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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
Months on from devastating Lismore floods, 1,300 people are still unable to return home
Bronwyn Herbert ABC (No paywall)Three months on from Lismore's devastating flood event in late February, 1,300 people remain in emergency accommodation and less than 20 per cent of businesses are back operating.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-29/lismore-floods-hundreds-i…
# NSW, Homelessness, Housing market, Regional NSW.When the Best Available Home Is the One You Already Have
Emily Badger The New York Times (Paywall)In this housing market, it makes less and less sense to move. American homeowners sitting on the lowest mortgage rates in modern history will find it far costlier to buy their next home. Renters facing steep inflation may be better off renewing a lease than hunting for a new one. And for most everyone, it’s gotten harder to find the right next home when there are so few vacant ones available. The simplest and most affordable decision for many Americans will be to stay put — even if their homes become too small, too big, too crowded, too far from work, too isolated from family, or too much to maintain.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/upshot/housing-market-slow-mo…
# International, Rent, Home ownership, Housing market.Survey reveals landlords plan to increase rents by 6.3 pct despite downward trend in finding good tenants
Seni Iasona (No paywall)From New Zealand ... A recent survey has revealed individual investors on average plan to raise the price of their rentals by 6.3 percent despite a downward trend in finding good tenants. (Newshub)
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2022/05/survey-reveals-land…
# International, Rent, Landlords and agents.New, efficient rental model needed, says Scape chairman Craig Carracher
Joseph Lam (No paywall)More than 2.1 million Australians are renting from a private landlord under a “fractured model” which is inefficient and stops them saving for their own home, argues Scape executive chairman Craig Carracher. Mr Carracher believes the nation needs a new institutional-grade rental product that facilitates faster entry into home ownership. He is calling for a system that uses data and takes a streamlined approach to payments and utilities bills. “It is no surprise that this is a political hot potato and last election’s negative gearing mess has resulted in both sides treating rental affordability as toxic,” he said. “We don’t even have reliable data on rental affordability. The Australian rental market is dysfunctional and uneconomic.” (realcommercial.com.au)
https://www.realcommercial.com.au/news/new-efficient-rental-mode…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market, Tax.Homes flooded in February hit the market, but real estate agents not bound to tell buyers
Laura Lavelle ABC (No paywall)Desperate home owners are selling their properties months after they were damaged in south-east Queensland's flood disaster — but the risk of inundation is not always made clear to house hunters. While the damage is obvious in many homes, in others it is not and sometimes there is no mention in listings. The ABC has spoken with several real estate agents who said their clients made the decision to sell because they could not stand the heartbreak of enduring another flood. Many said sellers were listing their damaged homes at a discounted price, hoping their insurance payout would cover any loss to them.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-28/qld-flood-damaged-home-sa…
# Australia, Housing market, Landlords and agents.The suburbs where the property market has fallen most
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)Property values have already fallen by as much as $200,000 in some neighbourhoods, new figures show, as pricey inner city suburbs lead the broader market downturn.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-suburbs-where-the-prope…
# Australia, Housing market.Vicinity unlocks a big green opportunity beyond the mall at Box Hill
Andrew Sadauskas The Fifth Estate (No paywall)This week, one of Australia’s leading shopping centre groups received planning approval to do something that would have seemed unthinkable even 10 or 20 years ago: redevelop a suburban mall into a high-density mixed-use precinct featuring Green Star rated buildings. That’s what Vicinity is planning, with an urban regeneration plan that will see Box Hill Central transformed over the next 10 years into a 5.5 hectares mixed-use and retail precinct, including office space for 6000 workers and 3800 apartments for residents by 2030.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/urbanism/vicinity-unlocks-a-big-gr…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Housing market.The Sydney neighbourhoods where property buyers can find the biggest discounts
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)A string of popular Sydney regions are offering some of the biggest discounts on homes for sale, new data reveals, as the property market continues to turn in buyers’ favour.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-sydney-neighbourhoods-w…
# NSW, Housing market.