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
Living in a basement with no windows. Life in a 12-person share house during Australia's rental crisis
Jennifer Luu SBS (No paywall)When Rachel (not her real name) moved out of home at 19, she didn’t expect her share house to be quite so bad.
Twelve people lived in the house in Sydney’s inner west. It was cramped, dirty and filled with junk.
It originally had only five bedrooms, but four extra bedrooms were later added, including a tiny attic.
“You couldn’t extend your arms fully if you were standing in the room,” Rachel told The Feed.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/article/living-in-a-basemen…
# Must read Australia, Share houses, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Landlords and agents, Minimum habitability standards.As the rental market tightens, young people are facing greater barriers to find share housing
Kate Ashton ABC (No paywall)Aretha was excited to move into their first share house in Melbourne's north-east in January this year.
The 22-year-old university student was looking forward to living with friends, saving money and building a rental history after previously living in student housing.
But only a couple of weeks after moving in, Aretha and their three housemates were notified they would have to vacate their Fairfield share house because the owner wanted to renovate the property.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-03/rental-market-share-house…
# Australia, Share houses, Landlords and agents, Renting culture, Sub-letting, Young people.Unstable housing has held me back all my life – Australia needs a genuine safety net
Mel Powersmith The Guardian (No paywall)I’m 32 years old. I come from a disadvantaged background. I’ve been on youth allowance, newstart (now called jobseeker), and I’m now in receipt of the disability support pension.
On Wednesday I am giving evidence at a Senate inquiry into the government’s housing Australia future fund legislation.
Over my life, I’ve made it from living on youth allowance to living on the minimum wage, which is better than what some people have – but it was hard to get here. My life was merely about survival until I received a payment closer to the Henderson poverty line.
Unstable housing has impeded my progress in life.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/15/unstable-h…
# Must read Australia, Eviction, Campaigns and law reform, Federal Government, Personal stories, Welfare.Why governments must meaningfully re-enter the housing market
Michael Pascoe The New Daily (No paywall)I’ve lost track of the number of parliamentary inquiries into housing over the years, and hate to think of the countless hours many well-meaning people (along with self-serving barrow pushers) put into submissions, hearings and reports.
As demonstrated by the present crisis, decades in the making, it has all been for nought.
Our lemming-like march to a critical shortage of affordable shelter and ever-higher household debt has proceeded uninterrupted under governments of all stripes.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2023/03/01/michael-p…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Federal Government, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development.Friday essay: how policies favouring rich, older people make young Australians Generation F-d
Alison Pennington The Conversation (No paywall)Working to buy your own home is a rite of passage in Australia, firmly rooted in a time when government delivered plentiful, affordable housing. Following the senseless poverty and destitution inflicted by price-gouging landlords during the Depression, we created a better, more equitable housing system after World War II.
Up until the mid-1970s, government took a hands-on approach to housing, constructing homes for people to buy or rent at low cost. Investors weren’t prioritised over the rights of people who needed shelter, and governments helped people buy with cheap loans. It was these settings that generalised the home-owning dream to over 70% of Australian households by the late 1960s.
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-how-policies-favouring-…
# Hot topic Australia, Federal Government, History, Housing affordability, Housing market.This summer it reached 39 degrees inside Charles's rental home - ABC News
Ellen Coulter ABC (No paywall)It's a hot day in Perth and inside Charles Pratt's home, it's 33 degrees Celsius.
"You're sweating all the time," he said. "I'm often exhausted. I don't sleep well at all. I'm always dehydrated."
Even though it wasn't a particularly hot summer in Perth, Mr Pratt recorded temperatures as high as 39C inside his rental, and an entire week that hovered above 30.
Last summer he had to move out of the house for two weeks because it was too hot.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-08/it-reached-39-degrees-ins…
# Must read Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Campaigns and law reform, Climate change, Health, Housing affordability, Minimum habitability standards.Australia has taken a ‘light touch’ with Airbnb. Could stronger regulations ease the housing crisis?
Nicole Gurran and Peter Phibbs The Conversation (No paywall)The current housing crisis has renewed debates about how to regulate short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb. The international research on the impact of these rentals is clear: when landlords “host” tourists rather than residents, housing supply is depleted, rents rise and neighbourhoods change.
Given Australia’s dire shortage of rental housing, restricting short-term rentals seems like a no-brainer. New research published this week showed the share of rental properties under $400 per week has fallen to 15% in most capital cities – half of what it was a year ago.
https://theconversation.com/australia-has-taken-a-light-touch-wi…
# Hot topic Australia, Planning and development, Short-term holiday letting, State Government.Rental properties: Soaring rents and limited leases make for tenant anxiety
Maida Pineda The Age (No paywall)I have an email alert for rental properties in my neighbourhood. Each day I get sent a listing of all the available apartments that fit within my ceiling price. I usually get a list of several places nearby within my budget.
In the past few weeks, however, the only thing available is a car park rental. Ouch! I live in Southbank, a short skip away from the CBD.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/soaring-rents-and-li…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Housing affordability, Housing market, State Government.