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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
NSW’s rejection of basic accessible home standards ‘salt in the wound’ for disabled people
Stephanie Convery The Guardian (No paywall)The New South Wales government’s refusal to enforce basic accessibility standards for new homes is “salt in the wound” for people with disabilities and will force more than 1 million Australians to continue living in ill-suited dwellings, advocates say. Australia’s building ministers finalised the new national construction code (NCC) last week, which included much-lauded changes to energy efficiency standards as well as mandatory “silver” level accessibility standards, as described by Liveable Housing Australia. But Australia’s most populous state confirmed it will opt out of implementing the clauses that would require new homes to have basic accessibility features such as at least one step-free entrance, a toilet on the entry level and reinforced walls in the bathroom. These features were added to the NCC after a push from advocates highlighting the difficulties that disabled people, older people and others face in finding homes that meet their basic needs. The standards also include a walk-in shower recess and wider door frames and corridors to facilitate ease of movement. “To say that we are disappointed is an understatement,” Serena Ovens, the chief executive of the Physical Disability Council of NSW, said on Monday.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/29/nsws-reje…
# NSW, Disability, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards, Older people.7-star housing is a step towards zero carbon – but there’s much more to do, starting with existing homes
Gill Armstrong, Alan Pears, Margot Delafoulhouze and Trivess Moore The Conversation (No paywall)Energy-efficiency standards for new homes in Australia are being upgraded for the first time in a decade. New homes will be required to improve minimum performance from 6 stars to 7 stars under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS). Federal, state and territory building ministers agreed on the change last Friday. The rating will also use a whole-of-home energy “budget”. This will allow homes to meet the new standard in different ways. The standard will come into force in May 2023, and all new homes will have to comply by October 2023. ... These upgrades represent a step in the right direction, but much more remains to be done to future-proof Australian homes.
https://theconversation.com/7-star-housing-is-a-step-towards-zer…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Is it time to talk about rent control in Australia?
Ben Knight City Futures (No paywall)The rising cost of everyday essentials has most people feeling the pinch. But if you’re a renter and haven’t already been hit with a rent increase, there’s a good chance you’re especially worried. Property data sources like CoreLogic show rents in Australia are climbing across capital cities and the regions. Meanwhile, vacancy rates are also at record lows – below 1 per cent in some areas – as the demand for rental housing continues to drive up prices. While landlords have benefited from these stunning rent increases, the real impact is felt by households – many on low incomes – relying on rental housing, says Dr Chris Martin, Senior Research Fellow from the UNSW City Futures Research Centre. ... “Proper rent control hasn’t been discussed for a while in Australia, but it’s something that should be on the research and policy agenda,” Dr Martin says.
https://blogs.unsw.edu.au/cityfutures/blog/2022/08/is-it-time-to…
# Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Home advantage: federal politicians’ hefty property portfolios revealed in register of interests
Paul Karp and Josh Butler The Guardian (No paywall)Federal MPs and senators have impressive property portfolios, owning or having an interest in almost two properties each on average. Of our 151 MPs and 76 senators, 38 have property in the nation’s capital, Canberra, or in nearby Queanbeyan, for which they are entitled to claim a $299 a night travel allowance for parliamentary business. A survey of the register of interests reveals MPs and senators own 237 houses or apartments, including their primary and Canberra residences, and have interests in 210 other properties including holiday homes, investment properties or agricultural land. These were often owned with spouses or partners.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/31/home-adva…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Mould on My Mind
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The Tenants' Union talks to Ned Cooke, Solicitor and Team Leader of the Inner Sydney Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service, about mould in tenancy. Ned answers questions from tenants about mould in their rental homes.
# Video NSW, Rent, Mould, Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services.Project home with no air conditioning aims to inspire energy-efficient building in new Perth suburb
Emma Wynne ABC (No paywall)From the outside, this display home in Brabham, a newly developed suburb in Perth's outer east, looks a lot like the other project homes on the street with its freshly painted walls and new garden. But this three-bedroom house has been assessed as having an energy rating of 9.2 stars according to the CSIRO's Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS). That makes it the highest-rated two-storey house in the country, according to Mick Fabar, chief executive of Green Homes Australia, which built the house.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-28/project-home-with-no-air-…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Minimum habitability standards.Queensland flood victims feeling forgotten six months after historic floods
Johanna Marie ABC (No paywall)What seemed unthinkable six months ago has become a reality from which Darryl and Mala Beames cannot escape. "We've been living with the rats, and the cold, the only place that's warm is in your bed," Mr Beames says. The Gympie couple and their two young children sleep in rooms without walls and shower in their garden. Everything they own has been donated. Six months on from record-breaking floods that swept through south-east Queensland, the Beames family are one of hundreds still living in limbo waiting for others to decide their future. "It looks like the floods are gone, but for all the flood victims we're still living it every day," Mr Beames says.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-28/wide-bay-flood-anniversar…
# Australia, Homelessness, State Government.NCC 2022 set to lift home energy efficiency
Australian Building Codes Board (No paywall)Building Ministers have agreed to lift the energy standards of new homes through the National Construction Code (NCC). As of NCC 2022, new homes and apartments will need to achieve the equivalent of “7 stars” NatHERS thermal performance. A new annual energy use budget has been introduced for the first time. The budget will apply to the home’s major appliances such as heating and cooling equipment, hot water systems, lighting, swimming pool pumps, and onsite renewable energy systems. This is a significant step towards achieving zero energy and zero carbon buildings in Australia.
https://mailchi.mp/abcb.gov.au/see-the-first-release-of-ncc-4945…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Minimum habitability standards.