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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
Cash bribes and a year's rent: How prospective tenants are going to desperate lengths to secure a home
Kristy Sexton-McGrath and Chris Calcino ABC (No paywall)Fiona Stokes is a business owner who works full-time, has glowing rental references and can't find a place to live, despite being able to afford to. She and her two daughters, 11 and 9, are living in a caravan park in Cairns after the house they were renting was sold out beneath them. The nail salon owner is one of thousands competing for a roof over their heads in far north Queensland, a tropical paradise that's experienced a significant population boom post-COVID lockdowns. ... Real estate agents say it is not unusual to receive 200 applications for a single house or unit, with cash bribes and rental bidding wars now commonplace.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-08/housing-shortage-rentals-…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Rent, Housing market.Rental crisis forcing potential tenants to choose between their pets and a home
Josephine Lim and Sara Tomevska ABC (No paywall)The hot rental market in Australia is forcing tenants to give up their pets, leaving SA animal shelters inundated with animals needing adoption. Renters advocacy group Better Renting is calling on all states and territories to impose regulations preventing landlords from discriminating against people with pets. It comes as RSPCA SA made an urgent plea for volunteers and foster carers to help with a record number of 1,161 animals in their care. Better Renting executive director Joel Dignam said a lack of pet-friendly accommodation was "an added hurdle" for pet owners in the competitive rental market. "Most people don't want to give up their companion animals. It's their family," he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-08/rental-crisis-sees-more-t…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Pets.Developers keen to tap plan for 30,000 new social, affordable homes
Michael Bleby (Paywall)Developers see the chance to profit from Labor’s plan to develop 30,000 new social and affordable homes even as the community housing sector warns against giving them any tax breaks to do so. On the day Julie Collins was sworn into cabinet as the country’s new Housing, Homelessness and Small Business Minister, Mirvac, Stockland and Lendlease all said they looked forward to supporting the new government’s plan to boost the stock of housing for lower-income Australians. (Australian Financial Review)
https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/developers-keen-to-tap-p…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Federal Government.Trauma and homelessness – how services need to change
Lauren Crosby Medlicott Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... If you’re homeless, accessing support and housing can be difficult, even traumatising. But two new approaches aim to change that, by training staff to better understand what service users have been through.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/trauma-and-homel…
# International, Homelessness.Few positives to negative gearing for first-timers
Jimmy Thomson (No paywall)For all the talk of housing affordability at the recent election there was one obvious subject that barely rated a mention. But now that the dust has settled on the Federal election, home owners, property investors and those who wish to join their ranks must be wondering what the new government is going to do about housing affordability. ... Of course, the elephant in every overpriced room is negative gearing which has become an albatross around various governments’ necks. (Flat Chat)
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Tax.Caravan parks at full capacity as vulnerable Aussies seek refuge
A Current Affair 9 News (No paywall)Penny Carr, Tenants Queensland: 'We will see it get worse before it gets better'.
https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/videos/latest/caravan-…
# Australia, Domestic violence, Land lease communities, Rent, Homelessness, Landlords and agents.‘Fixing the aged care crisis’ won’t be easy, with just 5% of nursing homes above next year’s mandatory staffing targets
Nicole Sutton and Nelson Ma The Conversation (No paywall)In his election victory speech, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to “fix the crisis in aged care”. One of the biggest challenges facing incoming aged care ministers Mark Butler and Anika Wells is addressing widespread staffing shortages. But our latest research shows a mammoth effort will be needed to increase staffing across the sector. Only a fraction of aged care homes currently have staffing levels above new minimum ratios that will be mandatory from October next year.
https://theconversation.com/fixing-the-aged-care-crisis-wont-be-…
# Australia, Housing market, Older people.Social Housing Regulation Bill: landlords to be subject to ‘Ofsted-style’ inspections under new law
Jack Simpson Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Underperforming social landlords could face ‘Ofsted-style’ inspections under a raft of new laws brought in under the much-anticipated Social Housing Regulation Bill. Under the new bill, which will be published today, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) will be given stronger powers to regularly inspect landlords on things such as health and safety and repairs performance. ... If the RSH finds that the standard of the home is putting tenants lives at risk, it will be able to order emergency repairs, with landlords footing the bill. Unlimited fines will be levied at housing associations and councils that are found to be persistently under performing, while the government will set about on a programme of naming and shaming the worst culprits.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/social-housing-regulation-b…
# International, Public and community housing, Repairs.