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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
‘I left with the kids and ended up homeless with them’: the nightmare of housing wait lists for people fleeing domestic violence
Alan Morris, Catherine Robinson and Jan Idle The Conversation (No paywall)People who flee domestic violence desperately need safe, affordable and secure housing. Our study of people on housing waiting lists in New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland found private rental housing isn’t an option when leaving domestic violence. Besides the cost, most people fleeing domestic violence aren’t able to provide rental histories and credit ratings. That makes it very difficult to be accepted as a tenant. The obvious solution is social housing ...
https://theconversation.com/i-left-with-the-kids-and-ended-up-ho…
# Research alert Australia, Domestic violence, Public and community housing, Rent, Homelessness, Women.NSW flood response to include buybacks, land swaps for Northern Rivers homes
Alexandra Smith and Catherine Naylor The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Buybacks and land swaps will form part of the NSW government’s response to the devastating Northern Rivers floods, as a landmark inquiry into the disaster puts the additional recovery bill at an extraordinary $3 billion. The long-awaited independent flood recovery report has recommended a voluntary buyback program for the thousands of residents in Lismore who lost homes in this year’s deadly disaster.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-flood-response-to-includ…
# NSW, Housing market, Regional NSW.Landlords Broke AC Units and Called CPS to Force Out Tenants During the Pandemic
Matthew Gault (No paywall)A Congressional investigation into four corporate landlords has revealed coercion, scare tactics, and deceit designed to force tenants from their homes during the height of the pandemic. An eviction moratorium was meant to protect vulnerable out-of-work people from ending up on the street during an unprecedented health disaster. But landlords still managed to evict tenants during the moratorium and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis after hearing that some major landlords were violating CDC regulations. The investigation focused on Pretium Partners, the Siegel Group, Invitation Homes, and Ventron Management, which are four of the largest corporate landlords in the country. It found that the companies filed a total of 14,744 evictions from March 2020 to July 2021. The report singled out Siegel in particular.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3addvk/landlords-broke-ac-units-…
# International, Eviction, Coronavirus COVID-19, Landlords and agents.'Significant, insidious' and often unreported, financial elder abuse is increasing, lawyers say
Norman Hermant ABC (No paywall)A woman was left with nowhere to go after transferring her home to her son. Lawyers say it is a classic case of financial elder abuse, which they believe is increasing. It is a hidden issue that is "alive and well" in Australia, advocates say
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-05/lawyers-say-financial-eld…
# Australia, Older people.New Adelaide accommodation for domestic violence victims expected to be full within weeks
Shari Hams ABC (No paywall)Eight new units have been set up in an undisclosed location in Adelaide to help women and children escape domestic violence. South Australia is the first state to get new upgraded facilities, with other states set to follow suit. It is a part of $20 million federal government program to upgrade domestic violence services across the nation. The Adelaide facility, operated by the Salvation Army, will accommodate approximately 40 people, with on average one adult and four children per property.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-05/sa-domestic-violence-refu…
# Australia, Domestic violence, Homelessness, Women.No mortgage? Here's why you should still pay attention to interest rate rises
Velvet Winter ABC (No paywall)According to PropTrack senior economist Paul Ryan, a rising cash rate does not automatically mean your rent is going to go up. ... A combination of factors including returning international students and tourists, as well as housing market changes brought by COVID has seen rents rise dramatically over the last 12 months. ... But now, with people returning to capital cities, the pressure is back on rental properties in the city – with the possibility of even more competition caused by ripple effects from interest rate rises. "You may see some people who would be first home buyers priced out of the market. They can't borrow as much as they could 12 months ago so that puts upward demand on rentals and on rents," Mr Ryan said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-07/no-mortgage-interest-rate…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market.What do Queensland’s upcoming rental reforms mean for me?
(No paywall)New rental laws will come into effect in Queensland in under two months, with most changes working in favour of tenants. Most of the changes are being phased in over three years, but 1 October 2022 will see reform around pets and terminating tenancies. (rent.com.au)
# Australia, Rent, Minimum habitability standards, No-grounds evictions, Pets.The average Australian landlord isn't who you might imagine
Angus Moore (No paywall)Australia is unusual in that the vast majority of the residential dwelling stock is owned by households – more than 95% of it, in fact. That's unlike some other countries, where government or corporate ownership of rentals is more common, such as with build-to-rent developments. What do Australian property investors typically look like? If you imagine some ultra-rich mogul with dozens of properties, you might be surprised.
https://www.realestate.com.au/insights/the-average-australian-la…
# Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Tax.