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
Inaction on no-fault evictions blamed for thousands facing homelessness
Gwyn Topham The Guardian (No paywall)Households in England have been threatened more than 80,000 times with homelessness due to no-fault evictions since the Conservative government first announced it would outlaw the practice, according to a homeless charity. Promised legislation to scrap section 21 notices, which allow landlords to end tenancies at will with just two months’ notice, were first announced in parliament exactly five years ago, on 15 April 2019, by the then prime minister, Theresa May, and were repeated in the Conservative manifesto, but the bill has been repeatedly delayed.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/15/no-fault-evictio…
# Hot topic International, Eviction.Single mum with arthritis faces homelessness after 'absolutely disgusting' no-fault eviction
Liam Geraghty The Big Issue (UK) (No paywall)A single mum has called for people facing a no-fault eviction to be given more time to find a new home as she faces a race against time to avoid homelessness next month. Debbie Graham, 54, is desperately searching for a new place to live after receiving a Section 21 notice in February, leaving her until 26 April to find a new home. The part-time mental health support worker, who suffers with arthritis, said she now expects to be sofa surfing at her friends while her 20-year-old son Jamie stays with his grandmother after giving up on finding another private rented home. As the Renters Reform Bill looks set to be “watered down” with amendments when it returns to parliament in the coming weeks, Graham backed rent campaigners’ calls for longer notice periods so tenants can find a place to live. “It’s looking like I will be homeless,” said Graham.
https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/no-fault-eviction-homeless…
# Must read International, Eviction.Will pet bonds really be a win-win? I’m not holding my breath
Kristin Kelly The Spinoff (No paywall)Renting in New Zealand, generally speaking, sucks. At the time of the last census, home-ownership rates were the lowest they’d been in almost 70 years yet as a country we continue to think of, and regulate for, renting as though it is an interim measure on the path to the Kiwi dream. Compared to the OECD average, our rentals are expensive, and in short supply. Their quality remains lower than owner-occupied homes and in 2019 we ranked fifth-equal-lowest in the OECD for restrictiveness of land controls and tenancy security.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/16-04-2024/will-pet-bonds-real…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Rent controls work: They don’t reduce housing supply but they do limit profit
Ricardo Tranjan The Toronto Star (No paywall)With the housing debate in Canada today so focused on building new housing, it’s easy to lose sight of an obvious fact: most tenants are currently housed. What is more, they are housed in suitable-sized places that don’t need major repairs. The challenge so many tenants face today is not finding a place but affording and keeping the one they already have. The response to this problem is well-known: effective rent controls. In recent years, new studies have demonstrated that rent controls work. They stabilize rent increases without negative effects. Provincial governments could put an end to skyrocketing rents right now — if they were really interested in doing so.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/rent-controls-work-…
# Hot topic International, Rent.International evidence shows that increasing tenants’ rights does not scare off landlords
Jamie Gollings Conservative Home (No paywall)It seems that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities are resigned to pulling measures to ban no-fault evictions from their Renters Reform Bill. In a recent letter to Conservative MPs, Jacob Young, the Levelling-Up Minister, outlined plans “to require the Lord Chancellor to publish an assessment on barriers to possession and the readiness of the courts in advance of abolishing Section 21 for existing tenancies”. This refers to Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, which gives landlords the right to evict tenants with two months’ notice, even if they have perfectly abided by their tenancy agreements, whenever they wish.
https://conservativehome.com/2024/04/11/jamie-gollings-internati…
# Hot topic International, Rent.The men and decisions behind Australia’s housing crisis
Mike Seccombe The Saturday Paper (No paywall)The crude political calculus behind Australia’s housing crisis was never more clearly expressed than by John Howard during an interview on Brisbane radio on September 19, 2003. Since the election of the Coalition government in 1996, house prices had doubled. Howard’s interviewer wanted to know what the government planned to do about it. The answer was nothing. “I haven’t found anybody in seven-and-a-half years shake their fist at me and say, ‘Howard, I’m angry with you for letting the value of my house increase,’ ” the then prime minister said. That line has been cited with increasing frequency over recent times as the crisis has worsened. More revealing, however, was what followed.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/economy/2024/04/13/the-…
# Must read Australia, .Bluey's family might be selling their house. What does it mean that they couldn't afford to buy it?
Daniel Ziffer ABC (No paywall)Australia's favourite family, The Heelers, appear to be on the move. A "For Sale" sign is outside their three-bedroom house, a wooden, semi-elevated Queenslander-style house that's home to Bluey and her younger sister Bingo. Enjoyed by millions of viewers here and overseas for its hilarity and warmth, the Bluey series is an engaging fantasy of Australian family life. But it's a stark contrast to the reality of a housing crisis that's making life difficult for millions of local families.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-13/blueys-family-may-sell-th…
# Hot topic Australia, .WA MP served no-grounds eviction notice from Guildford landlord
Sarah Brookes WA Today (No paywall)Independent MP Wilson Tucker rallied alongside tenants and housing advocates on the steps of WA Parliament on Tuesday to demand greater protection for renters after he received a “without grounds” termination notice last week. Tucker is currently leasing a house in Guildford and said as one of the few MPs who rent their home, he had firsthand experience navigating the crisis in the sector. The Rental Tenancies Amendment Bill includes reforms to limit rent increases to annually and give tenants more freedom to have pets and make minor changes to dwellings.
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/wa-mp-serv…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.