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
‘We’ve run out of options here’: NSW flood disaster worsens housing crisis in northern rivers
Christopher Knaus The Guardian (Paywall)For the past week, [Lucy] Andrews and two other women – volunteers with social work experience – have been doing all they can to ease the vast crisis in emergency accommodation in their corner of the flood-ravaged northern rivers region of New South Wales. Their work began last Tuesday, when one of the women sat down on the steps of Mullumbimby’s civic hall with a notepad and phone, and began offering assistance to anyone who needed emergency housing. She was soon joined by another former social worker and Andrews, who sat at a trestle table from 8am to 8pm each day, creating spreadsheets of the displaced and homeless, triaging them and trying to link them up with safe, appropriate accommodation. ... The region had been gripped by a housing crisis even before the floods. Private rentals were hard to find, and those that were available were exorbitant. Social housing was even more limited. ... It’s an understatement to say the floods have compounded the problem, even in ways not immediately apparent. Andrews, for example, has been served an eviction notice telling her she must leave her Mullumbimby rental. The landlord lost his property in the floods and needs the house back. That throws Andrews and her housemates into a search for housing along with those whose homes have been deemed unliveable.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/11/weve-run-…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent, Homelessness.Insurers brace for rising flood damage amid climate change, and they warn you should too
Michael Janda ABC (No paywall)As New South Wales and Queensland clean up after what are likely to be the costliest floods in Australian history, insurers have a stark warning — prepare for things to get worse, especially along the east coast. As businesses with some of the most skin in the game when it comes to climate change effects on extreme weather, insurance companies are at the forefront of research about what to expect as global temperatures warm. ... [And ...] in a warmer climate, damaging hail is expected to increase for the capital cities of Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and, to a lesser extent, Adelaide and Perth.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-12/climate-change-floods-ins…
# Hot topic Australia, Climate change, Housing market, Planning and development.NSW Planning Minister announces independent review into development in flood-prone areas
Kelly Fuller ABC (No paywall)New South Wales Planning Minister Anthony Roberts has announced an independent review of development in flood-prone parts of the state. It comes in the wake of the destruction of 2,800 homes in floods that ravaged the state's Northern Rivers. About 5,500 more were damaged. "I have instructed the secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment to commence an independent review of the relevant instruments, policies and programs applying to development in flood-prone locations across NSW, as well as existing developments," Mr Roberts told a budget estimates hearing.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-11/nsw-review-into-developin…
# NSW, Climate change, Housing market, Planning and development.Weak money laundering laws put Australia at risk of becoming a haven for Russian cash
Ben Butler The Guardian (No paywall)Australia faces embarrassment of being placed on “grey list” of countries that don’t meet international anti-money laundering standards, experts say. Australia’s lax money laundering laws mean the nation is at risk of becoming a haven for Russian cash belonging to oligarchs who are seeking to avoid sanctions over the war in Ukraine, experts say. The country is one of only three – along with Haiti and Madagascar – yet to commit to bringing lawyers, accountants and real estate agents under the umbrella of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism finance laws (AML-CTF).
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/13/weak-mone…
# Hot topic Australia, International, Landlords and agents.Housing crisis worsens as locals turn to cars, floors to sleep
Natassia Chrysanthos The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Northern Rivers housing crisis could quickly become a catastrophe, as flooding in northern NSW renders thousands of homes unlivable and forces people to sleep rough in a region where property prices have already soared at rates higher than Sydney’s in the past year.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/housing-crisis-worsens-as-lo…
# NSW, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Housing market, Regional NSW.‘Legend’ ex-tenant uses post-it notes to warn of dodgy rental
James Robinson Domain (No paywall)A renter in Melbourne has taken to Reddit to share their experience of how an ex-tenant had ingeniously figured out a way to communicate the home’s problems. During an inspection of a three-bedroom home in Australia’s second-most populous city, the Reddit poster observed a number of post-it notes scattered around the rooms, with helpful messages explaining where issues were occurring.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/legend-ex-tenant-uses-post-…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Flood relief payments and disaster relief: Here's what's available to you
Emily Stewart ABC (No paywall)Are you one of the hundreds of thousands of people across New South Wales and Queensland who had their homes or businesses flooded? Perhaps you have lost your house, your car, your possessions --- even your income, if you can't work right now. Inevitably, your mind turns to how you're going to get back on your feet financially. First up, federal government support ... If you're from New South Wales ...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-10/floods-damage-compensatio…
# Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Home ownership, Regional NSW, State Government.Should the federal government step in to keep insurance affordable after the floods?
Jess Davis ABC (No paywall)As communities look to rebuild from the devastating floods many are concerned they will no longer be able to afford insurance, with calls for the federal government to step in and help. ... It's a problem resident in northern Australia already face, with insurance premiums soaring over the past decade following extreme cyclones. ... That's prompted the federal government to introduce a $10 billion cyclone reinsurance pool for northern Australia. It would effectively insure the insurance companies against any huge losses if they offer disaster cover. But there are calls now to expand the scheme to include all flood disasters, too, with the Greens announcing on Thursday that they'll move an amendment when parliament sits.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-11/federal-government-step-i…
# Australia, Housing market.