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
Homebuyers have ‘window of opportunity’ to get ahead before rates rise
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Homebuyers appear to have missed the boat to lock-in a competitive fixed-interest rate mortgage after ANZ joined its rivals this week in hiking its fixed rates for both owner-occupiers and investors. Commonwealth Bank and NAB lifted their fixed rates last week and Westpac has increased its fixed rates twice this year – three weeks ago and then again this week. ... Still, some lenders have been cutting their variable-interest rate mortgages – even as they hike fixed rates – in a bid to boost market share.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/borrowing/homebuyers-have-window-of…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Tenant News
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The new year has begun, and times are at once strange and eerily familiar. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced a new cabinet of Ministers late last year. On our blog we take a quick look at the new ministers for renting, housing and homes, including a number of revamped ministerial portfolios. Recently, Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese was asked to explain 'who he is' at the National Press club. He told the story of his first campaign: "My first campaign, I was 12 years old. We organised a rent strike. We took petitions around to everyone. That was my experience of that. That drove me. That was my first political campaign. And by the way, we won." [Read on]
https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=29c79d2825cb376b3f0b06385&id…
# NSW, Aboriginal renters, Rent, Campaigns and law reform, Health, History, Homelessness, Mould, Personal stories, Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services.Shifts in the balance of power – reflecting on 15 years of Tenant Advocacy
Amanda El Gazzar Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Amanda has been a Tenant Advocate at the Northern Rivers Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service for 15 years. She is now taking a well-earned break and looking at other possibilities. We took the opportunity to catch up with her and ask her for some reflections on her experiences, and on the situation of renters in NSW.
# NSW, Land lease communities, Rent, Tribunal NCAT, Housing market, Regional NSW, Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services.Our first e-bulletin for 2022
Housing for the Aged Action Group (No paywall)Welcome to our first e-bulletin for 2022. We've endured a lot in the past few years, not least a federal government that has ignored the growing crisis of older people at risk of homelessness. So we are gearing up for the federal and state elections to be held this year. How can we use this moment to bring about the changes we need to see new investment in Public Housing and the respect for older people that we deserve? [Read on]
https://mailchi.mp/f77b0dfedcb9/older-tenants-voice-summer-editi…
# Australia, Campaigns and law reform, Older people.The impossible challenge of finding rental in Wollongong: University of Wollongong backflip on housing decision
Rosie Bensley Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)The University of Wollongong has been forced to reverse its plans to sell International House, after unprecedented demand for student accommodation. The university announced plans last year to sell three of its student residences, but on Friday announced International House would be “back online” to meet a shortfall in housing. UOW Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Student Experience) Professor Theo Farrell said with the return of international students and classes resuming on campus, the additional accommodation with close to 220 beds will assist in meeting demand. Read more at: [https://honisoit.com/2022/02/university-of-wollongong-staff-asked-to-house-students/?fbclid=IwAR3MV5cQG7kTFlC4usuycYGGnOaTqtZ-fN0DDgAVxxIFKEB28grH1eMA1Fk]
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7605954/the-impossible…
# NSW, Rent, Housing market, Personal stories, Regional NSW, Students.Demand is driving rents up. Here’s what to do when faced with a rent increase
(No paywall)Rents are rising in many states across Australia, where many areas have vacancy rates of just above zero. So what do you do when asked to stretch your budget to meet a rent increase? (rent.com.au)
# Australia, Rent.A raft of new social housing proposals are being criticised for being too ambitious — and not ambitious enough
Bianca Healey (No paywall)Amid a housing affordability crisis, several new social housing proposals are being scrutinised. While the major parties compete on policy to address the issue, critics say many of the plans don’t go far enough. Leo Patterson Ross, chief executive of the Tenant’s Union of NSW, told Business Insider Australia it had witnessed skyrocketing rental stress since the start of the pandemic, particularly in regional areas. “We’ve really seen the most aggressive increases [in rent] up and down the coast,” he said. Ross said one way to redress this imbalance was for the government to build a supply of affordable housing to create stable “availability and pricing” outside of the current market. “Because there’s no genuine competition for landlords, particularly [on] the low end of the private market, there’s very little competition that would change their behaviour and make them work to keep their tenants,” he said. “A big supply of genuinely affordable housing would provide that competition.” (Business Insider Australia)
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/new-social-housing-proposals-…
# TUNSW in the media Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.Retirement villages: the most complicated finance contracts in Australia
Callum Foote (No paywall)It’s one of Australia’s most complex legal challenges. Experts have found that only 1 in 20 people can properly understand a retirement village contract. There is a better way if only politicians could agree to help retirees. ... So devilishly complicated are retirement village contracts that an actuary and lecturer in applied finance, someone at the very pinnacle of mathematics and structured finance, reckons they are harder to understand than even synthetic collateralised debt obligations (CDOs). (Michael West Media)
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/retirement-villages-the-most-comp…
# Australia, Housing market, Older people.