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
Taxes waived on some city apartments to get buyers back to CBD
Clay Lucas The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)In a bid to keep apartment sales and construction going in central Melbourne, the Andrews government will waive stamp duty on new apartments that have languished on the market for more than a year.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/taxes-waived-on-some-ci…
# Australia, Strata, Housing market, Tax.Renting in Australia as house prices go through the roof is to keep one eye on the door
Celina Ribeiro The Guardian (No paywall)We had a leak a little while ago. Above our kitchen after heavy rains a ceiling stain turned into a drip and we called the landlord. He was good about it. He started sending over tradespeople, and came to inspect the damage. And then he started measuring our backyard. A granny flat or subdivision might boost his investment. That’s when we started saving cardboard boxes. We are not getting evicted. But we know we could.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/21/renting-in…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market.Surge in insurance premiums to push up reno costs for apartment owners
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Owners of apartments, terraces and townhouses in NSW will be hit with thousands of dollars in extra costs for repairs and renovations when insurance premiums surge by up to 50 per cent from late July.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/surge-in-insurance-premiums-…
# NSW, Strata, Housing market.A just recovery for renters
(No paywall)From Scotland ... Renters are at increased risk of losing their homes as a result of COVID-related rent arrears and debt, unless they are thrown a lifeline with further targeted support. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation)
https://housingnet.co.uk/pdf/a_just_recovery_for_renters.pdf
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Scrap Stamp Duty and implement annual property tax - call
Graham Norwood (No paywall)A think tank wants the government to scrap stamp duty and replace it with an annual property tax based on capital value. (EstateAgentToday)
https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2021/5/tax-dema…
# International, Housing market, Tax.Property Unpacked podcast: Can rent-to-buy work?
Hailey Coules Domain (No paywall)Getting into the property market at the moment is feeling near impossible for a lot of Australians, plus it’s causing some buyers to rush their purchase and nab whatever they can, before they know if they even like the neighbourhood. One option that’s emerged is “rent with the option to buy” – certainly different to how the market usually works.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/property-unpacked-podcast-does-re…
# Video Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.‘If there’s community transmission, our population will die’: Vaccinating Sydney’s homeless
Mary Ward The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)[Jayden Poi] the 44-year-old resident at St Vincent de Paul’s Matthew Talbot hostel for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness was among more than 100 people vaccinated at the Ozanam learning centre in Woolloomooloo on Thursday. It was the first day of a weekly four-hour clinic for the local community ... “If there’s community transmission, our population will be the people who will die or will be very sick,” Julie Smith, manager of Matthew Talbot’s healthcare clinic, said.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/if-there-s-community-transmi…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health, Homelessness.‘Expect to see mortgage rates moving up’: Bank funding costs to rise as $200b scheme ends
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The end of a $200 billion emergency Reserve Bank funding scheme put in place to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus crisis is expected to lift fixed mortgage rates from ultra low levels and dampen soaring demand for housing.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/expect-to-se…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.