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
Andy Burnham says he’ll end rough sleeping – here’s what’s needed to make it happen
Jo Richardson The Conversation (No paywall)On his first day as prime minister, Andy Burnham promised to end rough sleeping, and pledged an additional £340 million to the cause. A positive aim for society, to be sure, but what he didn’t mention is that we’ve nearly solved this before. The question isn’t whether ending rough sleeping is desirable or achievable, it’s why previous attempts have collapsed.
https://theconversation.com/andy-burnham-says-hell-end-rough-sle…
# International, .Landlords promised to sell up after the Renters Rights Act — instead they did this
Jessica Lindsay Metro (No paywall)As landlords made every effort to thwart the introduction of the Renters Rights Act, we were told that trying to make things better would do the opposite, and instead lead to a mass exodus of the industry’s ‘good guys’. The implication was that increased regulation would prompt them to cut their losses and sell up, making the situation even more unbearable for tenants than before. But despite these protestations, the repeatedly-delayed bill — which capped rent increases, abolished Section 21 no-fault evictions and banned accepting or encouraging ‘bids’ to secure properties — eventually came into law last year, then into force last month.
https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/26/landlords-lying-renters-ones-payi…
# Must read International, .Why Rent Keeps Rising Because of Wall Street
Anisha Steephen Time (No paywall)Every year, millions of renters get the same bad news: the rent is going up, again. Most people assume they know why—inflation pushed costs up, there isn't enough supply, or the landlord is just greedy. Those assumptions aren't entirely wrong. But they are incomplete. The reason the rent is too damn high is because Wall Street is counting on it. From the stock market to the labor market, much of our economy is based on expectations. Your rent is more than a monthly bill. It is a financial projection. Rental housing in the United States is increasingly organized as a financial asset class.
https://time.com/article/2026/07/21/why-rent-keeps-rising-becaus…
# International, Rent.Woman highlights importance of vetting rentals
David Campbell realestate.com.au (No paywall)A UK woman’s share house experience has highlighted the importance of properly vetting potential roommates and landlords. Charlotte, who lives in Australia now, had a shocking experience five years ago when she moved in with a man who was also her landlord. A university student and just 26 years old at the time, Charlotte said she saw no red flags with the man when she first met him. That perception changed quickly after she moved in.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/woman-highlights-importance-o…
# International, Starting a tenancy.Affordable housing often costs more to build than market‑rate housing – Colorado is closing the gap
Solomon Greene The Conversation (No paywall)In much of the United States, developers spend more to build an affordable apartment for a low-income family than a market-rate one just down the street – sometimes far more. It is one of the central paradoxes of the nation’s housing crisis: The affordable homes that lower-income renters need most tend to be the costliest to build.
https://theconversation.com/affordable-housing-often-costs-more-…
# International, .Rental searches for pet friendly properties drop after law change
Kevin Peachey BBC (No paywall)Rightmove searches for rental properties that allow pets have plummeted since law changes gave renters more rights. Following the introduction of the new rules, pet searches dropped by more than 50% in May and June compared with a year earlier. Landlords in England cannot unreasonably refuse pets in their properties under changes made in May in the Renters' Rights Act. But agents say some renters wrongly believe permission to have a pet is guaranteed, and landlords say some homes remain unsuitable for multiple pets or large dogs.
# International, Pets.Owning a home 'not an option for my generation'
Martin Heath BBC (No paywall)Young people in Hertfordshire are calling on the government to provide affordable places for them to live. One couple paying £900 per month for a flat "with no space" said they were relying on food banks and family hand-outs. A 17-year-old whose case was raised in Parliament said young people were "not really given the option of owning" their own home. The government said the new Renters' Rights Act was giving tenants more protection and thousands of new affordable homes were being built.
# International, .Angela Rayner rules out rent controls in England
James Gregory BBC (No paywall)Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has said Prime Minister Andy Burnham is not looking at bringing in rent controls in England. She told BBC Breakfast that changes made through the Renters' Rights Act, which came into effect in May, were "already having a significant impact on the market". She added that controls which had been implemented in some areas of the UK over the past few years had not "necessarily brought rents down". In 2023 when he was the mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham called for freezes to private sector rents until the cost of living crisis was over.
# International, .