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
Rental crisis hits pet owners hard, increasing homelessness and demand on animal shelters
Keira Proust ABC (No paywall)The rental crisis is proving an extra challenge for pet owners across regional New South Wales, forcing some into homelessness and others to rehome their beloved animals to improve their chances of finding a place to live. Brad Hayes found the idea of giving up his dog Kosci too difficult, so instead he has been living in a tent for six months on the state's south coast while attempting to find a pet-friendly rental. ... "I applied for — I think — six in a week and when they found out I had a dog they said, 'No, we don't have a place for the dog.'" ... [Joel Dignam from Better renting] said New South Wales should adopt policies like in the ACT or Victoria, where landlords weren't allowed to discriminate against an applicant for having an animal.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-01/rental-crisis-hits-pet-ow…
# NSW, Discrimination, Rent, Homelessness, Pets, Regional NSW.Young people lining up for COVID-19 vaccine in Illawarra
Zoe Cartright (No paywall)As the premier urges more older Australians to take up the COVID vaccine, some of our region's youngest adults have stepped up to protect themselves and their community. ... Southern Youth and Family Services CEO Narelle Clay said she was immensely proud of the 38 young people who took part in the clinic. ... "Those who are homeless, have experienced domestic violence or have mental health issues, we were really concerned they weren't being seen as a priority group. It's a positive step back toward a normal life for these young people, and we're grateful to Area Health for offering the clinics."
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7362895/youth-step-up-…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Regional NSW, Young people.New listings in Sydney drop by 20 per cent, but supply ‘obliterated’ in some pockets
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)The number of homes hitting the property market has plummeted in pockets of Sydney, with the supply of new homes for sale ‘obliterated’ by the city’s ongoing lockdown. ... The drop in homes for sale comes amid ongoing uncertainty as to whether agents can even conduct in-person property appraisals across Sydney under the health orders, or arrange for homes to be photographed and styled to prepare them for sale or lease. The Real Estate Institute of NSW (REINSW) had been advising members not to conduct such activities under previous health orders, but understands appraisals, photography, styling and visits to map floor plans can now go ahead in the Greater Sydney area since new orders were announced on the weekend. It is still seeking clarification on whether such activities can occur in the eight council areas facing tougher restrictions.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/new-listings-in-sydney-drop-by-20…
# NSW, Privacy and access, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Signs Australian housing boom may be cooling as mortgage demand suffers biggest fall in a year
The Guardian (No paywall)There are further signs Australia’s housing boom could be cooling, with demand for home loans and applications to build homes falling.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/03/signs-aus…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Houses earning more than Australia’s highest paid professionals
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Houses are out-earning some of Australia’s top-paid professionals, with price growth in some cities outstripping the income of surgeons, psychiatrists and chief executive officers. Houses in both Sydney and Canberra earned more money over the past quarter than eight of the top-10 earning occupations in Australia, with median prices jumping by more than $1000 a day in both cities. Meanwhile, the average full-time worker would need to save almost half their earnings to even keep their deposit in line with house price growth. Also, check out the Guardian's article entitled: 'Australian house prices rose more in July than incomes are rising in a year, data shows' at: [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/02/australian-house-prices-rose-more-in-july-than-incomes-are-rising-in-a-year-data-shows?CMP=soc_567]
https://www.domain.com.au/news/houses-earning-more-than-australi…
# Australia, Housing market.The new Aussie battlers vying for a spot in the housing market
Nathan Morris ABC (No paywall)Four years ago, as war raged in Khaled Ali's home country of Syria, there was a constant threat of being kidnapped or killed at any time by Islamic State militants. ... He was able to escape to Toowoomba in southern Queensland. ... The most recent cohort of refugees is from Iraq and Syria, including hundreds of Ezidi families. "They have very low knowledge in banking regulations and policies, how mortgages work, how insurance works" ...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/new-aussie-battlers-vying…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market, Race and ethnicity.Perth house prices continue to rise but experts flag slowdown over affordability concerns
Lauren Pilat The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Perth property prices recorded the lowest increase across the nation last month as analysts flag a slowdown triggered by affordability concerns and first home buyer incentives ending. ... [CoreLogic’s head of research Australia, Eliza Owen] said the biggest challenge for WA remained the supply, demand and affordability of the rental market. “Investors have been withdrawing from the market since the end of the mining boom in 2014 so rental stock has continuously been dwindling across the city ... In the past few months, past year even, there have been more people returning to Perth and that’s really pushed up rents quite substantially.”
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/perth-house-pr…
# Australia, Rent, Home ownership, Housing market.Here comes PlanTech to help transform our cities – but how?
Claire Daniel, Jago Dodson, Chris Pettit and Audrey Marsh The Fifth Estate (No paywall)We have seen the recent emergence of FinTech, LegalTech and PropTech, in the financial, legal and property sectors. Now PlanTech is emerging as a framework and platform for urban planning. But the planning profession, practice, and policy are starting from far behind these earlier adopter sectors.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/urbanism/planning/here-comes-plant…
# Australia, Housing market, Planning and development.