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
Social housing owned by for-profit providers increases by 75%
Dominic Brady Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Data collected by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) showed that 49 for-profit providers reported having 9,313 social homes compared with 5,342 in the year to March 2019. The data reflects the growth of the for-profit sector in recent years, with a number of high-profile private companies registering for-profit arms in recent times.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/social-housing-owned-b…
# International, Public and community housing, Landlords and agents.Fires bring home climate-driven urgency of rethinking where we live – and how
Barbara Norman and others The Conversation (No paywall)As we were still recovering from last summer’s fires in southeast Australia, the southwest fires brought in 2021. Both were far more intense fires than seen before, driven by deep drying, extreme heat and powerful winds. It’s a harsh reminder that climate change is going to bounce us up and down with increased frequency.
https://theconversation.com/fires-bring-home-climate-driven-urge…
# Hot topic Australia, Planning and development.Demand for guarantor home loans on the rise, as parents race to help children onto property ladder
Kate Burke Domain (Paywall)Rapidly rising house prices and a fear of missing out is driving up demand for guarantor home loans and help from the bank of mum and dad, with growing concern among first-home buyers and their parents that the “great Australian dream” is slipping out of reach.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/demand-for-guarantor-home-loans-o…
# Australia, Home ownership.COVID-19 hit many Australians hard, but there were winners in the pandemic economy
Norman Hermant ABC (No paywall)In June of last year, Mickayla Downey and Matthew Hardiman had a plan: move in with the parents, save on rent and build a deposit for their first home. Then two COVID-19 lockdowns hit Melbourne and something unexpected happened: their savings grew much faster than anticipated. ... Ms Downey, 26, and Mr Hardiman, 29, estimate they saved $35,000 due to lifestyle changes through COVID. By December, they were in the market for their first home. And they had lots of company.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-23/covid-australian-economy-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership.Inequality and the housing bubble
(Paywall)Despite the damaging effects of Covid-19, higher unemployment and flat wages, the Australian housing market has snapped back. But home ownership is becoming increasingly unaffordable for young people, with dire consequences for their future. (The Saturday Paper)
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2021/02/20/ine…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership, Housing market.What’s different about this property boom?
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)If not for the backdrop of a global pandemic, you could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu as the property market shows all the signs of launching into yet another boom.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/banking/what-s-different-about-this…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership, Housing market.Sydney building commissioner raises standards, builds confidence in apartment industry
Sue Williams Domain (Paywall)The new building commissioner appointed to raise standards in NSW’s construction industry – and his willingness to use his unprecedented legal powers to do so – is having a major impact on the standard of projects around the state. Six months on from being given the right to enter and inspect construction sites, issue rectification and stop-work orders, and prevent settlement on sub-standard properties, industry watchers say David Chandler is proving the state’s saviour.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/sydney-building-commissioner-rais…
# NSW, Housing market.How to make a home in Adelaide get to 10 stars – maybe more
Poppy Johnston The Fifth Estate (No paywall)There’s only a handful of Australian houses that can boast a 10-star NatHERS rating, and now Adelaide has its first.
https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/how-t…
# Australia, Utilities water energy internet.