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
Rental inspection checklist: Tips to organise your home
Lauren Vardy (No paywall)If you rent a property in Australia, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll experience a routine rental inspection during your tenancy. These inspections can cause stress because many tenants don’t know what to expect (or what’s expected of them!) Thankfully this rental inspection checklist will reduce your stress levels and help you prepare for your next routine inspection. (Rent.com.au)
# Australia, Privacy and access, Rent.“Solidarity with member organisation: the Sindicat de Llogateres Barcelona- tenant’s rights activist threatened by prison
(No paywall)The IUT has sent an urgent note of protest to the Prime Minister of Spain and the President of the Catalan government in view of the imminent imprisonment of the spokesperson of the Barcelona Tenants’ Association and 2 tenants. The right to organise in tenants’ associations is inviolable. The right to demonstrate for one’s legitimate tenant rights is sacrosanct. Peaceful protest and resistance against no-fault evictions and rent-seeking must not lead to criminal prosecution. (International Union of Tenants News)
https://www.iut.nu/news-events/solidarity-with-member-organisati…
# Must read International, Rent, Human rights, No-grounds evictions.Australia’s high house prices damage economic productivity, financial stability and equity
Duncan Maclennan, Hal Pawson and Bill Randolph Pearls and Irritations (No paywall)Recent discussion has highlighted how rising house prices are rationing growing numbers of younger Australians into rental housing and lifestyle choices falling short of aspirations. Now there are warnings that future falling homeownership rates across most age cohorts could hit the NSW Government’s budget balance.
https://johnmenadue.com/australias-high-house-prices-damage-econ…
# Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market, Young people.Scottish Government announces £10m grant fund for tenants in arrears due to COVID-19
(No paywall)From Scotland ... The Scottish Government has announced a £10 million grant fund to support tenants who have fallen into rent arrears as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic. ... The announcement has been welcomed by Citizens Advice Scotland. The charity has been working with the Private Rented Sector Resilience Group to share evidence with government since the pandemic began, and developed recommendations to ensure that renters were not left behind in the recovery, focused on grant support to help renters in arrears. (Scottish Housing News)
https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/article/scottish-government-…
# International, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.Tree cut in half in neighbour row over driveway pigeon poo
BBC (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... A neighbourly dispute over a tree between two drives turned into a "war" when one homeowner cut the intrusive evergreen in half.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-57598101
# International, Neighbours.Rising property prices leaving thousands homeless while Government squanders windfall
(No paywall)The NSW Government is the beneficiary of an unexpected additional $1 billion in stamp duty from an out of control housing market but has failed to use this windfall to adequately invest in social housing to ensure people on low incomes across NSW do not end up homeless. While the Government boasts that housing prices in Sydney have surged 20% since the start of the pandemic homelessness services throughout NSW are struggling with increased demand due to rising rents for people on low incomes and low vacancy rates in many areas of NSW.
# NSW, Public and community housing, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, State Government, Tax.Apartment building owners and managers urge plans for dealing with COVID-19
Sue William Domain (No paywall)Apartment buildings have the capacity to be super-spreaders of COVID-19 “like vertical cruise ships”, but the state government has completely ignored the potentially catastrophic dangers, those in the sector claim. With one of Sydney’s biggest apartment towers now in lockdown after a resident tested positive to the highly infectious Delta variant, angry apartment owners and professional managers have accused the authorities of negligence. “We’ve got shared airconditioning systems, shared lifts, shared common areas like lobbies, stairways, lounges, gyms and pools, and yet when someone comes down with COVID, there are no clear guidelines or advice on what to do,” said Karen Stiles, the executive officer of the Owners Corporation Network.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/apartment-building-owners-and-man…
# NSW, Strata, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health.How to grow vegetables and fruit trees while renting
Koren Helbig ABC (No paywall)Anna Matilda has lived in five different rental houses in the past decade — and sustained a thriving veggie patch at each one. She even has fruit trees that travel happily with her from home to home. Her secret? The Naarm (Melbourne) permaculture gardener grows almost all her food in pots.
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-grow-vegetables-and-fruit-tr…
# Australia, Rent, Health.