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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
The government says there are no easy answers. There are: be honest and transparent with us
Caleb Cluff (No paywall)The decision by the Andrews government to open its 'Big Housing Build' by demolishing 66 homes of people and families in Delacombe and try to sell it as a 'win for everyone' is a classic case of a government believing its own spin. ... What is really happening in Delacombe is another example of how state governments of both persuasions have continued their purge of public housing responsibility. (The Courier)
https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/7312545/the-government-says-…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Housing market, State Government.In Tas You Cannot Be Charged a Fee for Paying Rent
Tenants' Union of Tasmania (No paywall)On Saturday, Guardian Australia published an article about third-party payment of rent. It quotes tenants from NSW, Victoria, and Queensland, who have been strongly encouraged to pay their rent not directly to their landlord or real estate agency, but through a third-party payment processor, such as Rental Rewards. These third-party processing firms often charge tenants a fee in order to pay their rent. ... Thankfully, Tasmanian tenants have largely been able to avoid similar headaches.
https://www.tasmaniantimes.com/2021/06/you-cannot-be-charged-a-f…
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.‘Pointless engagement’: Real estate agents slam minister, quit reform body in dismay
Nigel Gladestone The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The peak body for real estate agents in NSW has quit an expert panel advising the government on the industry as a stoush between the minister and agents escalates.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/pointless-engagement-real-es…
# NSW, Housing market, Landlords and agents.We Already Have Viable Models for Quality Affordable Housing
Walter Jaegerhaus (No paywall)From the United States ... Historically, the housing shortage now experienced by many U.S. cities is not unique. A similar problem plagued industrializing cities of the late 19th century and became critical after World War I, especially so in countries that lost that conflict. Affected nations took extraordinary remedial steps; many of those were politically motivated and strengthened underlying social democratic ideals. But the design professions also participated and responded with numerous innovations and experiments, which in turn generated much-needed discussions about the use of shared space and the quality of life that citizens are supposed to be able to enjoy. (Common Edge)
https://commonedge.org/we-already-have-viable-models-for-quality…
# International, Housing market, Planning and development.How our housing can make it feel like a Russian winter
Chris Jensen (No paywall)Australia’s housing just isn’t good enough when it comes to dealing with winter temperatures – we need to take lessons from the Northern Hemisphere. ... If you are renting, the chances are you won’t put a screw in a wall to hang a picture let alone make changes to the thermal properties of the building. (Pursuit)
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/how-our-housing-can-make…
# Australia, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas, Home ownership, Minimum habitability standards, State Government.How much support will the City of Sydney’s affordable housing expansion offer inner-city residents?
Daniel Lo Surdo (No paywall)The NSW Government approved plans last month to extend the City of Sydney’s affordable rental housing scheme throughout the inner-city, with the new changes to come into effect on the 1st of July this year. ... Shelter NSW CEO John Engeler welcomes the extension of the strategy. “We commend the City of Sydney for persevering over a number of years to produce a municipality-wide plan for boosting the stock of much needed affordable rental housing,” Engeler told City Hub. “This scheme offers something practical for a group that is often overlooked – financially stressed, low-to-moderate-income renters in the private residential housing market.” The move comes as the tide of renewal has priced out many longtime inner-city residents growing increasingly vulnerable to rental stress. “The forces of gentrification and an overstimulated housing market have combined to make the city unaffordable especially for renters in the private market,” Engeler said. “We … are concerned about the ‘hollowing out’ of the city – with ordinary people forced to the city fringes.”(City Hub)
https://cityhubsydney.com.au/2021/06/how-much-support-will-the-c…
# NSW, Rent, Affordable housing, Local Government, Planning and development.Sydney’s desperate buyers push up demand for land
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)Simon D’Souza watched the screen with his heart in his mouth. He’d barely slept a wink the night before, fretting about what was to come, and now he felt his body tense with anxiety and anticipation. The figure on the Zoom screen was plucking numbers from a barrel, but this draw was for more, much more than a random prize. The result of this would determine the entire future for Simon, his fiancée Abi Hutchinson and their children, Beau, 2, and one-year-old Amber. “We knew there were 379 people in the draw but for only 31 lots of land,” Simon says. “So, we knew we’d be very lucky to get one, and I never win anything at things like that.” “They took out the first 10 numbers, and nothing. Then the next 10 numbers … and yes! We were number 26! My jaw dropped and I thought, ‘Oh my God!”. I was at work, so I immediately phoned Abi at home. She was gobsmacked too. We were so excited!” Welcome to buying land in the frenzied Sydney property market of 2021, a mission made even more frenetic by COVID-19.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/sydneys-desperate-buyers-push-up-…
# NSW, Homelessness, Housing market.More than 1250 families out on the street since rental moratorium ended
Josh Zimmerman (Paywall)Landlords have launched eviction proceedings against more than 1250 families since the rental moratorium ended in March. (The West Australian)
https://thewest.com.au/news/social/more-than-1250-families-out-o…
# Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.