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
Douglas Todd: Sky-high housing prices causing psychological harm
Doulas Todd (No paywall)Ten thousand more British Columbians a year are moving out of Metro Vancouver to other parts of the province than are coming here from elsewhere in B.C. Many feel the need to escape one of the most unaffordable cities in the world if they’re ever going to put down the roots of home ownership. ... What happens, psychologically, to hard-working people denied the opportunity to own decent housing in the place they yearn to call home? Anxiety is common. So is anger. And, for many, a feeling of inadequacy. These acidic feelings are especially strong among young adults. “They feel like they’re failing, because they can’t secure their financial foundation. That gives rise to stress,” says Paul Kershaw, UBC professor of population health. (Vancouver Sun)
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/douglas-todd-the-sou…
# International, Health, Home ownership, Housing market.Northern Tasmanian housing demand mapped: why it's so hard to find a decent place to live
Adam Holmes (No paywall)Mr Capodici - who applies for 15 jobs a fortnight, mostly gardening work, to keep getting Centrelink payments - said there was little left over when living in social housing. "I was homeless before when I first started looking for a house. [Social] Housing always used to be cheap for people who have been on Centrelink incomes, but it doesn't seem like that anymore," he said. ... Social housing tenants are automatically charged 25 per cent of payments like JobSeeker, Parenting Payment and child support for rent. Their entire Rent Assistance is also paid to the housing manager - Community Housing - to be placed in an overall pool of funding for maintenance, repairs and vacant property preparation. ... The Tenants' Union - along with other advocacy groups like Shelter Tas - have urged the government to increase its ambition in public and social housing construction. Mr Bartl said the current level of need meant tenants who were unhappy with their living arrangements had no choice but to just cope. "Ensuring that social housing is built in and around our inner cities is imperative if we are to provide everyone with the same opportunities to access basic services including public transport, health services and educational institutions," he said. "We also need to ensure that there is enough social housing for everyone who is financially or socially disadvantaged."
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/7325334/housing-demand-mapped-…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Repairs, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.How protecting Wellington’s character homes is leaving tenants out in the cold
Ashok Jacob (No paywall)From New Zealand ... Despite being mostly damp and unstable, Wellington’s character homes have long been fiercely protected. But as tenants advocate Ashok Jacob argues, their loudest proponents aren’t the ones that need protecting the most. ... I’m glad that the council recently voted for radical change to our city’s housing-scape, rather than bending the knee to property owners and those with vested interests. Of course, there is still a fight ahead to ensure that new housing is accessible, affordable and of good quality, but we were always going to have to fight for that. For now, I’m glad that the misguided fears of the propertied are no longer stunting our city’s progress.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/05-07-2021/how-protecting-welli…
# International, Rent, Planning and development.Rugged-up Canadian expat complains about the 'freezing' winter in Australia after moving from the third coldest city in the WORLD
Cindy Tran (No paywall)A Canadian expat has complained about the freezing weather in Australia after moving Down Under from the 'third coldest city in the world'. Isabelle Mae has been living on the South Coast of New South Wales since the beginning of 2020 after relocating from Winnipeg, the capital city of the province of Manitoba. According to AccuWeather, Winnipeg is one of the world's coldest cities. The city has experienced some of the most 'bone-chilling' conditions imaginable, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 47°C (minus 54°F). ... I moved from the third coldest city in the world in the middle of Canada to Australia. Why is it so cold? We're so cold,' she said. 'Okay, it's 10°C but the houses are not well insulated here.' (Daily Mail)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9738959/Canadian-Isab…
# NSW, International, Minimum habitability standards, Regional NSW.‘Six chickens somehow turned into 60!’ Meet the families trying to live the Good Life in the pandemic
Emine Sanr The Guardian (No paywall)Many people yearn to grow their own food and live a simpler life – but, when coronavirus hit, some decided it was now or never. Have their dreams of burgeoning veg patches and frolicking livestock come true?
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jul/01/six-chicken…
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home.Quick fixes for freezing houses: which heater should you buy when it’s already winter?
Natalie Parletta The Guardian (No paywall)The best home heating solutions require specialist installation, but as Australia’s winter has already come, here’s how to pick the right stop-gap
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jul/06/quick-fixes…
# Australia, Utilities electricity water gas, Home.Supreme Court Issues Unsigned Victory for Landlord Over San Francisco’s Rental Protection Regime
Colin Kalmbacher (No paywall)Stylized as Pakdel v. San Francisco, the case is about rental protections that were originally agreed to — and then subsequently reneged upon — by a wealthy married couple who own a “multiunit residential building” in the City by the Bay. City officials warned that this volte-face was unacceptable and the couple sued. ... A district court and the appeals court rejected the couple’s claims. ... In Monday’s per curiam opinion, at least five [Supreme Court] justices sharply disagreed with how the appellate court reckoned with finality. (Msn)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/supreme-court-issues-unsign…
# Legal significance International, Rent, Local Government.Housing affordability
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (No paywall)Access to good quality, affordable housing is fundamental to wellbeing. It can help reduce poverty and enhance equality of opportunity, social inclusion and mobility. Affordability is important for both Australians wanting to buy a home and for those renting. Many factors influence the supply, demand and cost of housing across the country, including Australia’s growing and ageing population and government policies. Housing affordability typically refers to the relationship between expenditure on housing (prices, mortgage payments or rents) and household incomes. Home ownership and housing tenure and Housing assistance are related to housing affordability. You can check the 'Housing data dashboard' at: [https://www.housingdata.gov.au/dashboard/x8j99pyn6wnq4ke]. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/housing-affor…
# Research alert Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.