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
Chip off the old blocks: would Australia’s empty office towers be better off as housing?
Lisa Green The Guardian (No paywall)"It’s crazy to leave existing infrastructure empty when we have people sleeping in the streets,” says Robert Pradolin, founder and executive director of Housing All Australians. As office blocks stand half empty in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, at the same time as a severe shortage in affordable housing makes headlines, it is tempting to think the former issue might be a solution to the latter. ... However, leading design industry practitioners say the only Australian office buildings viable for conversion to residential flats were built before the 1980s.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/may/07/chip-off-th…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.'Affordable decent housing’ – the 2nd most important liveability attribute
Dan Evans (No paywall)Affordable decent housing’ is the 2nd most important attribute that Australians believe contributes to making somewhere a good place to live, with 51% nominating among their top five liveability attributes – behind ‘feeling safe’ (72%) and ahead of ‘high quality health services’ (48%). ‘Access to the natural environment’ (47%) and ‘a diverse range of shopping, leisure and dining experiences’ (33%) were the 4th and 5th most important. (.id blog)
https://blog.id.com.au/2021/community-views/affordable-decent-ho…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Housing market.‘Weapons grade bulls---’: Property data challenges sales blather
Noel Towell The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Former dotcom entrepreneur Evan Thornley is using data to turn long-held myths in Australia’s real estate industry – including where best to buy to get the most capital growth – on their head. ... The entrepreneur says he is puzzled that in an industry where so much comprehensive data is available, “weapons grade bullshit” remains widespread.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/weapons-grade-bulls-…
# Australia, Housing market.The reality of WA’s rental market: more than 19,000 households in need but only one affordable home
Marta Pascual Juanola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Western Australia’s 19,300 households in urgent need of an affordable home are staring into the homelessness abyss with only one property in the entire state within reach for low-income earners. ... Tony Pietropiccolo, the chief executive of counselling service Centrecare, said “We’re getting thousands of calls a month with people absolutely desperate to find a home. We cannot keep up.” Meanwhile, a growing number of people are resorting to living in cars, tents, and friends’ homes to make ends meet.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/the-reality-of…
# Australia, Rent, Affordable housing, Housing affordability, Housing market, State Government.Property price rises are a welcome sign of a return to normal
Editorial The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)There can be no clearer sign that the economy is getting back to normal than the conversations around town expressing excitement and outrage at the rise in property prices. ... But it is also the result of federal and state government policies, including the massive government stimulus and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s near-zero interest rates ... However, the price jump has many people concerned that either a housing bubble of inflated prices will burst, leaving them worse off, or else prices will continue to rise indefinitely making it impossible for renters and young people to save enough for a deposit to buy their own home. ... The federal government should also look at recalibrating property taxes on negative gearing and capital gains which currently unduly favour investment in housing.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/property-price-rises…
# Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market, State Government, Tax, Young people.Darling House, The Rocks
(No paywall)The moment Dr Shane Moran first saw Darling House in 2016 and discovered the significant provenance of the heritage listed Dawes Point property, his vision began forming. Today, that vision has been realised with every magnificent detail captured and brought to life for seven very fortunate residents. But back in 2016 this property, owned by the NSW Land and Housing Corporation, was part of the NSW Government's sell-off of public housing stock in Millers Point. Check out its story at: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darling_House,_Millers_Point]. Check out 'Farewell Darling House' at: [https://millerspointcommunity.com.au/2063-2/]. Check out its sale in 2016 at: [https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-millers+point-121739534].
# NSW, Public and community housing, Heritage listings, Housing market.Three landlords tried kicking her out in one year. Can she last much longer?
Kyle Swenson (No paywall)From United States ... Here now was another stranger at her door telling her to go. A property manager hired by the new landlord, he said. Patricia Mendoza had never seen him before, but she could guess what he was about to say. Legal terms and numbers. Friendly offers and veiled threats. He would be searching, trial and error, for the right combination of words that, like a magic spell, would make her disappear. “Okay,” the property manager said. “You haven’t paid rent since December, right? So December, January, February. Three months.” He explained that the new owner, who had purchased in December, was planning to renovate all four of the units. But Mendoza had heard it before. (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/05/06/eviction-noti…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.There will be 150,000 new homes in Sydney in four years. More than 200 suburbs will get none of them
Nigel Gladestone The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)More than 150,000 dwellings are forecast to be built across Sydney in the next four years but more than a quarter of the city’s suburbs will be untouched by the development. NSW Department of Planning forecasters estimate between 132,800 and 171,200 new homes will be built in Sydney by 2025, reflecting continued uncertainty due to COVID-19. But no new homes are forecast to be built in 223 Sydney suburbs.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/there-will-be-150-000-new-ho…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Planning and development, State Government.