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 rental law changes start October 1, making it harder to deny pets, terminate leases
Tara Cassidy ABC (No paywall)New housing laws set to come into effect later this year will make it harder for Queensland landlords to ban pets in rental properties. A landlord could decline a tenant's request for a pet for no specific reason, but come October 1 that would change.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-04/queensland-rental-law-cha…
# Australia, Rent, No-grounds evictions, Pets.Canada needs to build more affordable housing for newcomers
Fawziah Rabiah-Mohammed, Abe Oudshoorn, Cindy Brown and Luc Theriault The Conversation (No paywall)The relationship between newcomers and the Canadian economy involves three key pillars: job availability, a sufficient population of working age and affordable housing. All three pillars must be supported by the government — if one is missing, the entire system collapses. While Canada has always relied on newcomers for population growth because of its low birth rate, both housing affordability and job availability tend to fluctuate much more drastically.
https://theconversation.com/canada-needs-to-build-more-affordabl…
# International, Affordable housing, Families, Work, employment.Can we avoid a recession? What we can learn from the Kiwis
Ian Verrender, Raveen Hunjan and Kirsten Robb ABC (No paywall)In some regions [of New Zealand], house prices are down more than 9 per cent, after surging almost 50 per cent during the pandemic. One of the first central banks in the world to lift rates off the floor, the New Zealand Reserve Bank last year became alarmed by a sudden surge in inflation and moved swiftly to reign it in.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-04/can-we-avoid-a-recession-…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market, International.Everybody’s Home, a housing solution campaign group, found in regional Victorian areas, rents had increased between six and 14 per cent, while vacancies dipped below one per cent.
Helen Gregory Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)Vickie Clutterbuck and Cassie have packed up their house. "I've never ever had to fight like this to get a roof over my head. Never," Ms Clutterbuck said. "I've never been in this situation before in my life and I'm scared. It's not just me, I have a daughter. How did it come to this?" After renting a Lemon Tree Passage house in NSW's Hunter region for seven years, Ms Clutterbuck received a no grounds eviction notice on June 3. The owner plans to sell the property. "I've done everything I possibly can and I just can't get a house, I keep getting knocked back," said Ms Clutterbuck, who worked in aged care until an injury and is now a carer for her ill mum.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7807280/residents-faci…
# NSW, Eviction, Families, Housing market, No-grounds evictions, Regional NSW.Does the PRS white paper go far enough?
Faisal Butt Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The government has published its long-awaited proposals to completely overhaul the private rented sector and redress the balance in favour of providing tenants with more security, stability and decency. Many of the changes have been muted for several years, and it is good to finally see the white paper set out these proposals in some detail. ... [But] “The ombudsman can order landlords to pay up to £25,000 in compensation to their tenants and allow tenants to claim back rent from their properties over the period they deem that the home was not liveable… It does raise a question why we don’t we offer a similar redress to social housing tenants.”
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/comment/does-the-prs-whi…
# International, Public and community housing, Rent, Repairs, Health, Landlords and agents, Minimum habitability standards, No-grounds evictions.Tinkering with the mortgage market won’t solve the UK housing affordability crisis
Mark Stephens The Conversation (No paywall)UK borrowers may see the return of larger, longer-term loans as the government plans a comprehensive review of the mortgage market with the aim of boosting access to finance for first-time buyers. Rather than addressing the real problems with UK housing affordability though, this approach seems to be aimed at helping dig the government out of a housing policy hole.
https://theconversation.com/tinkering-with-the-mortgage-market-w…
# International, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Housing market.Melbourne bayside residents fight heritage listing of their mid-century modern homes
Andrea Nierhoff ABC (No paywall)A battle is brewing in Melbourne's leafy bayside suburbs over mid-century homes, with claims a preservation plan will see property prices drop and prevent much-needed upgrades.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-03/melbourne-bayside-mid-cen…
# Australia, Heritage listings, Housing market.The key factor putting a floor under property prices
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Australia’s low unemployment rate is a key factor in putting a floor under property prices, experts say, but that could be at risk if interest rates rise too high, too fast.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-key-factor-putting-a-fl…
# Australia, Housing market, Work, employment.