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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
Hundreds evicted from France’s biggest squat months before Paris Olympics
Angelique Chrisafis The Guardian (No paywall)Police have evicted hundreds of people from the biggest squat in France, in a southern suburb of Paris, prompting fresh accusations from charities that authorities are seeking to clear refugees, asylum seekers and homeless people from the capital area before the Olympics. The squat, in an abandoned bus company headquarters in Vitry-sur-Seine, had been home to up to 450 people, many of whom had refugee status, legal paperwork and jobs in France, but who could not find proper housing. As they left the building they were encouraged to board buses to other parts of France. The early morning eviction by police in riot gear began just as France celebrated the milestone of 100 days until the start of the Paris Games. Charities have said the state and authorities want to clear homeless people from the streets and squats to make Paris and its suburbs look better for the event, which begins on 26 July.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/17/hundreds-evicted-f…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent.Return of renters Bill to Parliament ‘little cause for celebration’
Aine Fox The Standard (No paywall)Landlords have urged MPs to get on with passing long-promised rental reforms as a Bill returns to Parliament next week, but campaigners have warned it could be “waste of time” after claiming it has been watered down. The Renters (Reform) Bill will have its report stage in the House of Commons on April 24, Penny Mordaunt confirmed on Thursday. Plans to consult on new legislation to abolish Section 21 so-called no-fault evictions were first announced in 2019.
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/money/return-of-renters-bill…
# Hot topic International, .The fall of the Queen of Airbnb
Dan Latu Business Insider (Soft Paywall)On a mild Tuesday evening in early 2022, some 150 people packed into the VFW hall in Tulsa to hear the Queen of Airbnb make her pitch. Post-pandemic, with interest rates low and travel once again booming, Airbnb listings had been popping up all over the city. For average investors, the back-of-the-napkin math was irresistible. In Tulsa, you could buy a suburban-style home for less than $75,000 and rent it out for $117 a night. If you booked three-quarters of each month — as hosts were averaging at the time— you could bring in as much as $30,000 a year.
https://www.businessinsider.com/meteoric-rise-spectacular-fall-a…
# Hot topic International, .Artist evicted by London landlord cuts rent by commuting from Argentina
Robert Booth The Guardian (No paywall)An artist who was made homeless after being evicted by his private landlord in London has started effectively commuting from Argentina where the rent is so much cheaper that it covers the cost of air fare. Andy Leek, 38, whose Notes to Strangers works are pasted on to walls and junction boxes across more than 20 British and European cities, has moved to Buenos Aires where the rents are several times cheaper and he travels back to the UK roughly every two months for work. The flight costs less than a monthly train season ticket between Bristol and London.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/19/artist-evicted-b…
# International, Rent.Rent-control battle heats up in Concord
CBS News (No paywall)United States of America: After 7 years of often angry debate, the city of Concord passed a new rent control and eviction ordinance, much to the delight of tenant rights advocates. But now, the new law is on hold as landlords scramble to try and put the matter before voters.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/video/rent-control-battle-h…
# Video International, Rent.A constant worry: Renters confront the impact of unfair evictions
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Eviction impacts lives. Moving house is generally considered one of life’s most stressful events: the financial costs, and stress involved are substantial, and these are exacerbated when a household is forced to move. This report examines this impact, and specifically for those who have been evicted without being provided a reason. It draws on and centres the experiences of renters in NSW who have directly experienced a ‘no grounds’ eviction, often more than once, as well as renters who have not directly been served a ‘no grounds’ notice, but experience them as a chronic and persistent threat throughout their tenancy. For this report we surveyed 123 NSW renters, asking them about the impact of the eviction financially and emotionally. We asked about challenges they may have faced in securing alternative housing, and how the ‘no grounds’ eviction – or the possibility of eviction – affected them during their next tenancy.
# Must read, TUNSW in the media, Research alert NSW, Eviction.Brock got the news the day he asked for repairs – one of 30,000 NSW renters evicted without a reason each year
Cait Kelly The Guardian (No paywall)Brock’s bathroom sink was leaking last year. The landlord had attended to the repair himself – they had chatted, got along. In January Brock, who did not want his last name used, sent a few emails about a leaking air conditioner. The property manager said she would organise a tradie to visit at the earliest convenience. That didn’t happen. But when Brock sent another email about the sink, which had again become a problem, he thought it would get fixed. Instead, within hours, he and his partner were served with a notice to vacate. The couple pay $475 a week for a two-bedroom home in regional New South Wales.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/03/brock-got…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Rent, Repairs.‘A big problem for a large part of society’: Sydney rents hit record highs
Tawar Razaghi The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Sydney rents have hit record highs and experts warn the city’s rental crisis has become entrenched, escalating pressure on middle-income earners, under-40s and anyone priced out of home ownership. Asking rents for a typical house hit $750 a week after rising 13.6 per cent – or $90 a week – over the year to March, the latest Domain Rent Report released on Thursday showed. The median asking rent for units hit $700, a 12.9 per cent increase – or $80 a week – in the same period. Experts say the persistent escalation of the rental crisis is a leading cause of high inflation, cost-of-living pressures on households, and homelessness.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/a-big-problem-for-a-large-p…
# TUNSW in the media, Research alert NSW, .