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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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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
Brisbane renters emerge as key force behind Greens’ election success
Tony Moore (Paywall)Neglecting renters was a key factor behind the major parties losing their hold on inner-city Brisbane, according to two of the city’s three successful Greens candidates. ... Stephen Bates – who on Saturday claimed the federal seat of Brisbane after trends from 800 absentee votes showed big swings to the Greens – said rental issues were key factors in the party’s election success.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/brisbane-re…
# Australia, Rent, Federal Government.‘Still living in tents on footpaths:’ Ballina locals reveal flood relief delays
Lucy Cormack The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Residents of a northern NSW town are still living in tents on footpaths more than three months after catastrophic floods cut off the area for days, a parliamentary inquiry has heard. Rebecca Woods from the Bogal Local Aboriginal Lands Council on Monday said First Nations people in Coraki were still without homes after the flood in early March, which displaced about 100 in the town where the Richmond and Wilson rivers meet. Also, check out the story in 'The Guardian' at: [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/30/nsw-communities-still-facing-crisis-months-after-floods-inquiry-hears].
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/still-living-in-tents-on-foo…
# NSW, Homelessness.Councils turning away one in six homeless people despite 2018 act
Mark Smulian Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Councils are being forced to leave thousands of people homeless because of barriers in the system that have seen one in six people turned away, a leading housing charity has claimed.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/councils-turning-away-…
# International, Homelessness, Local Government.Council breaches Rent Standard for converting more than 1,000 social tenancies to affordable rent
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... East Suffolk Council has breached the Rent Standard after it converted more than 1,000 social tenancies to affordable rent without receiving permission
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/council-breaches-rent-…
# International, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Local Government.What are your rights in a mouldy rental?
ABC (No paywall)The persistent rain has allowed mould to flourish from the Queensland coast and all the way down to Melbourne. So what are your rights in a rental? (Triple J Hack)
# Audio Australia, Rent, Health, Mould.House prices fall for the first time in nearly two years as rising interest rates bite
Michael Janda and Rachel Pupazzoni ABC (No paywall)Australian home prices have fallen nationally for the first time in at least 20 months, according to two leading monthly indices. ... CoreLogic's research director Tim Lawless said rising interest rates were only one factor putting the brakes on an already slowing housing market ... However, Mr Lawless said some regional markets might be less vulnerable to falling prices, at least in the short term. Also, check out Matthew Elmas's article entitled: '"Two-speed market": Property prices are falling as rates rise, but not everywhere' in 'The New Daily' at: [https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2022/06/01/property-prices-two-speed-market/] Check out Shane Wright's article entitled: 'Dwelling values fall for first time since September 2020' in 'The Sydney Morning Herald' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dwelling-values-fall-for-first-time-since-september-2020-20220601-p5aq4y.html] . Check the article entitled: 'Australia’s house prices fall for first time since September 2020' in 'The Guardian' at: [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/01/australias-house-prices-fall-for-first-time-since-september-2020]. Check Justine Kearney's article entitled 'The suburbs bucking the trend of falling house prices' on the ABC at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-02/suburbs-bucking-trend-falling-house-prices/101118350]. Check Elizabeth Redman's article entitled: 'Is it easier to buy a home now than it was a year ago?' in 'Domain' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/is-it-easier-to-buy-a-home-now-than-it-was-a-year-ago-20220601-p5aq9u.html]
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-01/house-price-index-corelog…
# Australia, Housing market.Welsh rental reforms delayed until end of year
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which the government previously branded the “biggest change to housing law in Wales for decades”, has been delayed until 1 December, because social landlords requested it. In a statement, Julie James, the Welsh housing minister, said she had agreed to the new implementation date “in the light of the unprecedented pressures [landlords] face, including COVID recovery and supporting those who are fleeing the war in Ukraine”. It has taken the Welsh government six years to implement the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, which was passed in 2016. The act includes a number of significant changes to rental law in Wales, including increasing the notice period that landlords must give when issuing ‘no-fault’ evictions, from two to six months.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/welsh-rental-reforms-d…
# International, Rent, Landlords and agents.Housing is a right, not a luxury
Michelle Gegenhuber (No paywall)Thousands of South Australians are left out in the cold by a lack of public housing, rentals and skyrocketing real estate prices. Michelle Gegenhuber argues that action to provide a roof over people’s heads is good economic and social policy. Having a home is not a luxury. A safe place to call home is essential for every individual and family. As politicians transition out of campaign mode, and the nation settles into life under a new federal government, finding solutions to the housing crisis must remain front of mind. (In Daily)
https://indaily.com.au/opinion/2022/05/30/housing-is-a-right-not…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Housing market.