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
Rent Control for Private SROs Passes in Vancouver
Jen St. Denis (No paywall)Vancouver city councillors voted to implement stricter rent control for tenants who live in single-room occupancy hotels after hearing the policy could prevent people from becoming homeless amid steadily rising rates and gentrification. (The Tyee)
https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/11/18/Rent-Control-Private-SROs-Pas…
# International, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market, Local Government.Regulator publishes consumer regulation plans for landlords
Tim Clark Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has published its initial plans setting out how it will inspect and regulate housing associations regarding their treatment of tenants. In the paper published today, the RSH has laid out its method for regulating consumer standards. It will use the same underlying principles the regulator uses for economic regulation. The regulator identified six themes: safety, quality, neighbourhood, transparency, engagement and accountability, and tenancies.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/regulator-publishes-co…
# International, Public and community housing.Australian house prices 'rolling over' as rising interest rates, affordability bite, warns ANZ
Michael Janda ABC (No paywall)ANZ bank has tipped house price falls the year after next as the pandemic boom in Australian housing comes to an end.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-18/house-prices-roll-over-af…
# Australia, Housing market.The investor’s dilemma: Should you rent out your holiday home for the short or long term?
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)It’s the common dilemma for many investing in property in any one of the strongly performing holiday markets around Australia. Should it be kept as a holiday home, with short-term holiday lets when the family doesn’t want it, or should it be put into the long-term residential rental pool?
https://www.domain.com.au/news/the-investors-dilemma-should-you-…
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents, Short-term holiday letting.Evergrande frees funds with HengTen sale amid ‘highly likely’ default
Avatar Clare Jim and Donny Kwok The New Daily (No paywall)Troubled Chinese property developer Evergrande is selling its entire stake in streaming services firm HengTen for $HK2.13 billion ($376 million), as the cash-strapped firm boosts efforts to avoid a debilitating default on its debts. However, S&P Global Ratings said in a report on Thursday a default is still “highly likely” for the world’s most indebted developer – despite its recent bond coupon payments – because it has a bigger test in March and April next year, facing a total of $US3.5 billion ($4.8 billion) maturities in dollar bonds.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2021/11/19/evergrande-hengten…
# International, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Giving up the need to possess
Amelia Lester The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)In the bid to timeshare our lives, the final frontier for Australians will be property. For us, buying a home is a rite of passage, but elsewhere in the world, buying a house isn’t seen as the greatest of all achievements.
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/is-the-n…
# Australia, Rent, Home ownership, Renting culture.ANZ tips house price slowdown as fixed rates rise
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)At 4:09pm ... ANZ Bank is predicting the red-hot property market will slow down next year before prices start falling in 2023, saying higher interest rates will be a key influence on house prices.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/asx-to-slip-on-wall-st-w…
# Australia, Housing market.Major building group Privium collapses with future of its projects unclear
Nibir Khan ABC (No paywall)The collapse of Brisbane-based Privium construction company has left hundreds of homes unbuilt across Australia and one family's first home dreams in limbo in Toowoomba on Queensland's Darling Downs.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-18/qld-privium-company-colla…
# Australia, Housing market.