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
Housing boom slowed in August but lockdowns could push prices higher
Jennifer Duke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The national housing boom is easing with Australia’s property prices rising at their slowest rate since January but lockdowns limiting homes for sale could push values higher. ... [CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said:]“Housing prices have risen almost 11 times faster than wages growth over the past year, creating a more significant barrier to entry for those who don’t yet own a home”. ... The latest Housing Industry Association measure of housing affordability shows a sharp deterioration across the country over the past year.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/housing-boom-slowed-in-a…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Human rights.A big week for energy efficiency standards in Australia
Duncan Murray The Fifth Estate (No paywall)In a trifecta of residential energy efficiency announcements this week, changes appear to be coming thick and fast. As well as proposed updates to the National Construction Code (NCC), The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is now offering voluntary assessments for existing homes based on the Victorian model, and the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) released its new certification standard for industry uptake.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/a-big-wee…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Housing market.Developer fees adding up to $85,000 a block, driving up housing prices
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Developers are paying up to $85,000 for every housing block they put on the market, with research showing the fees are driving up property prices and in some cases aren’t being used to develop local infrastructure for new homeowners as intended. As housing affordability tumbles due to soaring prices across the nation’s major cities and regional areas, analysis from the National Housing Finance and Investment Corp suggests councils in NSW and Victoria are being so financially squeezed they are using developer contributions to protect their budgets. Most states and territories require contributions to “social infrastructure” around new housing developments, with roads, playgrounds, water, sewerage and drainage all partly paid for by developers.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/developer-fees-adding-up…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development, Tax.New Green Star Home Standard set to make new houses more energy efficient and slash energy bills
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)New houses across Australia are set to be much better built to withstand climate change, incorporating solar power and water and energy efficiency features with minimal toxins, under a world-first agreement announced on Tuesday. The new scheme, acclaimed as a national “game-changer” in the housing market, will mean buyers could have much healthier homes and see their energy bills slashed by as much as 75 per cent – by over $2000 a year, according to one study.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/new-green-star-home-standard-set-…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Climate change, Housing market.Milan high-rise consumed by flames
The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Italian firefighters battled a high-rise blaze in Milan that spread rapidly through a 20-storey residential building and poured black smoke into the air on Sunday. Mayor Giuseppe Sala said there were no reports of injuries or deaths, but that firefighters were kicking down doors, apartment by apartment, to make sure there were no victims. ... Within an hour, the flames had spread from the 15th floor, where the fire appeared to have started, quickly devouring the entire facade of the building. Unidentified residents told Corriere that the panels on the facade were supposed to have been fire-resistant.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/milan-high-rise-consumed-by-…
# Hot topic International, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Engineer investigated over Sydney apartment 'structural issues' in NSW first
Amy Greenbank and Josh Bavas ABC (No paywall)An engineer overseeing the construction of a major urban hub being built in Sydney is under investigation over "structural issues" in a previous project. Engineers Australia, the industry's peak professional body, is probing Anthony Hasham after receiving a complaint from NSW building commissioner David Chandler in May. It's the first time NSW's construction watchdog — which was handed sweeping powers to clean up the building industry last year — has referred an engineer to the organisation.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-02/engineer-investigated-ove…
# NSW, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.UK house price rises accelerate, says Nationwide
Kevin Peachey BBC (No paywall)UK house prices accelerated in August, the Nationwide has said, with values now 13% higher than before the pandemic. The building society said that annual house price growth sped up, to 11%, with the average home costing £248,857. It said property prices recorded their second largest month-on-month rise in 15 years, up by 2.1%. The Nationwide said the increase was "surprising", given that the benefit from stamp duty holidays was reduced. At the end of June, stamp duty holidays became less generous in parts of the UK. Many thousands of deals were rushed through to beat the deadline. The tax breaks led to significant movement at the top end of the market. ... However, a recent report by the Resolution Foundation think tank suggested that it was "wide of the mark" to suggest the stamp duty holidays were the key driver for rising prices. It said that pandemic-related factors such as low interest rates and changing home preferences would continue to push up prices.
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.Aged care: How much is it going to cost you?
Rachel Lane The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Working out the cost of aged care is complex. There are caps to consider, along with various fees, means tests and levies. [Read on]
https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/aged-care-how-…
# Australia, Housing market, Older people.