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
Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen review – damning account of deregulation
Rowan Moore The Guardian (No paywall)In writing that is clear and moving, Peter Apps shows how decades of rhetoric against ‘red tape’ set the scene for the fire that killed 72 people – and how some lessons have yet to be learned. ... The 30-year pursuit of deregulation in the building industry demonstrably contributed to the killing of 72 people in their homes. It helped lead to the moment when a two-year-old boy died coughing and crying in his mother’s arms while she was on her phone to a firefighter, shortly before she too died.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/30/show-me-the-bodies…
# History International, Public and community housing, Local Government, Minimum habitability standards.1 million homes target makes headlines, but can’t mask modest ambition of budget’s housing plans
Hal Pawson The Conversation (No paywall)Housing took centre stage in Treasurer Jim Chalmers’s first budget this week. Relatively modest but positive steps were made towards tackling Australia’s worsening shortage of affordable social housing, as well as the broader challenge of housing affordability. But parts of the package cast some doubt on the new government’s analysis of the problem and its ambitions to tackle it. The most substantive aspect of budget housing plans was the confirmation of promised funding for 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes over five years via the new Housing Australia Future Fund. This will involve a A$10 billion, debt-funded, equity investment. Resulting annual returns will be ploughed into building subsidised housing available at below-market rates. ... The real problem here is that the budget and Labor’s election platform focused solely on the supply side of the market. They turned a blind eye to the policy settings that affect housing demand such as migration, tax, social security and financial regulation. It would be hoped the more holistic analysis of Australia’s housing problems and solutions that’s essential to address these issues will underlie the government’s forthcoming National Housing and Homelessness Plan.
https://theconversation.com/1-million-homes-target-makes-headlin…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Housing affordability, Housing market, Tax.Ron's Story
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Ron is an active community member, volunteer, and disability pensioner on the Mid North Coast who was issued with a 90-day no-grounds termination notice in mid-2021. He has since sought advice from his local Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service and the Tenants’ Union and has managed to sustain his tenancy. However, his housing circumstances remain rocky and uncertain. Ron has shared his story with the Make Renting Fair campaign in the hopes his story can help show how unfair the system can be for renters, and encourage other renters who are being treated unfairly to reach out for help and campaign for change. (Make Renting Fair)
# NSW, Rent, Campaigns and law reform, No-grounds evictions, Personal stories, Regional NSW, Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services.Northern Rivers flood buyback scheme offered to those with destroyed and damaged homes
Bruce MacKenzie and Lauren Pezet ABC (No paywall)Residents in the Northern Rivers region of NSW whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged during unprecedented floods earlier this year may now be able to move to higher ground. A voluntary buyback scheme for about 2,000 homes is one of three options in a $800 million program announced in a joint statement by the state and federal governments on Thursday. "We know that disasters are expected to become more frequent, and more severe due to climate change, and that's why we're working with the NSW government to develop practical solutions to protect lives and livelihoods," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Buybacks will be available for residents in "vulnerable areas where major flooding would pose a catastrophic risk to life". The program will also include assistance for up to $100,000 for house raising and $50,000 for retro-fitting to better building standards. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the package provided options, but warned "we cannot continue to build back as we have in the past". Also, read Alexandra Smith's article entitled: '$800m buyback scheme for home owners in flood-hit Northern Rivers' on 'The Sydney Morning Herald' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/800m-buyback-scheme-for-home-owners-in-flood-hit-northern-rivers-20221027-p5btm5.html] Read Tamsin Rose's article entitled: 'Flood-prone northern NSW homes to be targeted under $800m buyback scheme' in 'The Guardian' at: [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/27/flood-prone-northern-nsw-homes-to-be-targeted-under-800m-buyback-scheme]. REad Tamsin Rose's article entitled: 'Lismore residents can take their homes with them under $800m buyback program' in 'The Guardian' at: [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/28/lismore-residents-can-take-their-homes-with-them-under-800m-buyback-program]. Read the article by Hannah Ross and Lucy Thackray entitled: 'Home buyback scheme for high-risk flood zones in the NSW Northern Rivers explained' on the ABC at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-29/nsw-northern-rivers-flood-house-buyback-scheme-explainer/101590410].
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-27/northern-rivers-flood-hou…
# NSW, Federal Government, Housing market, Regional NSW, State Government.You would not believe what questions real estate agents are asking tenants now!!
First Dog on the Moon The Guardian (No paywall)Do you understand that all your personal information will be stored on Lorraine's computer at the estate agent's reception desk with the password on a Post-It next to the keyboard? [Any lots more]
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/28/you-would-…
# Australia, Privacy and access, Rent, Landlords and agents.Federal budget promises 1 million affordable homes – but is supply the answer?
Rose Mary Petrass The Fifth Estate (No paywall)Treasurer Jim Chalmers has delivered Labor’s federal budget for 2022, offering a plan for the severe housing pressures and lack of affordable housing across the country. An “aspirational” target of 1 million affordable homes has been announced – but how do we actually get there? And will supply solve the crisis? ... Executive director of non-profit Better Renting, Joel Dignam, said that there needs to be a fundamental shift around the way we view housing. “Instead of fulfilling this responsibility [to deliver affordable housing], this budget dodges it and tries to shift it to the private sector – the same financial institutions that were complicit in creating this problem and that have shown no appetite for doing something meaningful about it. “Our problem is a commodified housing system. Housing has been turned into assets that are bought and sold not for their value as a home, but their value just as an investment.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/housing-2/federal-budget-promises-…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Home ownership, Landlords and agents, Planning and development, State Government.Local councils in England spent a total of £1.6bn on temporary accommodation last year – a 4% increase from the previous year.
Marino Donati Inside Housing (Paywall)Housing charity Shelter said that government figures on temporary accommodation for homeless households in England during 2021-22 showed councils spent £1.6bn between April 2021 and March 2022. This was an increase of 61% compared with five years ago. Of the total bill, a quarter (£407m) was spent on emergency B&Bs and hostels, with spending on B&Bs alone increasing by 20% in the past five years. ... Recent research from thinktank Centre for London found there were almost 75,000 children currently living in temporary accommodation in London. These were part of the 56,6500 households that currently live in this type of housing in the capital. ... Commenting on Shelter’s research, chief executive Polly Neate said: “It defies all logic to shell out over £1.6bn on grim B&Bs and grotty flats, instead of helping people to keep hold of their home in the first place.”
She added: “Allowing homelessness to rise unchecked during the cost of living crisis will only cost more in the long run. The government must unfreeze housing benefit now so people can pay their rent. And to end homelessness altogether, it needs to build decent, truly affordable social homes.”
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/temporary-accommodatio…
# International, Homelessness.Variety of views on NSW opt-in land tax
(No paywall)Dominic Perrottet's pet policy aimed at kickstarting stamp-duty reform is being examined after passing through the first chamber of NSW parliament. The premier wants to begin a trial in January of an optional land tax for first-home buyers who want to avoid the high up-front costs of stamp duty. The opposition says that's too close to the state election and voters should get to decide. ... The NSW Tenants Union supports land taxes, although CEO Leo Patterson Ross does not expect the trial to bring down house prices or rents for tenants. "We have supported a broad-based land tax for many years, we see it as fair and efficient," he said. "It discourages behaviour such as land-banking and leaving properties vacant." ... McKell Institute chief executive Michael Buckland said there was initially great hope for the move to land tax. "It's been walked back, probably so much so that it does not achieve a lot of the benefits it was originally intended to receive," Mr Buckland said. (yahoo!news)
https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw-opt-land-tax-inquiry-015748686.html
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Housing market, Tax.