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
Financial markets are betting big the COVID-19 vaccine rollout will be a success
David Taylor ABC (No paywall)There's a bizarre narrative playing out in the Australian economy right now. ... Record low interest rates are also driving the property market. ... It's clear there are factors looming that could slightly cool down the market by next year: poor affordability, fewer government home buyer incentives, rising fixed mortgage rates and the potential for a reintroduction of macro-prudential tightening by the regulators.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-11/economic-contraction-with…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.Buying a house without an agent through private sale
Yasmin Jeffrey ABC (No paywall)When Becky Irvine Stone decided to sell her investment property back in 2011, she was concerned by the $10,000 fee quoted by a prospective real estate agent. People tend to use real estate agents because they can make it easier to meet the legal requirements of selling a home as well as preparing the property for sale, listing it, marketing it, running viewings, dealing with prospective buyers and the actual sale bit. But "in the same way you're entitled to sell your sofa yourself, you're entitled to sell your house yourself", says Dr Cathy Sherry, an associate professor at UNSW who teaches property law. There's no legal requirement that you have to use a real estate agent to buy or sell, she adds. A bit of online research later and Becky decided she didn't mind putting in the work if it meant ending up with more money. (ABC Everyday)
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/buying-house-without-agent-throu…
# Australia, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Aged care operator Regis uncovers up to $40m in staff underpayments
Emma Koehn The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Aged care operator Regis Healthcare has uncovered staff underpayments that could be potentially as high as $40 million over six years because employee entitlements were recorded incorrectly in its payroll system. The $630 million company, which owns residential care and retirement villages across Australia, told investors on Monday morning it was working with external advisors on a comprehensive review of payroll data to work out exactly how much it owed to staff.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/aged-care-operator-reg…
# Australia, Housing market, Older people.Bidding on rentals could be restricted in the ACT as government moves to introduce tenancy reforms
Niki Burnside ABC (No paywall)Bidding on rental properties could be restricted in the ACT after the government introduced a discussion paper on residential tenancy reforms on Friday. Changes proposed include removing no-cause evictions, introducing stricter minimum property standards and giving tenants more freedom to grow their own food. The move has been welcomed by those who have pointed to an "acute housing crisis" in the ACT ... Better Renting executive director Joel Dignam welcomed the reforms, and said renters deserved to live with a sense of security and safety. "I think that's something people have been looking at for a long time," he said. "There are so many people in Canberra with experiences of cold rental properties — that they can't have people over during winter, they're going to bed early, to try to stay warm — it doesn't have to be like that, it's not actually a natural state of affairs."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-07/act-government-set-to-ref…
# Hot topic Australia, Eviction, Rent, Minimum habitability standards, Mould.Homeless support services in Perth suburb at breaking point with vulnerable people turned away
Evelyn Manfield ABC (No paywall)It's a crisp five degrees outside and Prue Broughton is sleeping in her car with no heater, alongside her cat Fury and dog Rocky. She has been doing this for the last four months since she was forced to move out of where she was living. The 47-year-old searches every day for a place to call home, but there're just too many other people on the exact same mission. "I just want a house and I want my dog and my cat to have a place to live, you know?" she said. "There's so many abandoned places here in Midland, why can't we turn them into some places for accommodation?" ... [Indigo Junction] Chief executive Sharon Gough said the organisation had to turn away 6,000 families and more than 500 young people in the last year. She said since the rental moratorium lifted in March, the number of people needing help had increased. "We've never seen it jump I guess quite this dramatically," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-08/perth-midland-homeless-is…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Older people, Women.Knowing your rental rights during Sydney’s COVID lockdown
Emily Hutchinson (No paywall)Tenants are feeling uncertain about the impact of Greater Sydney’s prolonged COVID lockdown, with many worried about how they’ll keep up with rental payments. While COVID support payments have been increased and there is a temporary ban on evictions, many tenants who have lost work and income are still concerned about the possibility of being evicted or finding themselves with a hefty debt once restrictions ease. Others say they feel the need to move, or have no other choice, but aren’t sure if this is permitted. Tenants Union NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross said his team was dealing with more distressed enquiries than usual. ... The NSW government has announced temporary support measures for both tenants and landlords struggling financially, including a freeze on evictions and financial assistance for landlords who agree to lower the rent. Federal support is also available for people who lost work and income due to the COVID-19 public health orders. [Read on] (realestate.com.au)
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/knowing-your-rental-rights-du…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Landlords and agents.CDC issues new eviction ban effective through Oct. 3
Annie Nova (No paywall)From the United States ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new federal eviction moratorium on Tuesday. The eviction ban will be targeted at areas of the country experiencing high levels of coronavirus infections and will last for 60 days until Oct. 3. The protection could cover around 90% of renters. The CDC’s original eviction ban, which had been in effect since September 2020, expired on July 31. (CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/03/cdc-to-issue-new-eviction-ban-ef…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Our Backyard helps Jenny Ransom, 74, find a home after being homeless and sleeping in car
Sage Swinton (No paywall)At 74-years-old, Jenny Ransom spent about nine months sleeping in her car. After suffering domestic violence, she was forced to leave her home and the dire rental market meant she couldn't secure another place to live. Ms Ransom, now 75, has thankfully since found a home of her own, but her story highlights the concerning housing and homelessness situation happening across the country, off the back of National Homelessness Week last week. While she was sleeping rough, Ms Ransom was part of the fastest growing demographic of homeless people - women aged over 55. (Newcastle Herald)
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7375947/i-never-dreamed…
# Hot topic NSW, Domestic violence, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market, Older people, Women.