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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
Final Grenfell inquiry report released as companies involved brace for criticism
Robert Booth The Guardian (No paywall)Companies and public authorities involved in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment are braced for wide-ranging criticisms when the final public inquiry report on the 2017 disaster is released at 11am on Wednesday. The 1,700-page report is expected to spotlight serious failings among national and local politicians, builders, material manufacturers and sales people, fire-testing experts and the London fire brigade. The inquiry chair, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, and his inquiry panel colleagues, the architect Thouria Istephan and housing expert Ali Akbor, will also make recommendations to the government to ensure such a disaster is not repeated.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/sep/04/final-gr…
# Must read International, Disasters.Villagers reluctant to say goodbye to one of Hong Kong’s last squatter settlements
Katie Tam and Kanis Leung AP News (No paywall)HONG KONG (AP) — In months, Lo Yuet-ping will bid farewell to a centuries-old village he has called home in Hong Kong for more than seven decades. The Cha Kwo Ling village in east Kowloon is filled with small houses built from metal sheets and stones, as well as old granite buildings, contrasting sharply with the high-rise structures that dominate much of the Asian financial hub. Lo, 72, has spent his entire life here and is among an estimated 860 households required to move under a government redevelopment plan. He said he will miss the rich history, unique culture and warm interpersonal kindness that defined life in the village. “I’m unwilling to part with anything,” said Lo, who expects to be relocated to a newer district of east Kowloon.
https://apnews.com/article/squatter-house-hong-kong-cha-kwo-ling…
# Hot topic International, .Tenant fell through hole in floor after landlord failed to fix it
Brianna McIlraith Stuff (No paywall)A landlord has been ordered to pay $5000 after a tenant fell through a hole in the dining room floor. Four tenants of the Auckland property claimed the landlord failed to maintain the premises in a reasonable state of repair, including the collapsed dining room floor, rotting floor panels and door fixtures due to inadequate drainage, resulting in mould and moisture within the home. In a Tenancy Tribunal ruling it said because of the location of the house, construction nearby and lack of drainage, water to pool in the outside area adjoining the ground floor dining area when it rained heavily.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/home-property/350404197/tenant-fell-thro…
# Hot topic International, Rent, Repairs, Tribunal NCAT.Stop treating social housing tenants like children, ombudsman tells landlords
Robert Booth The Guardian (No paywall)Some social housing landlords still treat tenants like children and behave in the same adversarial and defensive way as the Grenfell Tower landlord, the government-appointed social housing ombudsman has said. Speaking after the publication of the public inquiry report into the 2017 fire that claimed 72 lives, Richard Blakeway warned leaders of social housing groups to end “parent-child” relationships with tenants and instead “see people, not problems”.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/sep/05/social-h…
# Hot topic International, Public and community housing, Rent.Private landlords leaving the rental market, new research shows
Neil Macdonald Channel 4 (No paywall)Private landlords look to be leaving the rental market at a record pace, according to research from the property website Rightmove. It says rising costs, taxes and legislation are making it more attractive for some landlords to sell up. But will this prove to be a problem or an opportunity for private tenants? Rightmove says it’s the UK’s biggest property portal, and it’s been combing through homes currently listed on its website. It’s found that 18% of properties that are now for sale were previously offered for rent. That 18% share is the highest that Rightmove has seen since it started measuring the number back in 2010 – when the share was just 8%.
https://www.channel4.com/news/private-landlords-leaving-the-rent…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Labour urged to honour promise to ban 'no fault' evictions as landmark bill returns to Commons
Alexandra Rogers Sky News (No paywall)Renters have urged the government to act quickly to ban "no fault" evictions when a landmark bill returns to parliament. The Renters Reform Bill aims to strengthen protections for tenants in an increasingly volatile market, including by banning so-called Section 21 notices, the legal mechanism that allows landlords to evict tenants without providing a reason. While successive Tory prime ministers promised to outlaw the practice, no fault evictions are still being used after the bill lapsed following Rishi Sunak's decision to call an election.
https://news.sky.com/story/labour-urged-to-honour-promise-to-ban…
# Hot topic International, Eviction.Build more rentals, end tax breaks, let values fall: Australians tell government how to fix housing
Jason Whittaker ABC (No paywall)The dream of owning a home still flickers for most Australians. We're even prepared to sacrifice the value of our own homes to keep it alive. That's the surprise result from exclusive research for the ABC's Q+A, as new federal Housing Minister Clare O'Neil and shadow minister Michael Sukkar prepare to debate solutions to the desperate social and economic crisis on Monday night. A national YouGov poll of 1,526 Australians reveals scepticism that housing supply and affordability will improve — even while most of us significantly underestimate how difficult saving for a loan deposit has become.
# Hot topic Australia, .How to get the housing we need: healthy, affordable and resilient to climate change
Lyrian Daniel, Emma Baker, Michaela Lang, Ian Hamilton & Peter Phibbs The Conversation (No paywall)Imagine coming home after a long day at work. It is winter. You step inside your home. It is warm, quiet and dry. A storm is forecast to blow in tonight. Unprecedented rainfall, they are saying. But you are not worried. You know your house will stay warm, and the roof and gutters will cope with the fourth “once-in-100-year” rainfall event this season. Come summer, too, you know your house will stay cool, even through any blackouts.
https://theconversation.com/how-to-get-the-housing-we-need-healt…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas.