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 a tiny sink dent sparked a bitter court battle after landlord demanded renter pay $1,350 to fix it
Jade Hobman (No paywall)A renter has won a bitter court battle against his landlord who demanded he give up his entire bond deposit to fix a tiny dent in the kitchen sink. The Sydney homeowner wanted the tenant to cough up $1,350 to replace the sink, according to a viral Reddit post this week. But the renter refused to hand over the money and the case went before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. (Daily Mail Australia)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10721933/Renter-takes-p…
# NSW, Bond, Tribunal NCAT.COVID surge exposes 'disorganised' WA response in remote communities
Erin Parke ABC (No paywall)Karen Sebastian breaks down in tears as she contemplates life after COVID-19. "I don't know where we'll go after this," she sobs. "Me and the kids will probably go squat at a house or try camp out with some family, if they'll have us." The Broome woman has been homeless for 10 years, but was taken on a 220-kilometre taxi ride to stay at a rundown hotel after contracting COVID-19. She and her teenage sons went into isolation in the tourist accommodation for a week as part of the WA government's pandemic response. The ABC has confirmed hundreds of people are being relocated by bus or plane to a network of government-booked hotel rooms across regional towns in a strategy that's highlighted the chronic overcrowding and housing shortage in many Aboriginal communities.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-17/covid-wa-government-hotel…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health, Homelessness, Race and ethnicity.Rural aged care crisis forces elderly to move hundreds of kilometres from loved ones
Dana Daniel The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Aged care homes are closing at an escalating rate, forcing rural families apart as elderly residents are moved hundreds of kilometres away.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/rural-aged-care-crisis-f…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market, Older people.Retirement villages becoming more affordable but beware bigger picture
Rachel Lane The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The 2021 Retirement Census, an annual collection of retirement village data compiled by the Property Council of Australia and PWC, provides good insight into a wide range of aspects of the industry, including the use of technology, building types, contract terms and the profile of people moving into retirement villages. ... Affordability is increasing, with the average two-bedroom home in a village being 55 per cent of the median house price in the same postcode, down from 67 per cent.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/retirement-vil…
# Australia, Housing market, Older people.'At my age, change is not good’: Elderly residents battle privatisation plan
Cara Waters The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Hundreds of elderly people will be forced to switch carers and more than 60 workers will be made redundant under a Boroondara City Council plan to privatise in-home aged care services. The council last week approved an “in-principle” resolution to shift its domestic assistance, personal care, respite care, meal preparation and property maintenance to not-for-profit aged care provider mecwacare. Boroondara is one of 23 councils across Victoria to have announced their exit from aged care services as a growing number struggle to provide an increased number of services. The councils say federal and state governments have transferred increased financial responsibilities to local governments without the necessary extra funding.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/at-my-age-change-is-not…
# Australia, Federal Government, Health, Housing market, Older people, State Government.Have property prices risen more under Liberal or Labor governments?
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)It’s often assumed property prices rise under a Liberal government and are more likely to fall under a Labor government, but is that an urban myth? But according to CoreLogic data, property prices – going as far back as 1990 – have endured peaks and troughs regardless of which side of politics was in power. Economists agree broader economic conditions, such as interest rates, which are largely influenced by global factors, are far more important in dictating property prices than any one side of politics.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/do-property-prices-fall-und…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market.As the housing crisis rages on, Anglicare floats plan to convert disused aged care home into unit block
Keira Proust ABC (No paywall)"[Rentals] are as rare as hen's teeth and too expensive," [Black Summer bushfire victim Ursula] said. "Yet there are houses in Eden that stand empty." One of those empty buildings is the former Roy Wotton Gardens aged care home. ... Not-for-profit organisation Anglicare is attempting to raise enough money to buy the building, which it plans to convert into 16 affordable units for people in need.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-20/proposal-to-convert-nursi…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Rent, Housing market, Regional NSW.Expanding the Home Guarantee Scheme comes with pros and cons for first-time property buyers
Michael Janda ABC (No paywall)The government is planning to expand the Home Guarantee Scheme, which allows first home buyers to purchase with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent. But what might that mean for prospective home-owners? ... However, RateCity's research director Sally Tindall described the increase in thresholds as a "band-aid fix".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-19/expanding-the-home-guaran…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market.