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
Regional services brace for more homelessness as JobKeeper welfare payments dry up
Nathan Morris and Jeremy Story Carter ABC (No paywall)Regional homelessness services say they are at capacity, and the end of JobKeeper and cuts to JobSeeker will see more people needing support — some for the first time. In some areas, vacancy rates are below one per cent and emergency accommodation is full, leaving nowhere for the vulnerable to go.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-30/regional-homeless-fears-j…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market, Regional NSW, Welfare.Asian shoppers, greyer citizens and climate: three megatrends shaping NSW
Matt Wade The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)When Gladys Berejiklian became Premier in 2017 she famously cited housing affordability as one of her top priorities, saying it was the “biggest concern people have across the state”. That concern hasn’t gone away. The latest Ipsos Issues Monitor, which asks respondents to select the three most important issues facing the community, showed housing affordability was the equal top concern in NSW in the December quarter, alongside health and unemployment. (You can check the original source at: [https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/publication/documents/2021-02/im_nsw_dec20.pdf]) The best solution to this challenge is a plentiful supply of new dwellings, especially in well located parts of Sydney. Shrewd urban planning will be needed to achieve that.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/asian-shoppers-greye…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Housing market, Planning and development, State Government.School gyms and tent cities: Government support fails to ‘hit the mark’ for renters as moratorium ends
Tess Ingram The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)From Western Australia ... When Patricia Dellaporte decided not to renew her rental lease last year, she didn’t realise she would be thrust into one of the worst rental markets in Western Australia in decades. “We had lived there for about a year and a half but it was old and run down, there were white ants and I was paying a lot in rent… I wanted to try and save so I could buy,” she said. “I wish I could go back and choose to stay there.” ... Ms Dellaporte has joined the public housing waitlist and called housing support services. “I have told them I’m homeless, I have a toddler, I don’t want to be on the streets and I need help. They say they can’t help me. They say ring back in a month, or ring back next week but I have been trying for months now.” On Sunday, the COVID-induced ban on evictions and price hikes in WA’s rental market will end ...
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/school-gyms-an…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market.Greens council could walk away from ambitious housing plan
Rachel Eddie The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)An ambitious plan to turn underutilised land surrounding Collingwood Town Hall into affordable housing could be doomed without support from the Greens, prompting a smackdown from Planning Minister Richard Wynne. Yarra City Council will vote on Tuesday Night on whether it still wants to build 200 units on the town hall precinct, off Hoddle Street, 50 per cent of which would be social and affordable housing.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/greens-council-could-wa…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Local Government, Planning and development.Gangnam furore: Moon sacks top economic aide for raising rent
Hyonhee Shin The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)South Korean President Moon Jae-in has fired his top economic policy adviser for raising the rent on an apartment he owns in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district amid a public furore over skyrocketing home prices. Kim Sang-jo raised the rent by about 14 per cent in July, two days before a 5 per cent cap on rent increases took effect as part of government efforts to protect tenants from unreasonable hikes. ... The uproar over housing affordability intensified earlier this month after employees of a state housing developer were accused of insider trading in land.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/gangnam-furore-moon-sacks-top-…
# International, Rent, Affordable housing, Housing market.Hunter homelessness at record levels
Matthew Kelly (No paywall)Rates of homelessness and insecure housing in the Hunter have reached all-time highs, according to long-term welfare workers. Crisis accommodation support is also at breaking point, while rental vacancies are virtually non-existent. ... Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service coordinator Nicole Grgas, Coordinator described the worsening situation as terrifying. “Hunter Tenants is seeing the highest level of demand for assistance in our history,” she said. “Almost half of our calls are from tenants facing eviction, many of these are for no grounds, or no-fault evictions. “We are speaking with people who have never had issues finding a rental before who are now facing the real risk of homelessness for the first time in their lives. They are terrified.” (Newcastle Herald)
https://app.newcastleherald.com.au/2021/03/29/hunter-homelessnes…
# Hot topic NSW, Eviction, Rent, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Housing market, Regional NSW, Welfare.Banks under pressure to lift long-term rates as funding costs rise
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Banks are under pressure to start raising interest rates on longer-term fixed rate mortgages to preserve profits amid a blow out in funding costs on global financial markets. ... In normal times only about 15 per cent of new Australian home loans are fixed, but that proportion has surged to 40 per cent since mid 2020.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/banks-under-…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Approvals for units and townhouses surge
Alex Druce The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Building approvals for houses were at record highs in February, while townhouses and units bounced by nearly 50 per cent off January’s nine-year low. (Viewed in entry at 12.47pm)
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/asx-set-to-rise-brisbane…
# Australia, Housing market.