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
Queensland faces dire social housing shortage, audit finds
Judy Skatssoon (No paywall)The Queensland government is failing to effectively manage its social housing register amid a growth in demand that’s threatening to outstrip supply, an audit has found. The state’s audit office looked at whether the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy is effectively managing the needs of Queenslanders who can’t afford the private rental market. A report tabled on July 12 warns that as the private market becomes more competitive, many Queenslanders will struggle to find secure and affordable housing. (Government News)
https://www.governmentnews.com.au/queensland-faces-dire-social-h…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing.NSW to create new statutory Property Services Commissioner
Judy Skatssoon (No paywall)The NSW government will establish an independent statutory Property Services Commissioner tasked with regulating the sector, managing complaints and investigating breaches. (Government News)
https://www.governmentnews.com.au/nsw-to-create-new-statutory-pr…
# NSW, Landlords and agents.The house prices that are still rising: How inflation is blowing out building costs
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Property prices may be falling for the established housing market, but new homes are bucking the trend and have become the canary in the coal mine, as far as inflation goes. Almost every category of building materials has become more expensive. Steel products are leading the way, jumping 42.1 per cent in the year ending March 2022, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-house-prices-that-are-s…
# Australia, Housing market.... homelessness crisis in the United States, and solutions to growing homelessness in Australia.
Connor Dougherty and David Pearson ABC (No paywall)Check out these two reports from ABC's Radio National ...
Connor Doughtery: We discuss the changing face of cities on the west coast of the United States where the housing crisis and increasing homelessness has left hundreds of thousands of people without shelter.
David Pearson: Homelessness in Australia is growing and the problem has been exacerbated by the pandemic and extreme climate events. We discuss some of the strategies necessary to solve homelessness.
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/betweenthelines/13…
# Australia, Homelessness, Housing market, International.Tenants ‘pushed out’ of their homes as private landlords hike rents by more than 20% overnight
Vicky Spratt (Paywall)Tenants have told i they could be forced to move to a new town or city as their rent spirals above runaway inflation. Campaigners and tenants’ unions are calling for emergency rent freezes and warning that landlords are “pouring petrol” on the cost-of-living crisis by hiking up rents across the United Kingdom. (inews.co.uk)
https://inews.co.uk/news/housing/tenants-pushed-out-of-their-hom…
# International, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.‘A big no-no’: Warning after Sydney family bring outdoor charcoal makeshift heater inside
Sarah Keoghan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Six people have been rushed to hospital in Sydney’s west on Tuesday morning after an outdoor charcoal makeshift heater was brought indoors to keep them warm, causing suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/family-rushed-to-hospital-fo…
# NSW, Utilities electricity water gas.High Court quashes council’s decision not to house person with NRPF under Everyone In
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)A London council acted unlawfully when it refused to accommodate a person with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) during the pandemic, a High Court has ruled. ... In this case, Lambeth Council was challenged by Desiree Cort, a 68-year-old woman from Guyana, who at the time had no immigration status in the UK and NRPF, meaning she would not normally be eligible for help with her housing.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/high-court-quashes-cou…
# Legal significance International, Homelessness, Local Government.Cashed up and employed: RBA says households can withstand higher rates
Shane Wright and Rachel Clun The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Reserve Bank believes highly indebted households will withstand a substantial increase in interest rates, but a report has found rising inflation will add financial pressure on lower-income households and lead to more mortgage holders falling behind on repayments. As one of the nation’s biggest lenders said it expected the RBA to lift interest rates by two percentage points over the next four months, bank deputy governor Michele Bullock used a speech in Brisbane to reveal the institution believed the biggest risk to home buyers would be a sharp lift in the unemployment rate. Also, read Gareth Hutchens's article entitled: 'RBA says borrowers can handle interest rate rises, but experts warn mortgage repayments will surge' in ABC at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-19/reserve-bank-says-households-will-handle-rate-rises/101250390]. Read Amy Remeikis's article entitled: 'Mortgage holders could face large jump in repayments if interest rates increase by 3%, RBA says' in 'The Guardian' at: [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/19/mortgage-holders-could-face-large-jump-in-repayments-if-interest-rates-reach-3-rba-says]. Read Matthew Elmas's article entitled: 'Monthly mortgage bills could rise by another $650. But the RBA’s not worried yet' in 'The New Daily' at: [https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2022/07/19/mortgage-rba-outlook/]
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/cashed-up-and-employed-r…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Work, employment.