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
'It's hard to breathe': Dampness, mould return to Wellington flats as cold weather arrives
Ethan Te Ora (No paywall)A story from New Zealand ... Davinia Stopforth says the dampness and mould at her Wellington flat is affecting her health. “It’s getting worse and worse each morning,” the 20-year-old said. A story from New Zealand ... “It’s hard to breathe.” There were mouldy patches on the carpet, while the wardrobes and ceiling were “plastered with mould” – although the landlord had since wiped mould from the ceiling. “We’ve been trying to make the place liveable ... but we can’t,” another renter at the Newtown flat said. Landlord Michael Weaver said he had inspected the property himself, and found no mould. “They’ve been making up stories,” he said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/residential-prope…
# International, Rent, Repairs, Mould.Rental Snapshot shows affordability has crashed
Maiy Azize (No paywall)Anglicare Australia is calling on the Government to tackle housing affordability in its next Budget. The call is made as Anglicare Australia releases its annual Rental Affordability Snapshot. Download their report at: [https://www.anglicare.asn.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/rental-affordability-snapshot-2021.pdf] For previous reports, check at: [https://www.anglicare.asn.au/research-advocacy/the-rental-affordability-snapshot]
https://www.anglicare.asn.au/news-and-media/latest-news/2021/04/…
# Must read, Research alert Australia, Rent, Housing affordability.Only three rental properties in Australia are affordable for singles on jobseeker – study
Luke Henriques-Gomes The Guardian (No paywall)Only three rental properties in Australia are considered affordable for a single person living on the government’s “boosted” jobseeker payment, new analysis has found. The pandemic has reduced rents in some markets but the latest update to Anglicare’s rental affordability snapshot of more than 74,000 properties found affordability remained dire for people living on welfare benefits. ... The Anglicare report comes only a month after bans on evictions and rent increases expired in most states. It said renters faced a “perfect storm”. “Some renters have found themselves tens of thousands of dollars in rental arrears,” it said. “If they can’t afford to repay their landlords, they face the very real prospect of eviction. On top of it all, cuts to jobseeker, youth allowance and other payments came into effect at the beginning of April.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/29/only-thre…
# Must read, Research alert Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market.The pandemic brought down rents – but housing is still grossly unaffordable for many
Greg Jericho The Guardian (No paywall)Despite the pandemic bringing about low inflation and the unusual case of rental prices falling, the reality on the ground is dire for low-income households. The latest Anglicare rental affordability snapshot shows affordability – especially for families – has plummeted.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2021/apr/29/the…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market.News from the International Union of Tenants
(No paywall)Check out the latest news on renting from around the world ... eleven stories, including:
France: The public sector plays an important role in supporting French renters
In the United Kingdom, homeownership has fallen while renting is on the rise
Strong tenants protection and subsidies supports Germany’s majority renters housing market
Forced evictions, a gross violation against human rights
CDC in the U.S. will extend national eviction ban through June 30
Emergency Bans on Evictions and Other Tenant Protections Related to Coronavirus in the United States
(International Union of Tenants)
Johnson’s Tories are reaping the rewards of an economy built on rising house prices
William Davies The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... For a decade, wages stagnated while governments have propped up the housing market – with dire consequences for our society. ... Most economic commentators agree that this boom is unlikely to end well, whenever the end arrives. But very little attention has been paid to the political and social harm already done to British society by this new model of capitalism over the past decade. A closer study of the consequences of an artificially engineered housing boom might cast light on the particular deformities of our politics, and help explain a number of seemingly unrelated afflictions – from the Brexit vote to the enduring power of “culture war” provocations by Downing Street and its court press.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/26/boris-john…
# International, Housing market.Moving into a share house? Here's how you can split the rent
Sally Coleman ABC (No paywall)One of the major, persistent dilemmas: "How much rent should each person pay?"
You can find tools online that help you calculate room price per square metre, or suggest fixed costs for things like ensuites and balconies. But it's often not that simple. Jemima Mowbray from Tenants Union NSW says it's "tricky to have a hard and fast formula".
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-to-split-the-rent-fairly-whe…
# TUNSW in the media Australia, Rent, Share houses.Renters are under pressure and it could be about to get much worse
Poppy Johnston The Fifth Estate (No paywall)The cost of housing is top of mind due to Australia’s skyrocketing house prices but for pockets of the country, the regions in particular, the private rental market is where the housing affordability crisis is coming to a head. Parts of Australia face a spike in rental stress and homelessness as the last of government Covid protections taper off, rental markets tighten and landlords look to recoup deferred rent debts.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/renters-a…
# Hot topic Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.