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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
How much your landlord can increase your rent
Tom Watson (No paywall)Soaring rents are making it harder for Aussies to make ends meet, with some tenants finding themselves forced out before the end of their lease. "Housing is eating up a substantial amount of people's income each week and it's making it really hard for people to cover off all the basic necessities in life," says policy and advocacy manager at the Tenants' Union of New South Wales, Jemima Mowbray. In recent months Mowbray says the Union has been contacted by a number of people struggling with the cost of rent, many of whom have been whacked by significant rent increases. ... Joel Dignam, executive director of tenant advocacy group Better Renting, says that the real issue is the lack of protection afforded to renters around the actual scale of increases. "People think that there might be a fixed percentage limit or a dollar limit, but these things don't exist. It's basically whatever goes," he says.
https://www.moneymag.com.au/how-much-your-landlord-can-increase-…
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents, State Government.Repayment shock on horizon for mortgage-holders as economy grows
Shane Wright and Rachel Clun The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Home buyers are being warned to prepare for “repayment shock” as rising inflation pressures force the Reserve Bank to consider delivering the largest one-off interest rate rise in two decades amid signs the economy is being buoyed by increasingly profitable businesses. ... The bank is expected to lift rates by at least 0.25 percentage points at its meeting next Tuesday with financial markets and some economists tipping a 0.4 percentage point jump. Such an increase would be the largest one-month lift since it pushed up rates by half a percentage point in early 2000.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/repayment-shock-on-horiz…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Blue Mountains tackles housing crisis with Australia-first community land trust
Saffron Howden (No paywall)The Blue Mountains could be among the first places in Australia to establish a community land trust for affordable housing - catering especially for women. (Blue Mountains Gazette)
https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/7757959/community-…
# NSW, Rent, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Older people, Women.Wollongong family of four living in tents for past two years as rentals become out of reach for income-earners
Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)Illawarra income-earners are among the growing cohort being forced into homelessness while they struggle to break into an impossible rental market. James, 28, is employed and has an impeccable rental history. But he is among the growing number of people in the Illawarra turning to tents to live in amid the region’s rental crisis. Wollongong man Tony, 44, his partner, and their two teenage daughters have lived in tents at numerous caravan parks for the past two years. It’s been an endless battle of constantly packing up and moving, having their belongings stolen, replacing tents monthly due to weather damage, and making sure their daughters are attending school. ... Housing Trust CEO Michele Adair said the face of homelessness is becoming much broader, with an influx in two-income households being left with nowhere to go. “The housing crisis that we are now experiencing is hurting people on moderate to middle-upper income level salaries,” Ms Adair said, “and there is no sign it is going to improve anytime soon. “It’s gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.”
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7759515/heartbreaking-…
# NSW, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market, Personal stories, Regional NSW.Rental crisis in Tasmania forcing more into permanent spots in caravan parks
Lucy MacDonald ABC (No paywall)When Rowen and Leanne Carter opened their caravan park in Tasmania's Huon Valley 10 years ago, they decided it would be purely for tourists, with no long-term spots. Less than five years later, Tasmania's housing crisis came knocking at their door — in the form of a desperate single mother. "She was quite upset," Mr Carter said. "She'd been renting the same house for many, many years and her lease was coming up and they were going to increase the cost of her rent and she found herself homeless with a seven-year-old child." The Carters "slipped into action" and found a permanent spot for her at their park. Five years later, there are 14 permanent spots at the park and a growing waitlist.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-02/tasmania-rental-crisis-ca…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Homelessness, Housing market, Personal stories.Worries about landlords' reaction stymie investigations into thousands of potentially damp or mouldy homes
Ethan Te Ora (No paywall)From New Zealand ... Thousands of potentially damp or mouldy homes went unchecked because Government reporting processes couldn’t guarantee anonymity and tenants feared landlord retaliation. The Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI) identified 25,000 poor quality rentals over a period of nine years, often referring families to a GP when those homes exacerbated health conditions. Yet only 41 of those homes were ever investigated by Tenancy Services – a strike rate of about 0.16%. There’s a simple reason for the lack of follow-up: tenants are too fearful to give the go-ahead. (Stuff)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/renting/128749856/worri…
# International, Rent, Health, Landlords and agents, Mould.Are we in a property boom, a bust, or a normal market?
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)The property market has weakened since last autumn’s boom, but with plenty of competition around for the most outstanding homes, agents say it has turned into a more normal market. So what is a normal market?
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/are-we-in-a-property-boom-a…
# Australia, Housing market.I just saved $100 by switching energy retailers. Here are my six top tips
Jessica Irvine The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The subject title of the email from my electricity retailer was ominous: “An update to your electricity prices”. Uh oh. So, I did what any reasonable person would do: I added “read electricity email” to my to-do list on my smartphone – alongside call plumber about leaky tap, renew passport and check if due for dental clean – then promptly ignored it for three weeks. ... My secret weapon? A government-run energy price comparison website. If you do nothing else this weekend, I suggest you check out yours. ... [So] don’t get mad about rising energy prices, just get shopping.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/i-just-saved-100-by-switchin…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas.