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
Rising cost of aged care and big wage unknown put squeeze on government
Rachel Clun The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A pre-election promise to boost aged care spending by $2.5 billion is just the tip of a growing fiscal iceberg confronting the federal government as it grapples with increasing pressures on the nation’s finances while improving the quality of services for Australia’s elderly. Aged care reform was one of Labor’s key election pledges. It said it would outlay the extra $2.5 billion to fix the sector over the next four financial years, its second most expensive promise after childcare.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/rising-cost-of-aged-care…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market, Older people.How will our stretched housing market cope with surging immigration?
Abul Rizvi Pearls and Irritations (No paywall)Respected ABC commentator Alan Kohler has recently raised this issue in an article provocatively titled Labor’s immigration and housing policies are an explosive combination. Kohler says “there is now a massive discrepancy between the demand for labour, the immigration needed to fill it, and the available housing”, pointing to the 2.2 million visas granted since June 2022 and the national rental vacancy of 51,437 and 37,626 in the capital cities.
https://johnmenadue.com/how-will-our-stretched-housing-market-co…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market.Social housing standards have slipped forcing emergency measures to be taken
Chaminda Jayanetti (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Government has announced an increase in inspections of social housing and drive-up competency amongst staff, following cases of tenants forced to live in squalid conditions while their housing providers failed to make necessary repairs. Social housing providers will have to ensure that all their staff – from neighbourhood housing officers to senior management – have the right skills, experience and knowledge to deliver a high-quality service for residents. The new standard will be set out and enforced by the Regulator of Social Housing, which will also have a legal duty to publish a plan on its commitment to regularly inspect the largest landlords, including details on how often these will happen. The move comes as a result of amendments to the Social Housing Regulation Bill which completed Report Stage in the House of Lords this week.
https://newstartmag.co.uk/articles/social-housing-standards-have…
# International, Public and community housing, Repairs.Government given warning that raising Section 106 threshold could ‘devastate’ affordable housing supply
Tim Clark Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... PlaceShapers, which represents more than 100 housing associations across the country, is concerned that the government is considering increasing the threshold for exempting developments from contributing to affordable homes under Section 106 contributions from 10 to 50 homes. Small sites are considered essential to providing affordable homes, and Placeshapers said it has anecdotal evidence of developers already withdrawing submitted plans and resubmitting them as smaller schemes to avoid paying Section 106 contributions.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/government-warned-that…
# International, Affordable housing, Landlords and agents.From homeowners to housemates: Queensland’s hidden population changes
Stuart Layt The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Young adults and those around retirement age are less likely to be the head of their household than people their age six years ago, according to an analysis of Queensland population trends. Ahead of Thursday’s state housing summit, University of Queensland researchers have revealed a landmark shift in the composition of households in certain areas. In the time between the 2016 census and the 2021 census, which were used as the data source for the analysis, young adults and those aged 60-plus became more likely to be living with others and less likely to “lead” their own home.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/from-homeowners-to-ho…
# Australia, Share houses, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Older people, Young people.If a house scored 9 out of 10 for flood risk, would you buy it?
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Home buyers steer clear of properties at extreme flood risk when informed of the threat, altering their property search and bidding for lower risk homes, an international study has found. More buyers are factoring climate-change risks into their property decisions, but making risk data more accessible could more quickly shift buyer behaviour, experts say, and encourage upgrades to properties.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/if-a-house-scored-9-out-of-…
# Australia, Housing market, International.Council says it was not warned of land resumption for Bruce Highway when it approved new estate
Elizabeth Cramsie ABC (No paywall)A Queensland council says it was not warned homes in a new housing development could be resumed for Bruce Highway upgrades, when plans were assessed by the state government two years ago. Homeowners in the new Aspire development in Griffin, north of Brisbane, this week got an email from the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) saying planning had "identified a future land requirement". "We intend to proceed with protected planning over the full property," the notice said. All home lots in the development have been purchased and many residents only moved in within the past three months, while other houses are at varying stages of completion. Also, read the same journalist's article entitled: 'Queensland homeowners told land needed for Bruce Highway upgrade hours after getting keys to Griffin house' on the ABC at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-19/qld-home-owners-angry-bruce-highway-update-land-resumption/101549992].
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-20/qld-moreton-bay-council-u…
# Australia, Home ownership, Personal stories, Planning and development.Keating gives Perrottet’s stamp duty reform thumbs up
Lucy Cormack and Alexandra Smith The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Premier Dominic Perrottet’s political mentor Paul Keating says stamp duty should be replaced with a property tax to make it easier for people to move homes despite NSW Labor’s refusal to back an overhaul of the tax scheme. The former Labor prime minister said the state government’s policy to give first home buyers the option of paying an annual tax instead of stamp duty was a positive step to help young people attain homeownership.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/keating-gives-perrottet-s-st…
# NSW, Home ownership, Housing affordability, State Government, Tax.