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
Australia’s property market is still running hot and it’s not just in the big cities
Sinead Mangan ABC (No paywall)Australia's property market continues to boom, with Core Logic reporting values of houses lifting another 2.2% nationally in May. This growth is not just confined to the big cities with massive gains in regional Australia as well some of our regional capitals. It's cold comfort if you're currently looking to buy or rent a place in most parts of Australia with ongoing housing shortages continuing to be an issue across the nation. (ABC Australia Wide)
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/australia-wide/australia-w…
# Audio Australia, Housing market, Regional NSW.Owners in last-ditch attempt to recoup losses two years after Mascot Towers evacuation
Yumi Oba SBS (No paywall)The Mascot Towers debacle in which apartment owners were forced to evacuate the building has led to a raft of legislative changes, yet the 132 unit owners say they have been left forgotten. Now many who were once "silent" have come forward, ahead of a vote to decide their future, as a last plea to the government.
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/owners-in-last-ditch-att…
# NSW, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Adelaide single mum forced to eat from bins documents life on the edge of homelessness
ABC (No paywall)An Adelaide mother who documented her descent into poverty says she had to resort to eating out of bins as she struggled to pay her bills.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-02/adelaide-mum-facing-homel…
# Australia, Rent, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Women.First-home buyers will struggle to get into the market without help from family already in the market, experts warn
Melissa Heagney Domain (No paywall)Soaring house prices are heading to a point where the only way young people will be able to get into the market is with financial help from their family, experts say.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/first-home-buyers-will-struggle-t…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market, Young people.‘Grandparents need the backyard’: Boomers deepen housing crisis by staying in empty nests
Matt Wade and Tawar Razaghi The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)As the population ages and lifespans lengthen, older couples and singles are staying put in spacious dwellings for longer. That means fewer family homes in well-located neighbourhoods become available to those they were designed for: couples with young children. As a result, an army of prime-age workers and their kids must settle a long distance from the city’s most dynamic job hubs, such as the central business district. Others opt for a small home closer in, or resign themselves to forever renting close to work. Also, check out the Sydney Morning Herald's Editorial at: [https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/retirees-need-to-make-room-for-younger-families-in-inner-sydney-20210604-p57y9g.html]
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/grandparents-need-th…
# NSW, Home ownership, Housing market, Older people, Planning and development, Young people.Inside the Sydney ghost blocks that have sat dormant for decades
Michael Koziol The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)With space at such a premium, we expect our city centre to be chock-a-block with offices, shops, housing, parks, public spaces – anything. But even in the middle of Sydney there are still empty blocks of land where there is ... well, nothing. ... Matt Levinson from the Committee for Sydney think tank said ... “Every one of these dormant properties represents homes or public space we’re missing out on,” he said. “When affordability and proximity are critical issues limiting the future of our city, it’s inconceivable that a way can’t be found to bring these sites back into use.”
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/inside-the-sydney-ghost-bloc…
# NSW, Housing affordability, Planning and development, State Government.Ray White transforms the rental experience by collaborating with Snug
(No paywall)Rental application and inspection booking platform, Snug.com has formally announced its commercial partnership with Ray White, with the group having now onboarded more than 100 offices to its software platform. Renters can now book inspections and apply for Ray White residential rentals using Snug across participating Ray White offices. (eliteagent.com)
https://eliteagent.com/ray-white-transforms-the-rental-experienc…
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.Australian borrowers keep up with home loans as economy recovers, but warning over most indebted: S&P
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)Australian mortgage-holders are keeping up better with their repayments as the economy recovers from last year’s pandemic recession, but borrowers with big debts are more likely to be at risk.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/australian-borrowers-keeping-up-w…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.