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
Economists warn house prices in Australia will explode if buyers can dip into super
The Guardian (No paywall)Allowing Australians to use their superannuation to buy a home would cause another “price explosion”, property economists have warned. Australians using superannuation savings to buy a home would also be worse off in retirement, report says. ... A McKell Institute report released on Wednesday models the effect on the housing market should Australians be given access to super for a home deposit. You can read their report at: [https://mckellinstitute.org.au/research/reports/mortgaging-our-future/]
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/15/economist…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market, Welfare.For whom the housing market bell tolls
Michael Pascoe The New Daily (No paywall)Wisdom has it that nobody rings a bell for the top of the market – but those with keen ears heard a certain tinkling around Sydney property last weekend. Some closer to the ground were picking up vibrations before that. There were warnings three months ago that the Sydney housing market rocket was running out of fuel.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2021/12/15/michael-pascoe-hou…
# NSW, Housing market.NZ report card 2021: from COVID to housing and happiness, it was a tale of two countries
Alexander Gillespie The Conversation (No paywall)The global good and bad news from New Zealand, ... the most negative trends involved housing and poverty. In the year to June, average house price growth (already high by international standards) was clocked at 25.9%. Good for some, maybe many, but terrible for the young and others locked out of the housing market by extreme prices.
https://theconversation.com/nz-report-card-2021-from-covid-to-ho…
# International, Families, Housing market, International.Inquiry into population, migration and agglomeration
Chris Leishman, Nicole Gurran, Amity James and Christian A. Nygaard AHURI (No paywall)This Inquiry final research report investigates agglomeration economies and their ability to alter the economic productivity of cities, together with what are the key drivers of population growth and mobility in Australia. ... Policy options include ... expanding affordable rental supply in Australia’s inner urban areas together with the development of diverse and affordable rental housing in regional areas. Check out AHURI News at: [https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/news/Cities-that-concentrate-people-and-knowledge-have-increased-productivity]
# Research alert Australia, Affordable housing, Housing market, Planning and development.Regulation of private renting
Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... There are an estimated 4.4 million privately rented households in England. While most tenants have a good experience of renting, those who do not may find it contributes to serious illness, financial issues or homelessness. For example, poor-quality housing can pose serious risks to health and safety through electrical hazards, infestations and damp. Poor conduct by landlords and letting agents, such as overcharging, harassment or illegal eviction, can also affect tenants’ wellbeing. Read the full report ...
# International, Rent, Health, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Homelessness in England 2021: The numbers behind the story
Shelter (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Homelessness comes in many varied forms and is extremely difficult to accurately count. With this work we attempt to estimate a snapshot of the number of people homeless on one given night in 2021. The types of homelessness that we count in this work are:
• People who have been accepted as homeless and now live in temporary accommodation arranged by their local council
• People who have been accepted as homeless and now live in temporary accommodation arranged by themselves or are living ‘homeless at home’ – meaning that they are legally homeless because it is not reasonable for them to continue to live in their home, but they are yet to be moved into temporary accommodation
• People who are sleeping on the streets
• Single people who are homeless and living in hostel accommodation, but who are not counted amongst those in the statutory homelessness figures above
• People who are owed a duty under the Children’s Act and are living in temporary accommodation that has been arranged by Social Services
Read the full report.
The Whole Rented Sector
Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland (No paywall)The rented sector houses almost 40 percent of the population of Scotland and the standards set by the Scottish Government with regards to building homes and providing services are some of the most critical components to ensure the housing system can improve the life chances of Scotland’s people and communities. ... The Scottish Government is at the beginning of this process, developing a Whole Rented Sector Strategy, and enacting any changes will take a matter of years, not months. As such, this paper sets out some of the
key differences between the social and private rented sectors and considers how and where the housing sector can move towards the realisation of alignment over time. It considers the whole rented sector across four broad areas and makes recommendations both within and between these elements:
• Housing and home standards
• Tenancy rights
• Customer services and practitioner professionalisation
• Affordability
Read the full report.
Homeless people asked to vacate South Coast caravan park ahead of tourism influx.
Ellouise Bailey Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)A great partnership exists between a number of caravan park owners and the Social Justice Advocates, but the summer holidays bring additional challenges.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7548210/homeless-asked…
# NSW, Eviction, Land lease communities, Homelessness, Regional NSW.