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
Thousands in Spain join nationwide march to protest against housing crisis
Stephen Burgen The Guardian (No paywall)Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Spain in the latest protest against housing speculation and to demand access to affordable homes. Organisers claim that up to 150,000 joined the protest in Madrid while smaller demonstrations were held in about 40 cities across the country. Protesters from Málaga on the Costa del Sol to Vigo in the Atlantic northwest chanted “end the housing racket” and “landlords are guilty, the government is responsible”. Valeria Racu, a spokesperson for the Madrid tenants’ union, called for rent strikes such as those mounted recently in some Catalan coastal towns.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/05/spain-protest-marc…
# Must read International, Rent.And the award for zero self-awareness goes to second-home owners raging about higher taxes
Gaby Hinsliff The Guardian (No paywall)Should you have the world’s tiniest violin to hand, prepare to play it. This week, English councils gain the power to double council tax on second homes, and the holiday-cottage-owning classes are fuming. “Nothing but a racket,” thundered the Daily Telegraph, dismissing a supposedly “vindictive” raid on weekenders that was (gasp) “socialist” to boot. Its Sunday sister paper further tugged on readers’ heartstrings with tales of homeowners who had inherited a second place somewhere lovely from their parents, and bridled at being asked to pay a few thousand pounds more a year to keep it in the family. In the Times, a retired barrister who felt forced to give up the seaside pad she had bought in her mother’s native St Davids complained of the tax “destroying generations of community-building”, as though houses sitting empty all winter were the one thing really guaranteed to bring a thriving community together. To which one can only say: people, learn to read a room(s). You’ve certainly got enough of them.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/01/zero-self-…
# Must read International, .World's weirdest rental rules: From 'Moving Day' to homes without kitchens
Paul Ewart realestate.com.au (No paywall)Think Australian rental agreements are tough? Think again. While Australian renters might feel constrained by short leases and high rents, the global rental landscape is a wild and wonderful tapestry of quirks, customs, and downright bizarre practices. “Many international tenants are surprised by how different the Australian rental market is from what they’re used to when they arrive here,” said Damien Lake, a Sydney-based residential property manager who frequently works with overseas professionals relocating overseas for work.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/worlds-weirdest-rental-rules-…
# Hot topic International, Rent, Starting a tenancy.The tenancies that have lasted 20 years
Susan Edmunds Radio NZ (No paywall)Wellington woman Carla has been renting her Ngaio property for 20 years. She had just moved to New Zealand when she found it, while searching for a temporary place to live. "It was either the second or third place we viewed. We liked the house, easy train access, the local library and playgrounds. We didn't have a car. We said we wanted it, and got it… it sounds like a fairy tale." Over the time she's been renting, her rent hasn't lifted a lot. "I fully acknowledge that we are ridiculously lucky in this. But I worked very hard to be a good tenant. We have a good trust between us at this point.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/556995/the-tenancies-that-ha…
# Hot topic International, Rent, Repairs.‘Completely disproportionate’: UK tenants feel the bite of ‘pet rent’
Mabel Banfield-Nwachi The Guardian (No paywall)Katie Fisher’s bid for her rental flat in south-east London was initially rejected because she had a dog. When she offered to pay an additional £50 a month in rent, taking the cost of the two-bedroom flat to £1,450 a month, the landlord agreed. The practice of paying an extra fee each month in order to live with a furry companion – sometimes referred to as “pet rent” – is a common arrangement in privately rented properties.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/06/completely-dispr…
# Must read International, Rent.Spain ‘social emergency’ as rents double in a decade
BBC (No paywall)Many European countries are experiencing a housing crisis caused by rising rental costs. Spain is one of those which has been most heavily affected, despite the fact that its economy has been performing well in other areas. Guy Hedgecoe reports from Madrid.
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0l2zkn3/spain-social-emergency-a…
# Video International, Rent.Spain’s rental market 5 years after the pandemic
David Marrero Idealista (No paywall)It has been five years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic – a crisis that initially seemed poised to transform society and, naturally, the real estate market. The restrictions on movement led to a sharp rise in the supply of long-term rental properties, which doubled within months and peaked in December 2020. At that point, prices began to decline due to the impact of the housing supply law. However, once the state of emergency was lifted, the government's policies did not prioritise increasing supply, despite clear evidence that greater availability helps to stabilise prices.
https://www.idealista.com/en/news/property-for-rent-in-spain/202…
# International, Rent.AMERICAN RENTERS: HOMEOWNERSHIP NO LONGER SYNONYMOUS WITH THE AMERICAN DREAM
PR Newswire (No paywall)ATLANTA - Nearly half (43%) of American renters say renting has enhanced their quality of life compared with owning a home. Among these respondents, affordability (59%), location convenience (51%), and maintenance/support (49%) were the top contributors to quality of life, according to a new survey by Cortland that shares insights from 1,000 adult renters in the U.S. The data indicates a substantial divergence from traditional views of the American Dream, with only 32% of renters seeing homeownership as part of their ideal life trajectory. For those opting out of buying a home, avoiding maintenance and debt are the primary motivators, cited by 45% and 40% of respondents, respectively.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-renters-homeow…
# International, Rent.