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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See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
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Archive
Rent-Stabiliation Survey Doubted; Manhattan Vacancies Top 10%
Suzannah Cavanaugh (Paywall)Landlord groups say the Housing and Vacancy Survey distorts the vacancy rates in New York City to maintain rent stabilization. (The Real Deal New York)
https://therealdeal.com/2021/08/18/empty-numbers-landlords-say-v…
# International, Rent, Landlords and agents.Risk v reward: Should you dive into the world of property investing?
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)... But for all investors in residential property, it’s vital that they understand their own risk profile before they make the leap, advises property investment expert Luke Harris, author of the new book Property Fit: Get your Property Portfolio in Shape for Financial Freedom.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/risk-vs-reward-should-you-dive-in…
# Australia, Housing market, Landlords and agents.The challenge of finding a final resting place for old mattresses
Harriet Alexander The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Mattresses are one of the greediest waste items in terms of the landfill space that they occupy. Their high volume to weight ratio makes them expensive to move and, once buried, their low density compromises the civil engineering of the landfill. ... But the bedding industry is attempting to reduce the amount of landfill by creating a circular economy for mattresses, which involves consumers, retailers, manufacturers and importers in appropriately re-using them or recycling their materials.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-challenge-of-finding-a-f…
# NSW, Home.Council of Europe Call for COP26
(No paywall)In view of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be held in Glasgow (UK) from October 31 to November 12, 2021 the Committee on Environmental and Health Crisis on behalf of the Conference of INGOs published a call for solidarity and urgent action by States, economic actors, and civil society for the safeguard of the common house. Climate Change and Health: Call for solidarity and urgent action by States, economic actors and civil society for the safeguard of the common house. Check out the link at this media release. (International Union of Tenants News)
https://www.iut.nu/news-events/council-of-europe-call-for-cop26/
# Must read International, Climate change, Health.End of fixed term evictions are unfair ‘no grounds’ evictions: Part 1
Jemima Mowbray Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)If you’ve been following the news about recent reforms to Queensland tenancy laws lately you’d be forgiven for thinking there had been a big win for renters we’d somehow missed or forgotten to celebrate. The ABC reported removing ‘eviction without grounds’ was among a raft of changes to the state’s rental laws successfully passed through Queensland Parliament. Channel 7 told its viewers the Queensland reforms would ‘stop evictions without grounds’. We should be celebrating! But sadly, no.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/end-fixed-term-evictions-are-unf…
# Must read Australia, Eviction, Rent, Fixed-term tenancy, No-grounds evictions, State Government.End of fixed term evictions are unfair 'no grounds' evictions: Part 2
Leo Patterson Ross Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)In the blog earlier this week, we looked at recent reforms to 'no grounds' provisions in Queensland tenancy law. Today, we continue the conversation and consider attempts to reform tenancy law to remove 'no grounds' provisions in other Australian jurisdictions. We dive even deeper into the problem of 'no grounds' in fixed term tenancies to examine why and how these reform attempts have, so far, fallen short.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/end-fixed-term-evictions-are-unf…
# Must read Australia, Eviction, Rent, Fixed-term tenancy, No-grounds evictions, State Government.Vale Myra Demetriou
John Dunn (No paywall)Myra Demetriou passed away on 23 October 2021 at the age of 94. She is remembered not only as the face of the Sirius campaign but also as the last public housing tenant forced out of Sirius. Myra reminded us that being good and decent and community-minded makes a wonderful and meaningful life – too often we forget these simple but necessary building blocks of society that hold and bind us together. (Save Our Sirius)
https://mailchi.mp/saveoursirius/sirius-update-032mes5dkx-567160…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Campaigns and law reform, Estate renewal, Personal stories.Unseen: A multimedia sharing the hidden experiences of women's homelessness and housing insecurity
(No paywall)Over 50,000 Australian women are homeless and another 400,000 women over 45 are at risk of homelessness, with domestic violence and financial abuse being the largest causes. Unseen gives voice to the faces behind the statistics ...
# Video Australia, Homelessness, Older people, Women.