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
Wollongong pensioner evicted as housing insecurity grows among older people
Natalie Croxon Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)A North Wollongong pensioner says he and his wife will have nowhere to go once they are forced to leave their apartment after their landlord decided against renewing their rental agreement. The situation facing Geoff Beasley and his wife is symptomatic of a wider problem that is pushing a growing number of older peopleinto housing stress and homelessness. Mr Beasley, 73, and his wife were served with a notice in February to vacate their home of about five years, an apartment owned by Presbyterian Aged Care NSW/ACT, by May 19. The notice seen by the Mercury said the tenancy agreement expired in 2020, but gave no further reason for the eviction. However, Mr Beasley – who admitted he was in rental arrears – said he was informed it was a ‘no grounds’ eviction: currently legal in NSW, but which the state government committed to ending.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/8595261/wollongong-pen…
# Hot topic Australia, Eviction, Rent.The man behind the housing towers heritage bid grew up in them. To him, they’re no eyesore
Royce Millar The Age (Soft Paywall)Melbourne’s public housing towers are often described as eyesores. But not by Christopher Lee, who grew up in the Lygon Street towers in Carlton, after his parents moved to Australia from Vietnam and Hong Kong in the 1970s. He recalls spacious and light-filled rooms; windows facing the internal lobbies and enhancing a sense of neighbourhood; bold, strong architecture; and fond childhood memories. In fact, Lee likes “the flats” so much that he is trying to have one heritage listed – and save it from the state government’s plan to demolish and rebuild the city’s public housing blocks. “I always had a soft spot for the towers,” he says. “I know that there were issues, but at their core, they were a very bold, strong architectural statement and, if they’re looked after, they can be great places to live.”
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-man-pushing-for-…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing.When Phillipa applied for housing, government lawyers summoned details about her assault
Amber Schultz The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)Federal disability agency lawyers have been accused of invading the privacy of an NDIS funding recipient by requesting a decade’s worth of notes from the woman’s psychiatrist when she challenged a housing decision. As the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) attempts to reduce its cost blowout, its legal expenses continue to grow, reaching $72.2 million in 2022-23, up from $58.7 million the year prior. Phillipa Camilleri is a sexual assault survivor with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, an autoimmune disease and mobility issues, who receives funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
https://www.smh.com.au/national/when-phillipa-applied-for-housin…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Discrimination.No-grounds evictions taking a heavy toll on renters
Andy Kollmorgen CHOICE (No paywall)When you're a renter, there's always that worry hanging over your head: you just don't know how long the landlord is going to let you keep living there. That's because 'no-grounds' evictions are allowed in NSW and other states and territories across Australia, meaning the landlord can serve you with an eviction notice without having to give a reason. In NSW, that can happen 30 days before a fixed-term lease expires. If you're on a periodic month-to-month lease, you'll get a minimum of 90 days' notice.
https://www.choice.com.au/money/property/renting/articles/tenant…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction.Sydney Lays Housing Crisis Solution at BtR’s Feet
Renee McKeown The Urban Developer (No paywall)Build-to-rent and co-living apartments could be the solution to curbing a growing number of empty investment properties across Sydney, according to the city. The City of Sydney and North Sydney council areas have the highest level of “inactive” houses in the city’s greater region, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. To stem this tide, the City of Sydney wants to boost floorspace for new and converted build-to-rent towers from 20 to 75 per cent, and give 20 per cent more to co-living accommodation.
https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/sydney-build-to-rent-…
# Hot topic NSW, .Renters go bush to buy a slice of sunshine
Jo Lauder ABC (No paywall)The first hint of the Haystacks Solar Farm near Grong Grong, about five-and-a-half hour’s drive from Sydney, is a subtle glint of sunshine as it bounces off the PV panels. A plot on Gemma Purcell’s land the “size of a Bunnings car park” now hosts several rows of solar panels with the capacity to generate 1.5 megawatts of electricity. But it’s not its size or the technology of her solar farm that makes it special.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-23/australia-s-first-solar-g…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Housing wait times top five years in parts of NSW
Luke Costin Canberra Times (No paywall)Women and children are being forced to choose between sleeping in a car or returning to a dangerous home because of a lack of social housing in NSW, a peak body says. Analysis of Australia's largest social housing system illustrates a stubbornly large applicant list and growing wait times since June. The average "priority" applicant waits 14 weeks for a home. "It means domestic violence survivors are forced to choose between sleeping in a vehicle or returning to a dangerous home," Homelessness NSW chief executive Dom Rowe said on Wednesday.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8603421/housing-wait-time…
# Must read NSW, Public and community housing, Rent.New data confirms NSW property affordability is failing renters
7 News (No paywall)VIDEO: This is the worst time to rent a home in NSW, according to new data. It confirmed what renters have been feeling for months, with affordability falling to the lowest level in history, and at least three quarters of all properties simply out of reach.
# Hot topic, Video NSW, Rent.