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
WA tourist town of Broome tops the nation with highest percentage of rental growth in a year
Madison Snow ABC (No paywall)Western Australia is in the grips of a rental crisis, and with a limited supply of houses and skyrocketing prices it is seeing regional towns hit hard. In an unexpected turn of events, a suburb in the small tourist town of Broome in the state's Kimberley region has topped the nation with the highest percentage of rental growth over the past year, according to Corelogic data. ... [Rankings of top 10 nationbl suburbs for rental growth] 2. Finley, NSW town in the Riverina region where the annual rental growth as been 36pc with a median rental value of $320; 6. Berrigan: NSW town in the Riverina region where the annual rental growth has been 30pc with a median rental value of $311; 8.Corowa: NSW town in the Murray region where the annual rental grown has been 30pc with a median rental value of $382; 9. North Albury: Albury suburb in the Murray region of NSW where annual rental growth has been 29pc with a median rental value of $396.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-11/broome-sees-highest-perce…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Regional NSW.Regulator to measure landlords on repairs and safety performance as new tenant satisfaction measures revealed
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)In a consultation launched today, the English regulator has outlined its plans for a new Tenant Satisfaction Measures Standard as part of a series of changes it is implementing following the Social Housing White Paper. The Regulator of Social Housing is proposing 22 different tenant satisfaction measures, covering five main themes: Keeping properties in good repair; Maintaining building safety; Effective complaints-handling; Respectful and helpful tenant engagement; Responsible neighbourhood management. ... All social landlords will be expected to publish their performance on tenant satisfaction to their tenants each year. Landlords with more than 1,000 homes will be expected to submit their data to the regulator, with the RSH publishing the results each year.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/regulator-to-measure-l…
# International, Public and community housing, Landlords and agents.Rental crisis pushes young workers into tents, converted garages as options dry up
Keira Proust ABC (No paywall)Young professional couples on the NSW far south coast face the prospect of living in a tent this summer unless the critical rental crisis improves, according to local housing providers. One of those couples is Kelsie Ridley and Keiran Coe who live on the NSW far south coast. The 24-year-olds have been homeless since September, despite both having full-time jobs.
"[We're] currently living with my parents in a one-bedroom granny flat and I've been without a rental since September," Ms Ridley said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-09/housing-crisis-pushes-you…
# NSW, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market, Regional NSW.Mates with disability move into new purpose-built 'forever' home for Christmas
Mia Knight ABC (No paywall)Longtime friends John, Malcolm and Brendan knew months ago where they wanted to set up the Christmas tree in their new house — now they'll get to do it. This week the men, who all live with an intellectual disability, were given early Christmas presents — the keys to their brand-new, purpose-built 'forever' home in Townsville. ... The Endeavour Foundation's interim CEO, David Bower, said the home built for Mr Gowns, Mr Galligan and Mr Duncanson had been specially designed to enable them to live there together for many years to come.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-08/new-home-complete-for-3-m…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Disability.‘Game changer’: Buyers able to rate record of apartment developers
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Prospective buyers of apartment buildings will be able to access a system that will rate 100 developers and builders from next March, helping them decide whether to purchase units in high-rise buildings across NSW.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/game-changer-buyers-able-to-…
# NSW, Strata, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Nothing was done for months. Now this family is stuck in a damp, mouldy flat
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)Unexplained delays by the NSW government’s property tribunal have forced a mother, her five-year-old daughter and her elderly parents to move back into their damp, mouldy apartment. Sarah Wu’s family moved out of their home in Sydney’s north-west into rented accommodation for three months, paid for by the owners’ corporation, in a deal brokered by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) to enable problems to be fixed. But when they moved back they discovered nothing had been done to the interior – only exterior walls had been worked on – because the tribunal hadn’t delivered its final verdict within that period.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/nothing-was-done-for-months…
# NSW, Strata, Tribunal NCAT, Mould.Bed in a garage: Auckland property listing slammed by MP
Adam Jacobson (No paywall)An Auckland rental ad – showing a bed in a garage – has been slammed by an MP and a renters union. Posted to a West Auckland Facebook group looking for flatmates, images showed a bed directly next to a silver sedan in a garage. ... It was unclear what price the landlord was seeking. When approached by Stuff for comment, the landlord immediately hung up. They have since posted another listing for $225 a week, showing different images of the inside of what appears to be the same property. (Stuff)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/127236531/bed-in-a-garage-auckl…
# International, Rent, Minimum habitability standards.‘Postcode privilege’: Australia edges towards UK and US levels of inequality
AndrewTaylor The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Australia is edging towards British and American levels of inequality, with the COVID-19 crisis widening the gap based on wealth and where people live. Nine out of 10 Australians believe there is a growing social divide that has worsened during the pandemic, according to the report Australia’s social fabric: Exploring features of the modern Australian spirit. ... Professor Randolph [a professor in the City Futures Research Centre at the University of NSW] said the housing market was widening wealth and income differences and “this has simply got out of control”. “However, governments are simply unwilling to challenge the power of the property lobby on this issue and also fear the wrath of the boomers who stand to lose if house prices were seriously impacted or held back,” he said. Professor Randolph said there was a “clear need” to address minimum wages and consider taxes on inherited wealth, “which is where the new social divide is opening up”.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/postcode-privilege-australia-edg…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Families, Housing market, Young people.