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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
How an explosion of Airbnb’s in Launceston and Hobart is impacting state’s housing crisis
Stephanie Dalton Mercury (Paywall)Swathes of rental properties are being taken away from residents as the number of short-term rentals in Launceston has ballooned by 60 per cent over two years. According to the state government’s latest figures from the Short Stay Accommodation Act data collection, short-stay platforms like Airbnb and Stayz are removing dwellings from local renters — and affecting future housing supply. The report found a 41 per cent increase in short-term rentals in Hobart over the same period. Tenants’ Union of Tasmania principal solicitor Ben Bartl said it was clear that the increasing numbers of short-term rental properties in Hobart and Launceston disproportionately impacted the availability of homes for local people needing to rent.
https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/how-an-explosion-of-…
# Hot topic Australia, .Six-storey units vs 'no gentrification': What should Bellambi look like in the future?
Kate McIlwain Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)A discussion about what Bellambi – particularly its beachside waterfront public housing – should look like in the future has been kicked off by the NSW Government. Already, there are diverse views about what should be done as the government tries to address the urgent need for more social housing, aged care and private homes. For instance, the secretary of one local resident group says there should be apartment blocks of four-to-six storeys built to take advantage of the high-value land.But Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre cooridnator Cathy Daly, who has already been a part of the consultation, says it’s most important that existing social housing residents are allowed to stay in the suburb, and are not displaced during or after the renewal.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/8800799/homes-nsw-asks…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing.It’s “Open Season” on the Unhoused. We Must Oppose It.
Kelly Hayes Truthout (No paywall)“We don’t have a housing system, we have an unhousing system,” says author and organizer Tracy Rosenthal. In this episode of “Movement Memos,” Rosenthal and host Kelly Hayes examine the impacts of the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing municipalities to criminalize the act of sleeping outside. Rosenthal and Hayes also examine the larger terrain of criminalization unhoused people face, why cities are working to expel unhoused populations, and how communities can defend their unhoused neighbors.
https://truthout.org/audio/its-open-season-on-the-unhoused-we-mu…
# Audio International, Public and community housing, Rent.Revised targets come too late for a generation locked out of housing
Social Democrats (No paywall)Revising housing targets on your way out the door is of little use to people struggling to put a roof over their head, according to Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s spokesperson on housing, said: “We have known for some time that the Government’s Housing for All targets were not nearly ambitious enough to meet demand. “Clinging on to these low targets for this long was an act of self-delusion. “Today’s revised targets are an acknowledgement of huge unmet housing need. However, the reality is that people cannot live in a target – there must be a practical plan in place to turn these targets into homes.
https://www.socialdemocrats.ie/revised-targets-come-too-late-for…
# Must read International, Public and community housing, Rent.Singles can’t afford to rent in New Zealand
Rowan Crosby Elite Agent Magazine (No paywall)Singles in New Zealand are not living the ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ life, with new analysis showing that no region in New Zealand meets the affordability threshold for single renters. Ray White Group Senior Data Analyst, Atom Go Tian, has replicated The Economist’s ‘Carrie Bradshaw Index’ for New Zealand, comparing median weekly incomes to rental costs across the country. “Not a single region in New Zealand meets the affordability threshold for single renters,” Mr Go Tian said. “The West Coast Region comes closest to affordability, with a weekly income gap of just $117 between the median income ($1,050) and what’s needed for affordable rent ($1,167).”
https://eliteagent.com/singles-cant-afford-to-rent-in-new-zealan…
# International, Rent.Housing on the ballot: Harris, Trump push different plans for tackling housing affordability crisis
Sally Ho and Alex Veiga ABC (USA) (No paywall)Millions of Americans can’t afford to buy a home or rent a suitable apartment, making housing a central issue for voters in the upcoming presidential election. The biggest single reason homeownership is out of reach for many is there aren’t nearly enough homes for sale to balance out the market between buyers and sellers. The shortfall, which some economists say ranges from 1 million to around 4 million homes, has for the better part of the last decade fueled bidding wars that boosted the median sales price of a previously occupied U.S. home to an all-time high of $426,900 in June — even as home sales have been in a deep slump for more than two years.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/housing-ballot-harris-trump-…
# Must read, Hot topic International, .Rent Consumes 45% of Minimum Wage in Bulgaria, Reflecting EU-Wide Housing Struggle
Novinite (No paywall)A recent analysis from the European Institute of Trade Unions, highlighted by the European Confederation of Trade Unions, reveals that low-wage earners in most EU countries spend at least a third of their monthly income on rent. This data comes just before Dan Jørgensen’s hearing in the European Parliament, where he will be considered for the role of the EU's first housing commissioner. Jørgensen, if appointed, will be tasked with implementing an "affordable housing plan," a priority set out by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to the analysis, workers on the minimum wage in 14 EU countries typically spend 35% or more of their income on renting a property with up to two bedrooms.
https://www.novinite.com/articles/229203/Rent+Consumes+45+of+Min…
# Must read International, Rent.Which capital cities are among the costliest places to rent in Europe?
Garfield Myrie Euro News (No paywall)Average rents in London reached a record quarterly high of £2,694 (€3,220) a month, a 2.5% increase on last year's figure, a new report has found. The data, from UK property portal Rightmove, is based on an analysis of more than half a million properties advertised for rent on the company's website between July and September 2024. The average price calculation is based on the asking rents for all properties, from bedsits and one-bedroom flats to multi-room houses. Taking these variables into account, London is still one of the most expensive places to live, with rents outstripping those in comparable European countries.
https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/10/17/which-capital-citie…
# Hot topic International, Rent.