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
How ‘managed retreat’ from climate change could revitalize rural America: Revisiting the Homestead Act
Hillary A Brown and Daniel R Brooks The Conversation (No paywall)Southern Italy’s rural Calabria region announced an innovative project in 2021 to breathe new life into its small towns. It plans to offer young professionals thousands of dollars if they move in and commit to launch a business, preferably a business the community needs. Northwest Arkansas has a similar program to draw new residents to rural towns like Springdale by offering US$10,000 and a mountain bike. Lincoln, Kansas, is offering free land to remote workers who are willing to relocate and build a home there. These efforts take advantage of the growing work-from-home culture to try to revitalize rural communities that are in decline.
https://theconversation.com/how-managed-retreat-from-climate-cha…
# International, Climate change, Housing market.I lived in a share house with my mum when I was a kid. I got a 'sister' out of it
Yasmin Jeffery and Sabine Paglialonga ABC (No paywall)In 2002, my mum Shirley and I were renting a too-big, rundown house in pre-gentrified Preston we could barely afford. So when she told me her friend, Saskia, Saskia's six-year-old daughter Sabine and their dog would be moving in with us for a bit because they were struggling too, I was relieved even though I felt like we barely knew them. (ABC Everyday)
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/living-in-a-share-house-as-a-chi…
# Australia, Rent, Share houses, Women.Twofold crisis: regional Australia housing shortage compounding poor mental health
Natasha May and Gabrielle Chan The Guardian (No paywall)The housing crisis and mental health crisis are converging in regional Australia as rental vacancy rates in some regions fall below 1% with city people on the move, rentals converting to Airbnbs or owners cashing in on high property prices. Regional towns have experienced a significant reduction in available properties and rental affordability, particularly since the onset of the pandemic. ... [Ellen Jones, a solicitor in the NSW town of Orange said] “If something doesn’t change, we are going to see single mums sleeping under bridges. I’ve seen people with children and, even more so if they have pets, who cannot get rental accommodation.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/20/twofold-c…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health, Homelessness, Housing market, Pets, Regional NSW.Building order finds 'hazard to human life', with awning in new Sydney development in danger of collapse
Amy Greenback ABC (No paywall)Government inspectors have found potential “serious defects" in a brand new apartment development in Sydney’s north-west, including an awning in danger of collapse, according to a building work rectification order. The 15-storey Baulkham Hills Modena complex has four towers, more than 230 apartments and over 4,500 square metres of retail space. The $80 million development is still being completed, but a work rectification order has been issued after compliance officers found one of Modena's retail awnings was in danger of collapse.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-18/sydney-apartment-awning-a…
# NSW, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.The suburbs around Australia where rents are still lower than five years ago
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Rents have reached record heights in many of Australia’s biggest cities, but there are still pockets where properties are being rented for less than they cost five years ago.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/the-city-suburbs-where-rents-are-…
# Australia, Rent.China plays down contagion fears as clock ticks on Evergrande
Stephen Bartholomeusz The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)This week the teetering Chinese property giant, Evergrande, is likely to formally default on payments on two bond issues. That might explain why China’s central bank sought to play down fears of contagion on Friday. On September 23, Evergrande missed the interest payments on two issues of bonds (its missed more payments since) but had a 30-day grace period to make good on the payments before a formal default could be declared. That period of grace expires this week, making its individual crisis and the threat it poses to the broader property sector and financial system far more immediate and real. ... While Evergrande is the largest and most high-profile of the Chinese property developers in trouble, a lengthening string of other companies have been missing interest and principal payments and sales by the bigger property companies were down nearly 40 per cent in September compared to the same month last year.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/china-plays-…
# International, Housing market.Long-term renters pushed out of the housing market by record rent and house prices
Widia Jalal ABC (No paywall)Katie and her husband will never make any more money than they do now, but already their dream of owning a home is beyond reach. ... Rising rent and house prices are "a double whammy" for people trying to save for a deposit, according to CoreLogic's head of research Australia, Eliza Owen. Key points in this article: It hasn't been this expensive to rent in Australia since 2008; house prices are climbing twice as fast as rent, with the regions outpacing the cities; long-term renters say it's almost impossible to save for a home
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-18/record-house-and-rent-pri…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Regional NSW.Would a rent waiver discourage dodgy tenancy terminations and ease traumatic moves?
Ian Bushnell (No paywall)Submissions on the ACT Government’s consultation paper on tenancy laws closed last Friday, and lobby group Better Renting has come up with an idea that will make landlords wince but is worth consideration. Better Renting proposes that if landlords want to terminate a tenancy without a due cause, then they should contribute to the costs this imposes on the tenant, such as removal and storage charges, end-of-lease cleaning, utilities disconnection and connections, double rent while in transition and the use of annual leave while moving. (Riotact)
https://the-riotact.com/would-a-rent-waiver-discourage-dodgy-ten…
# Australia, Eviction, Rent, No-grounds evictions.