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
Four graphs showing the state of homelessness in England
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)Efforts by the government, councils and charities to find self-contained accommodation for all rough sleepers is widely viewed as one of the biggest success stories of the government’s coronavirus response, and is one of the rare instances where the UK has fared well when compared with other nations. Yet while the past year has brought renewed focus to the plight of those sleeping on the street, and fostered a new optimism that rough sleeping can be dramatically reduced in this country, it is important to point out that homelessness is not just about rough sleepers.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/four-graphs-show…
# Hot topic International, Homelessness.Debt looms for deferred Covid rent
The Australian (Paywall)Landlords unwilling to reduce rent during the pandemic have left tens of thousands of Australians at risk of becoming homeless.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TA…
# Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Rental evictions
(No paywall)A suite of protections for tenants will disappear next month, plunging renters into housing stress. (PRIME 7 News Wagga)
# Video NSW, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Regional NSW.Housing for Thriving in a Post-COVID World
Louise Crabtree and others (No paywall)Among Australians’ various experiences of the pandemic, the complexities of Melbourne’s social-housing lockdown demonstrated a microcosm of the issues at play ... Australia’s housing system is dominated by an owning–renting tenure duopoly, but there are many other ways to configure housing access that speak to the social nature of people and the embedded and relational nature of property. ... [This article goes on to look in some detail at] alternative housing forms, including community land trusts (CLTs) ... (Arena)
https://arena.org.au/housing-for-thriving-in-a-post-covid-world/
# Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability.Public housing: where are the architects now?
Patricia Arcilla The Fifth Estate (No paywall)Opinion: This Saturday February 13, residents of the Explorer Street estate in Eveleigh, supported by Friends of Erskineville and Hands Off Glebe, will take to the streets in defence of their homes, which are slated for redevelopment. Architects who are serious about using their voice and skills for social good should consider making time to come along, first this Saturday and then every other time possible.
https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/public-housin…
# NSW, Public and community housing, State Government.Regulators to keep a close eye on housing market, say economists
Euan Black The New Daily (No paywall)Regulators could slam the brakes on Australia’s housing upswing within the next one to two years, according to some prominent economists. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Tuesday announced it was introducing more stringent loan-to-value restrictions (“macroprudential policies“) to reduce risks to financial stability, after national property prices rose by a whopping 17.3 per cent over the 12 months to December. Although prices in New Zealand have risen at a much faster rate than in Australia, the announcement has led to speculation among local economists that Australia could implement a similar intervention within 24 months.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/02/11/macroprud…
# Hot topic Australia, Housing market.Australian property prices could rise further when lending laws are relaxed, experts say
Tawar Razaghi Domain (Paywall)Australia’s rapidly rising property prices are tipped to get a further shot in the arm if responsible lending laws are relaxed next month and buyers can potentially borrow more money, according to housing experts.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/australian-property-prices-set-to…
# Australia, Housing market.Forced home sales unlikely as deferral schemes come to an end: CBA
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Commonwealth Bank says many borrowers who froze their mortgage repayments in response to COVID-19 are switching to lower fixed rates or interest-only loans to avoid the prospect of selling their homes. At the end of next month, emergency loan deferrals offered by banks in response to the pandemic will end, requiring customers to either resume their repayments or look at other options, including selling their property.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/forced-home-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership.