Homelessness.Tree-changing Sydneysiders turbo-charge price growth in Central Coast, Blue Mountains, data shows
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Sydneysiders fleeing the city since the pandemic hit have turbo-charged house price growth in the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains, new figures reveal.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/tree-changing-sydneysiders-turbo-…
# Hot topic NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Regional NSW, Sydney.The Sydney suburbs defying gloomy COVID-19 forecasts: Domain House Price Report
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Large parts of Sydney have recorded staggering double-digit property price growth over the past year as buyer competition sent prices soaring, new figures reveal.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/the-sydney-suburbs-defying-gloomy…
# NSW, Housing market, Sydney, Coronavirus COVID-19.Neighbourhood blues and harbour views: property battles hit Sydney courts
Michaela Whitbourn The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)It has been a year of uncertainty but in Sydney there is one reassuring constant: a steady stream of court cases involving property blues and water views.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/neighbourhood-blues-and-harbour-…
# Legal significance NSW, Sydney.Do banks think a huge number of Australians will default on their mortgages in coming months?
Gareth Hutchens ABC (No paywall)The major banks are setting aside billions of dollars for an influx of bad loans. ... But do the banks really expect thousands of Australians will be defaulting on their loans in coming months, putting bank balance sheets at risk? Or are they just being cautious?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-30/analysis-banks-and-mortga…
# Hot topic Australia, Mortgagee repossession, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.