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
NSW tenants need extra help as cold, mould and damp become big issues
Jonathan Chncellor (No paywall)Last year 23 per cent of renters were unable, for various circumstances, to keep warm in their home during cold weather. Some 27 per cent reported problems with mould in their rental properties, and 21 per cent reported dampness issues.
The prevalence of cold, mould and damp was much higher among people already in the worst health, and those who were highly susceptible, according to findings from the 2020 Australia Housing Survey. (realestate.com.au)
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/nsw-tenants-need-extra-help-a…
# NSW, Rent, Health, Minimum habitability standards, Mould.Federal budget's failure to address affordable housing 'embarrassing'
Emily Hutchinson (No paywall)First-home buyers, single parents and downsizers got a boost in the 2021 federal budget, but experts say the issue of affordable housing was ignored in the big-spending and jobs-focused budget. National Association of Tenants Organisations spokesperson Leo Patterson Ross said boosting affordable housing would have been one of the most ‘effective uses of government expenditure’, but the opportunity was missed. “Australia doesn’t have enough jobs or genuinely affordable homes [and] a massive increase in public housing expenditure solves both issues – it should be a no brainer,” Mr Patterson Ross said. “It’s embarrassing for the country that we aren’t taking this opportunity.” (realestate.com.au)
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/federal-budgets-failure-to-ad…
# TUNSW in the media Australia, Rent, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Home ownership.Housing rental 'crisis' entrenching West Australian tenants in 'cycle of poverty'
Eliza Laschon ABC (No paywall)For Renna Gayde, having a home means everything. "It's my secure base. It's somewhere I can provide for my kids, it's somewhere where I can be safe," Ms Gayde said. The 45-year-old mother of four daughters was evicted from a rental home when her partner died in 2014. Her life spiralled out of control. ... Four years ago, Ms Gayde moved into a social housing unit which allowed her to start rebuilding her life — something she said she would always be grateful for. Now, two years into a social work degree and caring for her youngest daughter, she is ready to move on with her life. But Ms Gayde feels "stuck" in the social housing system as she confronts one of the most competitive rental markets Perth has seen in decades.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-30/wa-housing-crisis-keeps-p…
# Australia, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Housing market.Apartments in former Sydney public housing building Sirius to sell for up to $12 million
Charles Croucher 9 News (No paywall)They are the brutalist boxes guarding Sydney's CBD, and on Saturday the Sirius reconstruction begins its next significant step in a multi-million dollar makeover. "Interest has been enormous," Ben Stewart from CBRE residential projects told 9News exclusively. "We're very excited. It's a privilege to sell such a great development." CBRE is selling 76 units as part of the construction, promising a modern and luxurious finish to match one of Sydney's most sought-after views. ... The Sirius building was opened in 1981 as a public housing block, offering a home to hundreds of people. ... In 2016, Sirius was recommended for heritage listing, however the unanimous endorsement was rejected by the Baird government. That lead to the sale of the facility in 2018, forcing the relocation of the residents. ... Prices for one-bedroom apartments begin at $1.7million, with penthouses starting at $12 million.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/sirius-apartments-on-sale-this…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Heritage listings, Housing market, State Government.'It’s been hell': Underquoting in hot housing market frustrates young buyers
Naaman Zhou The Guardian (No paywall)A Guardian Australia analysis of recent property sales found that 29 out of 30 Sydney properties that sold for a publicly disclosed price between 8 May and 22 May sold for more than their price guide – including two that sold for $600,000 above. Underquoting is a breach of the Property Stock and Business Agents Act, but is notoriously difficult to prove, especially in a surging market. ... According to New South Wales Fair Trading, there have been 146 complaints of underquoting since the start of 2021, and only 27 real estate agents have been fined or otherwise disciplined for underquoting.
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/may/29/its-been-hell-und…
# NSW, Housing market, Landlords and agents.‘You will sterilise land from residential use’: New powers to refuse floodplain development
Angus Thompson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Billions of dollars of housing development across NSW will be put on the line and councils will be forced to consider flood evacuation routes under new state government planning powers for floodplains. The government has given councils the power to refuse development occurring on land above the previously prescribed one-in-100 year floodline, which could stymie swathes of western Sydney from further housing supply following this year’s devastating and deadly floods.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/you-will-sterilise-land-from-res…
# NSW, Housing market, Planning and development, State Government.Retrofitting leaky homes would cost £5bn over next four years, UK ministers told
Fiona Harvey The Guardian (No paywall)Renovating the UK’s draughty homes to low-carbon standards would cost the government only £5bn within the next four years and would create 100,000 jobs, cut people’s energy bills, increase tax revenue and bring tens of billions in economic benefits, the construction industry has estimated. Sector leaders have written to ministers proposing a new “national retrofit strategy” that they say would boost a green recovery in the UK and put Britain on track to meet its climate targets.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/28/retrofitting…
# International, Repairs, Utilities electricity water gas, Housing market.Hobart is in the grips of a rental crisis that isseeing prices soar and vacancy rates dive
Chelsea Cosgrove (Paywall)Residents are calling for caps on rental prices and more social housing as the tight rental market reaches a crisis point. ... Kate Wadley established ‘The Ethical Tasmanian Residential Rental Property Owners Association’.“The issue at the heart of this endeavour is the exploitation of the rental market ... owners need to be held accountable,”Ms Wadley said.“Landlords are charging an exorbitant amount for rent not because they need to but because they can.” But Tasmanian Residential Rental Property Owners president Louise Elliot says the finger should be pointed at local and federal governments. (Mercury)
https://www.themercury.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TMWEB…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.