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
The risk of ‘liar loans’: Can overstretched borrowers cope with higher interest rates?
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)In an era of booming house prices and fierce competition for properties, tales of Australians pushing the envelope with their mortgage applications – usually by fudging expenses to maximise borrowing power – have not been uncommon. ... And with interest rates set to keep rising (Goldman Sachs analysts now expect the cash rate to hit 2.6 per cent by the end of the year), the key question is whether these overstretched borrowers will be able to cope. ... Many in the financial establishment are not convinced there will be a major wave of bad home loans. But few predicted inflation and interest rates would be rising this sharply either.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/the-risk-of-…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market.Retrofit to the rescue?
Nick Atkin Inside Housing (Paywall)The energy crisis and soaring bills must lead to change in the way social landlords do business. ... At Yorkshire Housing, we are phasing out the use of gas in new homes from this year. All new homes commissioned from 2022 will be gas-free. We are also setting our own net zero standard that goes far beyond government targets. From 2026, our new homes will not only be gas free but also use underfloor heating downstairs and radiators upstairs to make heating more efficient, solar panels will generate electricity for the customer and national grid, they’ll have super insulated walls, roofs, floors, and use triple glazing to maximise thermal efficiency.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/comment/retrofit-to-the-…
# International, Public and community housing, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Minimum habitability standards.Higher rates to hit house prices and home buyers, Moody’s warns
Shane Wright and Rachel Clun The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A leading ratings agency has warned property prices will fall and more home buyers will default on their mortgages as the Reserve Bank begins lifting interest rates as both major parties face calls to do more on housing.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/higher-rates-to-hit-hous…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market.More people caught in housing stress in WA as average rental costs continue to rise
Holly Thompson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Rental availability has nosedived since the pandemic began while the weekly cost of renting has climbed, with no affordable homes across Western Australia for those on JobSeeker or a disability pension, a new report has found. The Rental Affordability Snapshot 2022, released by Anglicare WA on Thursday, showed there were less than half as many private rentals available statewide than at the start of the pandemic.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/more-people-ca…
# Australia, Rent, Affordable housing, Housing affordability, Housing market, Welfare.The NSW regional hotspots that have joined the million-dollar club
Kate Burke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Seven-figure price tags are becoming the norm in some parts of regional NSW as median prices surpass $1 million in a growing number of sea- and tree-change destinations. Once limited to Sydney’s blue-chip suburbs, the million-dollar club has expanded across the state. ... The Southern Highlands, Ballina and Wollongong are the latest regions to have joined the million-dollar club, with their median house price hitting the seven-figure mark over the year to March.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-nsw-regional-hotspots-t…
# NSW, Housing market.Renting Matters, Episode 6 - Full house
Legal Aid NSW Community Legal Education Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Bridget from the Community Legal Education Branch speaks to guests about living in share houses or boarding house, the laws that apply and where to get help if you have a problem. Bridget speaks to Amanda, Solicitor in Redfern Legal Centre’s Tenancy and Housing Service. Bridget also speaks to Beverly [Baker], Chair of the Older Women’s Network, about whether these living arrangements work for older women. ... The interview with Beverly Baker (Older Womens Network) starts at 31:58. Beverly has plenty of fire and doesn't hold back when speaking about the impact neo-conservative housing policies have had (and are having) on older women. You can check out previous episodes at this link.
# Audio NSW, Boarders and lodgers, Rent, Share houses, Homelessness, Older people, Women.Housing in Australia is a cruel disaster and getting worse!
First Dog on the Moon The Guardian (No paywall)How to fix the rental crisis ... Here is First Dog on the Moon’s solution to fix it (most of this is politically difficult but it’s not my job to care about that)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/02/housing-in…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Housing market.NATO Federal Election Questionnaire 2022: Policies and priorities for a fair and secure renting system
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The National Association of Tenants' Organisations (NATO) recently wrote to all parties and independent candidates inviting them to respond to our Federal Election Questionnaire. We invited them to tell us about their position and policies on strengthening residential tenancy rights and increasing the supply of affordable social housing for the more than 2.1 million households across Australia who rent their homes.
https://www.tenants.org.au/news/nato-federal-election-questionna…
# NSW, Privacy and access, Public and community housing, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas, Campaigns and law reform, Federal Government, Landlords and agents, No-grounds evictions, Welfare.