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
Rental crisis is another COVID hangover and it’s going to get worse
Elizabeth Knight The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The ingredients that have led to advertised rentals increasing by up to 22 per cent over the past year have become more potent and will only add to the cost of living pressures. The increase in mortgage interest rates, the changes in the make-up of households and the return of immigration will all play into what experts are starting to see as a significant jump in the cost of advertised rentals. After two years of COVID-induced lack of demand for rental property which resulted in cheap rents, the tide has turned. ... [And] now the affordability virus looks to have spread to the rental market.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/rental-crisis-is-ano…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market.There’s a big economic divide around housing, and it’s getting bigger, says Shaun Carter
Rose Mary Petrass The Fifth Estate (No paywall)Shaun Carter, founding architect of Carter Williamson says that it’s vital for people to access social housing close to places of work. Separating and segregating the housing market is leading to entrenched disadvantage, he says. Safe, secure and sustainable housing is a human right, he says. Shaun Carter made a splash a few years ago in the battle to save the brutalist Sirius building at Millers Point. ... "The way that social and affordable housing is currently being organised is leading to a social and economic divide between regions of Sydney. ... Western Sydney will have regular days of 50 degrees soon. Australia will be more adversely affected by climate change. If you have structural problems in the cities and infrastructure like not enough trees, the temperature will become hotter and rainfall will stop. You are building-in climate disadvantage. You are setting the city up to fail on a grand scale."
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/theres-a-…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Climate change, Housing market, State Government.‘Scary’ outlook for renters as weekly rents soar
Sezen Bakan The New Daily (No paywall)A survey of 1000 Australians by Compare The Market found that 65 per cent would be unable to afford an increase in their rental payments, with separate data from CoreLogic showing capital and regional rents rose by 2.5 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively in the first quarter of 2022. That equated to an average weekly rent rise of $13 across the regions and capitals. And property experts say rents will only continue to rise.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2022/04/11/rent-pric…
# Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Rental prices in Australian capital cities spike by up to 21% as available housing plummets
Caitlin Cassidy The Guardian (No paywall)The cost of renting a house has soared by up to 21.2% in Australia’s capital cities, with further rises expected as the national rental crisis deepens. Over the past 12 months, capital city house rents have recorded price increases of 14.7% while rental units have risen by 11.2%, SQM Research has found.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/13/rental-pr…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market.Renting lowdown
Money Box BBC (No paywall)Record rent rates and rising bills. Advice for renters from an expert panel.
# Audio International, Rent, Housing market.Can Renters Actually ‘Just Buy a House’? An Investigation.
Sonam Thomas (No paywall)Short answer: No. Longer answer: Still no. ... As the cost of housing continues to surge amid flatlining wages, the prospect of owning a house in Australia for many young people has fast become a bit of a pipe dream. But as VICE reported last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered a simple solution for young people trapped in the rental cycle: simply buy a house instead. The Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the National Party, Barnaby Joyce, also had some sage advice when challenged over housing costs, suggesting people just pack up their life and move to the regions. (Vice)
https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3n7z8/can-renters-actually-just…
# Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Young people.Northland's housing crisis sees social housing waiting list soar, street living
Denise Piper (No paywall)From New Zealand ... Northland’s housing crisis is described as a “matter of desperation”, as small towns see people living on the streets for the first time. Rising house prices, population growth from Auckland, and the impacts of Covid-19 are being blamed for the problem, as the region’s social housing waiting list soars. (Stuff)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/housing-affordability/1…
# International, Public and community housing, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market.Thinking of buying a dehumidifier? Advice from an expert on mould and damp
Michael Taylor The Conversation (Paywall)Google searches for “dehumidifier” have soared in the past month, especially in New South Wales, and there are a lot of options to choose from. ... I’ve researched mould and indoor air quality, and work with clients helping address mould problems in homes. Here’s what you need to know on where a dehumidifier can help, and when it’s more likely just a band-aid for a deeper problem. ... But if you’re renting or short on cash, and circumstances prevent you adding an extraction fan, a dehumidifier will at least help keep things under control.
https://theconversation.com/thinking-of-buying-a-dehumidifier-ad…
# Australia, Rent, Minimum habitability standards, Mould.