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
‘Worst time’: Sydney mayors warn rates will rise if developer levies changed
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Almost two dozen Sydney mayors from across the political divide have joined forces to campaign against a shake-up of developer levies, arguing it threatens their ability to build new community facilities and will force them to raise rates.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/worst-time-sydney-mayors-war…
# NSW, Local Government, Planning and development, Tax.Local councils in Victoria investigate mandate net zero carbon buildings, but that’s not all
Poppy Johnson The Fifth Estate (No paywall)If you want to build a house or building in certain Victorian locations, you will soon be obliged to meet mandatory net zero targets, thanks to the dedicated work of an alliance of councils in the state. For years, the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE) that now has a huge membership of 38 municipalities – covering the most significant population densities in the state and not just progressive councils – has been waving the flag for green buildings and infrastructure in Australia’s second most populated state.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/local-cou…
# Australia, Climate change, Housing market, Local Government, Minimum habitability standards.Rentvesting is another way into the housing market. Here’s how it works
Melissa Jenkins The New Daily (No paywall)Soaring property prices have many would-be home owners wondering how they will ever get a foot in the door. Rentvesting is something to consider if you’re keen to break into the property market but can’t afford to buy in a suburb you want to live in. The strategy involves buying property in an area with good rental yields and capital growth potential and then leasing it out, while renting somewhere else. Like any investment, it comes with risks and isn’t a path to fast cash; it is a strategy that is best used as part of a long-term wealth creation plan.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/dollars-and-sense/2021/09/14/…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Australian house prices could be about to flatten out after rising 16.8% in last year
Paul Karp and Amy Remeikis The Guardian (No paywall)Residential property prices in Australia’s capital cities increased by 6.7% in the June quarter, but the Treasury believes record prices could be about to flatten out. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, property prices have grown by 16.8% over the last 12 months and 19% since the start of 2020 as record low interest rates drive both first homebuyers and investors into the market. On Tuesday the Reserve Bank governor, Phil Lowe, ruled out using interest rates “to cool the property market”, meaning low rates were likely to stay until 2024. But at a parliamentary inquiry on housing affordability, Treasury officials argued the fact rates would not be cut from their record low of 0.1% should help slow the surge in prices.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/14/australia…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.45% of private renters face illegal acts from landlord or agent – Shelter
Jemma Crew (No paywall)More than four in 10 private renters in England have experienced illegal behaviour from their landlord or letting agent, a survey suggests. Some 45% of private renters have experienced illegal acts such as entering a home without notice or permission, assault and harassment, according to polling for the charity Shelter. ... Ahead of the Conservative Party conference, Shelter is calling for the Government to better protect renters. It wants the forthcoming Renters’ Reform Bill to include a national landlord register to help regulate the private sector and help renters enforce their rights. (Belfast Telegraph)
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/45-of-private-renters…
# International, Privacy and access, Rent, Landlords and agents.What the Church of England did next
Martin Hilditch Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Earlier this year, the Church of England waded firmly into the debate about England’s housing crisis. Arguing that addressing the problem should be a “national imperative”, it called on government to take urgent action. But the report, Coming Home: Tackling the Housing Crisis Together, didn’t stop there. It also had strong words about what the Church itself should be doing. This included making widespread use of its own land to tackle the crisis. The first ever bishop for housing, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, was appointed to lead some of the work. So what happened – and is likely to happen – next? ... [And] the Church of England’s report is not the only game in town. Alison Olugunna, director of strategic property development at the Methodist Church, says it is also looking at the use the Church makes of its land.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/what-the-church-of-engla…
# International, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Housing market.A Collective Failure
Tom Murtha (No paywall)I was not shocked. I had seen it before and even experienced it when I was young. I was horrified and ashamed to see that people were still living in such conditions in 21st Century Britain and that social housing, not the private sector, was to blame. ... Many housing associations were established as a response to Rachmanism. Their aim was to acquire these unfit dwellings and modernise them to provide decent, safe, and secure homes for those in the greatest need. The private sector had failed to do this, so the public and quasi-public sector was established to do it instead. For most of my life I have believed that this should be the main aim of all social landlords. However, as Daniel Hewitt’s excellent journalism has shown, some are now failing to do this. (tommurtha)
https://tommurtha.wordpress.com/2021/09/13/a-collective-failure/
# International, Public and community housing, Repairs, Health, History, Mould.Restoring confidence in apartment buildings is vital for city living
Editorial The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)More than two years after the Opal and Mascot towers debacles forced NSW to confront a problem long ignored, the fight to restore public confidence in the integrity of apartment buildings is far from over. Ensuring that a focus remains on cleaning up the construction industry and improved planning is critical to safeguarding the growing number of people who reside in apartments. It will also help tackle housing affordability and enhance city living. ... In a similar vein, the state needs to urgently step up its investment in social housing.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/restoring-confidence-in-apar…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Strata, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards, Planning and development.