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
Five climate-related factors to consider before buying a home
Chris Medland The Conversation (No paywall)In the UK, where house prices have reached historic highs and there is a shortage of homes available, the pressure on the property market is stark. And as with any market these days, there are environmental factors to consider. So for those who can afford to buy their own home, it is worth remembering that within the lifetime of a mortgage (typically around 30 years) the climate will be very different from today – with a significant impact on property prices.
https://theconversation.com/five-climate-related-factors-to-cons…
# International, Climate change, Home ownership.Clearance rates plunge but home sharing fence with prison snatches $2.5 million
Sarah Webb Domain (No paywall)Fear and uncertainty have driven thousands to make a desperate December dash to cash in on the still-simmering property market before 2022, with Sydney and Melbourne seeing a huge spike in the number of Saturday auctions compared to this time last year. ... At 36 Austral Street, Malabar, a home sharing a fence with the Long Bay Correctional Complex fetched $500,000 above its reserve in a remarkable auction that proved if the property’s hot enough, it doesn’t matter who your neighbours are.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/clearance-rates-plunge-but-…
# Australia, Housing market, Neighbours.Australia’s most searched property locations in 2021
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)A deep dive into Domain search data shows that ... a more traditional approach to real estate was still at the top of buyers’ minds ... [and] the most searched regions on Domain in almost every state and territory were inner-city enclaves, partly because populous areas remain desirable.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/australia-s-most-searched-p…
# Australia, Housing market.The market that finished 2021 in first place with ‘extraordinary’ growth
Ellen Lutton Domain (No paywall)Brisbane has finished the year as Australia’s fastest-growing property market, with property prices continuing to rise while Sydney and Melbourne’s markets are slowing down.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-market-that-finished-20…
# Australia, Housing market.Surge in legal action against landlords over repairs
Henrietta Cook The Age (Paywall)Tenants fed up with faults in their homes are pursuing legal action against landlords at record levels, with applications for urgent repairs almost doubling over the past three years. New minimum rental standards and working from home are fuelling a rise in applications to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal as renters seek legal solutions to disputes with their landlords. ... Katie Valenta, a lawyer at Tenants Victoria, said tenants’ most common complaint was about repairs. “Renters frequently tell us that they have been waiting for repairs to be completed for weeks, months, or even on occasion delays of years,” she said.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/surge-in-legal-actio…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Repairs, Tribunal NCAT.Summer reading
Housing for the Aged Action Group (No paywall)Here you will find links to our newsletter and Federal Election Advocacy Toolkit. Wishing everyone a safe summer and festive season, please enjoy this holiday reading at your leisure.
https://mailchi.mp/651e0debc25e/older-tenants-voice-summer-editi…
# Australia, Campaigns and law reform, Older people.How rapid rehousing is preventing homeless people being stuck in temporary accommodation
Eve Livingston Inside Housing (Paywall)Scotland and Wales have implemented a policy called ‘rapid rehousing’, with the aim of cutting the amount of time homeless people are stuck in temporary accommodation. ... “It’s really about saying homelessness doesn’t necessitate a large-scale industry of special provision or temporary accommodation,” says Dr Beth Watts, senior research fellow at the Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University. “People experiencing homelessness want ordinary mainstream homes like the rest of us and by getting them into housing and giving support where it’s needed, experiences of homelessness can be brief and minimally damaging.”
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/how-rapid-rehous…
# International, Homelessness, Housing market.Homeless Perth couple living in their car for Christmas as rental shortage hits hard
Amber Johnston (No paywall)There’ll be no festive cheer for the thousands of families hoping for an end to Perth’s rental crisis. The vacancy rate has dropped to a record low, meaning it’s harder than ever for tenants to put a roof over their heads. And it means some people, like Elaine and Rob, will spend Christmas living in their car. “We’re doing our best in our little car,” Rob told 7NEWS. “We are grateful for our car, because otherwise we’d be in a tent.” The couple’s rental home was sold more than a year ago and they have been homeless ever since. (7News)
https://7news.com.au/news/wa/homeless-perth-couple-living-in-the…
# Australia, Homelessness, Personal stories.