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
Private rents fall in UK's biggest cities by up to 12% amid Covid crisis
Rupert Jones The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Private rents in some of the UK’s biggest city centres have fallen by up to 12% in a year but have risen sharply in parts of northern England as some tenants swapped an urban life for the suburbs, smaller towns and villages.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jan/27/private-rents-fall…
# International, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.Regional property price rises set to continue
John Collette The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The way COVID-19 is changing how people work is helping strengthen a trend that is seeing some regional house values track capital city prices higher. The coronavirus pandemic has made it more feasible for white-collar employees to work from home. Many are coming into the office for just one or two days a week. That appears to have reinforced a pre-COVID-19 tendency of people leaving big cities to take advantage of cheaper housing and a more attractive lifestyle. However, not all regional areas are seeing higher prices.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/regional-property-price-r…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Regional NSW.‘Competitive advantage’: Call for curbs as property sector ramps up political donations
David Crowe The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The property industry has ramped up its political donations to a fresh peak that takes its total funding to $54.2 million over the past two decades, finds new analysis that calls for curbs on the way big companies buy influence. ... [Geoffrey Watson, SC, diector of the Centre for Public integrity says] "Property developers rely on permits and licences to do business. This means that those companies with greater access and political favour are more likely to gain competitive advantage.” The Meriton Group met NSW ministers on at least 18 occasions between January and September last year, the analysis says, including talks on housing supply, the construction industry, tenancy relief, planning policy and the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more ...
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/competitive-advantage-ca…
# Australia, Housing market, Landlords and agents.‘We’re getting left behind’: Young people suffer under coronavirus two-track recovery
Matthew Elmas and Matt Johnston The New Daily (No paywall)It’s a discouraging forecast for recent nursing graduate Joshua Hermans, who wants to save for a deposit but won’t be in the market any time soon. Mr Hermans, 22, faces fronting up with a much larger deposit in five years’ time after current policy settings push up prices. “It’s frustrating,” he told The New Daily. “I feel like we’re getting left behind.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/01/25/coronavir…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership, Young people.Towers built but ‘mothballed’ as universities left without international students
Anna Patty The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Hundreds of students were expected to start filling two new university accommodation blocks in Sydney this week, but instead the buildings will remain empty for the year. Scape Australia co-founder and chief executive Stephen Gaitanos said a new building to house 200 students that has just been completed in Darlington, inner Sydney, was originally scheduled to start welcoming residents this week. Another building with 700 bedrooms, being constructed in Redfern, is due to be completed in June.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/towers-built-but-mothballed-…
# Hot topic Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Students.New laws make life easier for retirement village residents
(No paywall)Do you live in a retirement village or support someone who does? Are you planning to move into a village? Have you recently left one? This year brings welcome changes for retirement village residents. Read on ... (Seniors Card Extra)
http://enews.seniorscard.nsw.gov.au/pub/pubType/EO/pubID/zzzz5fd…
# NSW, Land lease communities.Family violence victims punished in tenancy tribunal - research
Kirsty Johnsoton (No paywall)From New Zealand ... Domestic violence victims are being fined in the Tenancy Tribunal for property damage caused by their abusers – contributing to poverty, homelessness and some women even returning to violent relationships, research has found. (Stuff)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/124029686/family-violence…
# International, Domestic violence, Tribunal NCAT, Homelessness, Women.Biden's extended eviction moratorium and stimulus plan would make a big difference for renters, but advocates stress the need for additional help
Erin Snodgrass (No paywall)From the United States ... Biden signed an executive action Wednesday to extend the federal eviction moratorium through March. Some experts want a broader moratorium, others say extensions will lead to more debt for renters. The housing and rental crisis has hit communities of colour especially hard. Read on ... (msn.com)
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/biden-s-extended-eviction-m…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.