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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
Older Australians are already bamboozled by a complex home-care system. So why give them more of the same?
Stephen Duckett and Hal Swerissen The Conversation (No paywall)More than a million older Australians need care at home each year. More than 1,000 agencies provide services to them. Despite the federal government allocating significant extra funds to home care in the last budget, there is still a raft of problems with current home-care arrangements. As we show in our new report, “Unfinished business: practical policies for better care at home”, the federal government is placing too much emphasis on expanding the market of services, and not enough on supporting people to access timely and quality services. You also can read the article about their report in 'The Sydney Morning Herald' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/national/expanding-home-care-is-risky-without-a-workforce-plan-20211212-p59gtq.html] You will find a link to their report at: [https://grattan.edu.au/report/unfinished-business-practical-policies-for-better-care-at-home/]
https://theconversation.com/older-australians-are-already-bamboo…
# Research alert Australia, Federal Government, Older people.Our Latest Mortgage Stress Mapping
Martin North (No paywall)This is a succinct summary of our latest mortgage stress analysis, based on our surveys. We also add some additional comments about how to address stress at a household level. (Digital Finance Analytics)
https://digitalfinanceanalytics.com/blog/our-latest-mortgage-str…
# Video Australia, Families, Home ownership, Housing market.Pandemic, rental crisis drive demand for Port Macquarie soup kitchen, but volunteers are up to the task
ABC ABC (No paywall)Ross Matthews knows what it's like to fall on hard times. The retired chef went through a period of homelessness after being impacted by flooding on the New South Wales Mid North Coast nearly 10 years ago. "My little car went under, and I was in it … I progressed from there," he said. Mr Matthew said he turned to the Port Macquarie Anglican Soup Kitchen for warm meals and a place to connect with others. ... Now it's Mr Matthews who serves the meals. "I was homeless and I got back on my feet and decided to pay back for what I got, so I have been here ever since," he said. ... Port Macquarie Anglican Soup Kitchen coordinator Kerri Attenborough-Bourke said there had been a notable, consistent surge in demand over the past six months. "We are seeing more and more families come through, we are seeing a lot more elderly," she said. "The rents in Port Macquarie are quite extreme, so we are seeing not only the vulnerable but also the financially vulnerable."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-11/volunteers-keep-soup-kitc…
# NSW, Homelessness, Personal stories, Regional NSW.From Airbnb to tiny homes on trailers: Short-term accommodation booming in regional SA
Dylan Smith and Emma Pedler ABC (No paywall)It was the skyrocketing demand for short-term accommodation that first prompted Amanda and Tim Hogg to list their family home on Airbnb and move into a caravan. Now, the boom in regional tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic has helped them take their business even further. "We have built tiny homes that are on trailers so they are not a permanent fixture in the ground, and they can be moved," Amanda Hogg said. "We can place them on private properties, and take them off if we need to, but we can also have ocean views at a small cost."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-09/airbnb-tiny-homes-accommo…
# Australia, Short-term holiday letting.Rental applications – What happens after you apply?
Lauren Vardy (No paywall)Submitted a rental property application and started the waiting process? You might be wondering how long it takes to process your request and when you’ll get an answer. Unless you’ve worked in property management or self-managed a property yourself, you may not know what goes on behind the scenes after applying for a rental in Australia. (rent.com.au)
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.What references should you include in a rental application?
Lauren Vardy (No paywall)Submitting a great rental application is key to getting the rental property you want. Once your personal information, proof of income and background checks are complete, the references you include with your application can make or break the deal. (rent.com.au)
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.What happens if the landlord wants to sell while you’re renting?
(No paywall)If the owner wants to put your rental property on the market for sale, don’t panic. Understanding your rights as a tenant will help you plan your next steps. (rent.com.au)
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.Rural housing crisis could cause billion-dollar income hole
Benjamin Preiss The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Rural Victoria will need an additional 87,000 new homes in the next 15 years to tackle a housing shortage threatening to inflict major economic damage to the state if left unresolved. New analysis shows Victoria stands to forgo up to $1 billion in gross regional product - total income from employment and business in a region - unless action is taken to tackle the severe undersupply of housing in many rural areas. The study by SGS Economics and Planning conveys strong potential for economic growth in regional Victoria, but says a lack of accessible housing is acting as a handbrake.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/rural-housing-hole-coul…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Housing market.