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.
Get advice on: (02) 8117 3750 or 1800 251 101
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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See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
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Archive
Show me your stars: Apartment buyers start pulling deposits after new rating system
Julie Power The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Apartment hunters have pulled deposits and are switching to builders and developers who have earned gold star ratings on a new ratings platform, says NSW building commissioner David Chandler. Since the Independent Construction Industry Rating Tool (iCIRT) register was launched in May, including the first 19 companies rated as trustworthy, four families told Chandler they had withdrawn deposits from unrated builders and developers and taken their business to one built by a rated company. ... iCIRT was introduced as part of reforms aimed at avoiding repeats of the Mascot and Opal towers debacles,
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/apartment-buyers-start-pulli…
# NSW, Strata, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Sustainable co-housing community to be built in Canberra's north to meet downsizing needs without compromising environmental impact
Charlotte Gore ABC (No paywall)A group of Canberrans keen to reduce their environmental impact and downsize are creating their own sustainable co-housing community in Canberra's north. ... The co-housing building is designed to appear from the street as one large house, but will actually contain three attached one-storey units and one shared building. Stellulata Cohousing says the build is focused on sustainability and will include solar panels with battery storage, high-efficiency electric appliances for hot water, heating and lighting, and rainwater harvesting. The ACT government selected the design to be a Demonstration Housing Project, which aims to showcase ways to deliver a compact and active city through innovative planning, design and delivery.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-02/act-sustainable-building-…
# Australia, Share houses, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Older people, Planning and development.Housing lawyers warn of ‘catastrophic’ impact of caps on recovery costs for tenants
Grainne Cuffe Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Housing lawyers have warned of the potentially “catastrophic” impact on their ability to provide legal aid if the government goes ahead with its plans of implementing fixed recoverable costs on housing cases. In a letter to justice minister James Cartlidge and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a group of housing trade bodies and legal aid groups have said the plan to cap the amount of fees solicitors can recover from the losing parties in civil cases will cut their income by a quarter. ... The bodies also warned that the introduction of FRCs could lead to some legal aid providers “ceasing to practise altogether”. They are now calling for housing cases to be exempt from the plan and for further “detailed research to be carried out before costs reforms are considered in this area”.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/housing-lawyers-warn-o…
# International, Eviction, Repairs, Tribunal NCAT.Rent affordability biggest issue for the sector, says former Scottish regulator executive
Stephen Delahunty Inside Housing (Paywall)The biggest issue for the [social] housing sector in England is rent affordability as double-digit inflation leaves landlords facing some tough choices in the not too distant future, the former director of regulation at the Scottish Housing Regulator has said.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/rent-affordability-big…
# International, Public and community housing, Women.Independent review into Queensland Building and Construction Commission recommends overhaul of regulator's structure and culture
Ciara Jones and Alex Brewster ABC (No paywall)Just six months after moving in, cracks started to form in Jashneil Kumar's newly built home in Brisbane's north. After the builder denied responsibility to rectify the issue, Mr Kumar contacted the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC), which claimed the cracking was within reason and he would have to cover the cost of repairs.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-30/queensland-building-and-c…
# Australia, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.$275pw Bondi room slammed over 'joke' feature
Carly Bass (No paywall)Scoring a room to call your own just "moments" away from Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach might be what some consider the ideal living situation. But one "large room" being advertised for $275 a week might not be all it's talked up to be, despite its sought-after location. ... The Tenants’ Union of NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross said these photos are "unclear and misleading" but unfortunately it's a sign of the times. "This is really a clear indication of just how chaotic our rental system is, and how disconnected it is from the expectations of the community," he told Yahoo News Australia. "Using perspective to give the impression of a larger room than it likely is." (yahoo!news)
https://au.news.yahoo.com/bondi-room-rent-slammed-joke-feature-0…
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Minimum habitability standards.Detail on Melbourne property listing called out - but can you spot why?
Tara Meakins (No paywall)An odd detail on a Melbourne real estate listing has set tongues wagging online. In a post shared on reddit, one user claims the real estate company “really tried their best” but followers have called out the “unrealistic edits" made to the backyard of the home. “Do they not want people to know that leaves fall off trees?” a person questioned. “Is it a secret?”
https://au.news.yahoo.com/melbourne-property-listing-called-out-…
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.Airbnb has permanently banned parties at its listings. Here's what to know before you book
Dannielle Maguire ABC (No paywall)Airbnb has permanently banned all parties from its holiday rentals, extending a set of measures that were put in place to stop large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's what you need to know before making your next booking.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-01/airbnb-party-ban-booking-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Short-term holiday letting.