ADVICE OVER THE HOLIDAY PERIOD

Tenants Advice & Advocacy Services have limited availability over the holiday period. The Tenants' Union will operate a Tenancy Advice Hotline from Wednesday 18/12/2024 until Wednesday 8/1/2025 (excluding weekends and public holidays). The hours of operation are 10am-1pm and 2-5pm.

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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

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Key topics

China's mortgage boycott is escalating. Now Evergrande suppliers have stopped paying bank loans

Samuel Yang
ABC (No paywall)

A fast-growing mortgage boycott across dozens of cities in China has prompted some property suppliers to cease their bank loan repayments, raising fears the escalating situation could trigger a further downward spiral in the sector and even threaten the country's financial stability. Hundreds of landscapers, sculpture-makers and construction companies have expressed their anger that they have been bled dry because some debt-saddled developers did not pay their bills while they continued to service or help build apartments, Chinese media Caixin reported. ... Concerns about developers' inability to finish housing projects have ignited a nationwide strike, with a wave of disgruntled homebuyers across the country refusing to pay their mortgages unless their homes are built. Also, read Stephen Bartholomeusz's article entitled: 'Alarm bells are ringing as China’s property cancer spreads' in 'The Sydney Morning Herald' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/china-s-property-cancer-is-spreading-20220726-p5b4kw.html]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-27/china-mortgage-boycott-ev…

# International, Housing market, Landlords and agents.
 

Lismore residents with flood-damaged homes still received bills from energy companies

Caitlin Cassidy
The Guardian (No paywall)

Lismore residents whose flood-damaged homes have been uninhabitable for months received bills for hundreds of dollars from energy providers based on estimated power usage. Lismore resident Ella Buckland only moved back home with her young daughter last week following flooding in February, and still does not have a meter, but in that time Origin Energy has sent her two invoices for estimated electricity charges.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/27/lismore-r…

# NSW, Utilities electricity water gas.
 

Almost two thirds of rent increase notices examined by Threshold found to be invalid

Ann Murphy
(No paywall)

From Ireland ... Almost two thirds of rent increase notices brought to Threshold by tenants in the second quarter of this year were invalid, according to the organisation. (Irish Examiner)

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40925345.html

# International, Rent.
 

Perth resident fears homelessness after being told to leave public housing following partner's death

Jacqueline Lynch
ABC (No paywall)

Just weeks after Gerald Virgo's partner died, he was told he would have to leave the house where she took her last breath. Now he is on the brink of homelessness. Mr Virgo had been with his partner Sindy Marchesani for more than two decades. When her liver started failing, he did not hesitate to become her full-time carer. Mr Virgo said last year he moved into his partner's home of 20 years to try and make her final year as comfortable as possible. "She said to me, she didn't want to go to a hospice and I said, 'No you won't. You'll stay here,'" Mr Virgo told Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC Radio Perth Mornings. Mr Virgo was by Ms Marchesani's side when she died at the home last month. He was taken aback when, weeks later, the WA Department of Communities informed him he would have to leave the public housing property the couple shared in Hamilton Hill because Ms Marchesani had been the "sole tenant" on the lease.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-26/public-housing-leave-deat…

# Australia, Public and community housing, Homelessness.
 

Balancing the rights of renters and landlords


ABC (No paywall)

State and territory governments have been making changes to residential tenancy laws that tip the balance in favour of renters and their right to secure and comfortable housing. The latest state to consider these is Western Australia. But, some investors are worried about how that will affect their rights and ability to earn income. (ABS Radio National)

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/balanc…

# Audio Australia, Landlords and agents.
 

Tenants speak up on cold, damp houses with high rents


(No paywall)

From New Zealand ... Compliance with healthy homes standards is still lagging, more than two years since the law took effect. All boarding houses and private landlords now need to ensure their rental properties meet healthy homes standards within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancies. Checkpoint heard from a lot of renters who say their places still are not up to scratch. (RNZ)

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/20188…

# Audio International, Rent, Health, Minimum habitability standards.
 

Australia’s inflation rate reaches 6.1% – the fastest annual increase in 21 years

Peter Hannam
The Guardian (No paywall)

Australian prices rose 6.1% in the June quarter, the fastest annual pace since 2001 as consumers forked out more for everything from fuel to food. ... The cost of new houses also rose 9% from a year earlier. Also, check at: [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation/consumer-price-index-australia/latest-release]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/27/australia-infla…

# Australia, Families, Housing market.
 

Redevelopment plans for historic Sydney rail workshops unveiled

Matt O'Sullivan
The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)

Buildings up to 28 storeys will be constructed on 10 hectares of railway land near Redfern station in central Sydney under state government plans for a residential, entertainment and technology hub. The draft master plan for the Redfern-North Eveleigh precinct is centred on an area known as the Paint Shop, which was named after the 135-year-old brick workshop where the state’s passenger trains were overhauled until 1988.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/redevelopment-plans-for-hist…

# NSW, Housing market, Planning and development, Sydney.
 

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