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
Why more Australian women are choosing a solo van life
Tom Forbes and Nicole Dyer ABC (No paywall)Kellie Campbell has just given up her unit on the Gold Coast and her husband is about to move overseas so she's hitting the road to live in a van. The 50-year-old said she and her husband had been living — on and off — in their van for a year, but his decision to return to South Africa for work forced her to travel alone. ... Kellie Campbell says she'll live in her van because she can't afford to rent a unit by herself while her husband is working overseas.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-21/more-australian-women-are…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Rent, Housing affordability, Women.Government to consider ‘long-term regulatory standard’ to improve energy efficiency of social housing
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Ministers are considering setting a “long-term regulatory standard” to improve the energy efficiency of social housing, according to a major government decarbonisation strategy released today.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/government-to-consider-long…
# International, Public and community housing, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change.Khan publishes guidance on green planning requirements for developers
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)Three new pieces of guidance have been published to help developers in London meet new planning requirements around energy monitoring, green space and transport routes.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/khan-publishes-guidance-on-…
# International, Planning and development.House v location: What you need to consider when buying property
Melissa Jenkins The New Daily (No paywall)Should you buy a rundown house in the best location you can afford, an apartment in a trendy spot, or a new house in a less desirable suburb?
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/dollars-and-sense/2021/10/17/…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Wales is in my bones, but I probably won’t be going back
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett The Guardian (No paywall)From Wales ... Housing is another factor. Property prices near where I grew up, in north-west Wales, are low when compared with many parts of England. But the proliferation of second homes is causing prices to rise and forcing young people out of their communities, not to mention having a profound effect on the language. The reasons many choose to stay in Wales – community and culture – cease to persuade when whole villages are being hollowed out and turned into unaffordable, stagnant ghost towns.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/19/wales-wels…
# International, Housing market, Young people.A green home can not only save money but even turn a profit. But how do you know if you own one?
Stephanie Chalmers ABC (No paywall)Jason York says his phone has been ringing off the hook for 18 months with people wanting quotes for insulating their homes. "It's getting to the point where I'm having a lot of trouble getting stock in. Keeping up with demand has been a huge issue," he says. "When I started in 2016, there was seemingly a lack of confidence that insulation could even work." As the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow approaches, governments and major companies are facing scrutiny over their carbon emissions. But Mr York has also found a surge in interest from home owners hoping to regulate the temperature of their homes in an effort to make them more energy efficient and generate a lower carbon footprint.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-20/green-building-commercial…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Home ownership, Minimum habitability standards.City council register slashes holiday rental availability in Amsterdam
(No paywall)Holiday home rental company Airbnb has lost 80% of its addresses in Amsterdam following the introduction of new rules requiring owners to register with the city, the Volkskrant reported on Monday. (DutchNews.nl)
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/10/city-council-register-slas…
# International, Rent, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.Urgent monitoring of structural cracks in Sydney apartment tower
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Urgent monitoring of cracks in a Sydney apartment tower will be needed to work out whether they are growing after emergency inspections by government engineers revealed visible signs of cracking in its basement car park. Almost a week after an emergency inspection, government engineers have recommended that monitoring of the 10-storey apartment building at Canterbury begin immediately, and focus on its so-called transfer structure, which shifts loads to other structures in the building.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/urgent-monitoring-of-structu…
# NSW, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.