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
Landlords find eviction loophole with boarding house agreements
Ke-Xin Li Waikato Times (No paywall)Landlords are shortening eviction timelines by getting people on boarding house agreements. In a tight rental market, those desperate for homes “won’t look twice before signing”, Community Law Waikato says. The organisation’s already seen cases where landlords were using boarding house rules when the property wasn’t classed as one. And, at a recent viewing in Hamilton, a Waikato Times reporter was told by the landlord that the shorter eviction notice period was an advantage.
https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/350265222/landlords-find-…
# Must read International, Eviction.‘Everything’s just … on hold’: the Netherlands’ next-level housing crisis
Jon Henley The Guardian (No paywall)It started maybe 10 years ago, says Tamara Kuschel. Since the 1970s, the charity she works for in Amsterdam, De Regenboog, has run day shelters for homeless people – typically, people with serious addiction and mental health issues. Then, in about 2015, a new kind of client began to appear. “They didn’t have the usual problems of homeless people,” Kuschel says. “They had jobs, friends. In every respect, their lives were very much together. But they couldn’t afford a home.” Some are not young, she says. The oldest, last year, was 72. They have, typically, recently been involved in a relationship break-up, had a small business fail or been unable to afford a rent rise.. “We can help some,” she says. “But we’re just a sticking plaster, really.”
https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/may/06/netherlands…
# Hot topic International, Rent.The federal government can do more about home costs than you think
Kathryn Watson CBS News (No paywall)The cost to buy a home has reached historic highs in the U.S. — the median price of a home is $420,800, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis — and housing and mortgage costs are increasingly turning into a November election issue. Home shoppers today need to an annual income of $114,000 in order to comfortably afford a typical home in the U.S., according to Redfin, nearly double what was needed to afford a typical home in 2020. That figure is far above the 2022 median household income of $74,580, according to the Census Bureau.
# Hot topic International, .Calgarian petitioning for rule change around pets in rental housing
Adam MacVicar Global News (No paywall)Calgary dog owner is looking to spark change to rules around pets in rental properties as many across the city face challenges finding a place to live. Pierre Noiseux has been looking for a new place to live for six months, but finds his applications are turned down when landlords find out about his two-year-old dog Stark. “He’s a pitbull mix, so trying to find a rental is impossible,” Noiseux told Global News. “You send a picture of your pet and they take one look and are like, ‘No thank you.'”
https://globalnews.ca/news/10465916/calgarian-petition-pets-rent…
# Must read International, Discrimination, Rent.B.C.’s new short-term rental restrictions now in effect
Simon Little Global News (No paywall)British Columbia’s new restrictions on short-term rentals are now in effect. The regulations, which took effect on Wednesday, May 1, are aimed at moving thousands of units listed through services like Airbnb and VRBO from the short-term market to the traditional rental pool. The rules apply to cities of 10,000 or more and to municipalities that voluntarily opt in. Under the regulations, hosts can only rent out their primary residence or one secondary suite or laneway home. Local governments can apply their bylaws if they are equally or more restrictive than those of the province.
https://globalnews.ca/news/10462780/bc-short-term-rental-restric…
# Hot topic International, .Temporary residents in overcrowded spaces, paying more for less amid Sydney's rental crisis, experts say
Sean Tarek Goodwin ABC (No paywall)For Belgian university student William Vanneste, a three-month-long internship in Sydney seemed like the perfect way to round off his studies. But, like many temporary students and workers, finding an affordable place to stay was harder than he expected. "For people staying for only one month, two months, I think it's very difficult. Most of them are still in hostels," the 22-year-old said. After staying in a hostel, he moved into a furnished two-bedroom apartment on Sydney's lower north shore which he rented with a pair of other short-term residents from France.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-07/sydney-tough-rental-marke…
# Must read NSW, Rent, Share houses.Do-it-yourself renovating a growing trend as union seeks better protection for renters
Grace Atta ABC (No paywall)As Australia's tradie shortage and housing crisis continues, there are growing concerns about a lack of policing for do-it-yourself (DIY) renovation and repair work for rental properties. The rise of shoddy repair and renovation works in rental properties has been dubbed the "landlord special" on tenant rights' internet forums. Broken Hill Real estate agent Zeta Bennett says regional areas like her own in Far West NSW are becoming increasingly popular for buyers looking for a "fixer-upper" due to market affordability. She says that while many who renovate their properties with the aim of selling or renting them do it well, and often have a background as tradespeople, not everyone is doing things by the book.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-02/diy-renovating-trend-tena…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media Australia, Rent, Repairs.From housing to homes: NSW housing expert calls for radical rethink to deliver family-friendly apartments
James Martin Institute for Public Policy (No paywall)With mounting housing and cost-of-living pressures across Australia, families in apartments are largely being overlooked by existing urban planning and property development policies, which is further exacerbating the lack of suitable and affordable homes in New South Wales. This is according to a new report released today by the James Martin Institute for Public Policy. Planning for the inclusion of families with children in apartments by Dr Sophie-May Kerr identifies opportunities for policy reform to better cater to the needs of families raising children in apartments across New South Wales (NSW). Dr Kerr, Research Associate at the UNSW City Futures Research Centre and a JMI Policy Fellow, argues that Australian apartments need to better meet the needs and preferences of families with children.
https://jmi.org.au/news/from-housing-to-homes-nsw-housing-expert…
# Hot topic NSW, .