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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See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
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Archive
How capitalism is reshaping cities (literally)
Nate Berg (No paywall)The very, very short explanation of the cause and effect of the 2008 financial crisis can be summarized in two words: real estate. Risky mortgages traded like stocks were blown into a bubble that popped, ravaging the finances and savings of people all around the world. In the aftermath, institutional investors bought up swathes of foreclosed properties, and pushed the financialization of housing into hyper-speed. [Read on] (Fast Market)
https://www.fastcompany.com/90637385/how-capitalism-is-reshaping…
# International, Housing market.Public housing's failing so how do we fix it?
Lexi Metherell ABC (No paywall)Until around the 1980s, public housing was considered a mainstream option for low incomes, but now, there's really only enough places available for the most marginalised, such is the shortfall of public housing dwellings. It's widely agreed the system is broken. There are solutions on the horizon, but they need political will and creative thinking from investors. (The World Today)
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/adelaide/programs/worldtoday/public…
# Audio Australia, Public and community housing.Auckland, Wellington tenants endure relentless rent rises
Chris McDowall and Anne Gibson (No paywall)Auckland edges Wellington as the most expensive city in New Zealand for tenants - but rents in the capital have risen more in real terms since 2000. Auckland rents up 45%, Wellington up 53%. (New Zealand Herald)
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/auckland-wellington-tenants-…
# International, Rent, Housing market.Welsh government commits to building 20,000 low-carbon social rent homes
Dominic Brady Inside Housing (Paywall)The Welsh government has vowed to build 20,000 new low-carbon social homes for rent and improve building safety in its five-year ‘Programme for Government’. The Labour government, led by first minister Mark Drakeford, has proposed a number of policies which it says will create a “fairer, greener, stronger and ever more successful Wales”. It said for the first time transport, planning, housing and energy policies will be informed by the government’s legally binding target of reaching net zero by 2050. Part of the Programme for Government includes the commitment to build 20,000 new low-carbon social rent homes.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/welsh-government-commi…
# International, Public and community housing, Utilities electricity water gas.How to make your rental feel like home without losing your bond
Yasmin Jeffery ABC (No paywall)So, you're in a rental. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to settle for living in a home that isn't your aesthetic. Here's how to negotiate apartment upgrades – big and small.
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-to-get-permission-for-rental…
# Australia, Rent.‘We don’t want a Chatswood’: Critics attack plan for tall towers in Edgecliff
Andrew Taylor The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Towers up to 89 metres high could be built adjacent to heritage areas in Sydney’s eastern suburbs under plans that critics say will impact nearby residents and fails to take into account the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft strategy for Edgecliff Commercial Centre, which runs along New South Head Road from Rushcutters Bay Park to Edgecliff station, proposes up to 500 new apartments and 6750 square metres of additional commercial floor space.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-don-t-want-a-chatswood-critic…
# NSW, Local Government, Planning and development.Market frenzy slows as more properties and affordability constraints ease buyer demand
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Sydney’s runaway property price growth looks set to lose steam over the cooler winter months, as affordability constraints and an increase in the number of homes for sale take some of the heat out of the city’s property market.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/market-frenzy-slows-as-more-prope…
# NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market.Residential property developers shift to boutique, low-density projects in the wake of COVID
Allison Worrall (No paywall)Residential developers have shifted their focus to lower-risk projects such as smaller apartment blocks, townhouses and housing estates, while high-density developments continue to fall out of favour, according to a new Knight Frank report.
https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/residential-propert…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Planning and development.