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
Average London rent soars to £2,243 per month
Pedro Goncalves Yahoo News (No paywall)The average UK monthly private rent rose to £1,332 in the 12 months to March, but in London tenants are paying on average £2,243, the highest in the country. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed monthly rents in the private sector rose 7.7% to £1,332 over the 12-month period. This marks a modest slowdown from February’s annual growth rate of 8.1% and a further retreat from the 9.2% peak recorded in November.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/london-rent-house-prices-uk-on…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Housing reform that pays for itself – and helps future generations
Karl Fitzgerald John Menadue (No paywall)Tinkering around the edges isn’t helping. We need to reverse the commodification of housing with a model that puts people first. All we’ve seen so far in this election campaign is that both major parties are comfortable addressing our housing crisis with the same old, tired policies. Preferring to tinker around the edges rather than drive structural change, the common policy thread is that housing commodification is here to stay. The last five years have seen the most drastic land price inflation on record. National land values have jumped from $6 trillion to almost $10 trillion, yet the policy response is more of the same – let’s give developers even more market power.
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/04/housing-reform-that-pays-fo…
# Must read Australia, .Bay Area lawmaker seeks to strengthen rent cap, tenant protections
CBS News (No paywall)Assemblymember Ash Kalra of San Jose has introduced a measure that aims to strengthen tenant protections, including a cap on how much rent can go up every year. Anne Makovec reports.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/video/bay-area-lawmaker-see…
# Video International, Rent.Voters and economists united against major party housing policy promises
Adelaide Miller and Rhiana Whitson ABC (No paywall)Since becoming a single mum three years ago, Angela Ramsey said buying a property for her and her daughter became her number one priority. But, despite working overtime as a nurse and receiving an early inheritance from her mum — which secured her more than $60,000 for a deposit — Ms Ramsey said the banks wouldn't loan her enough for a property in Sydney. "Because of my single income … I could only borrow $500,000," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-14/voters-economists-united-…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Every four days a young homeless person dies. Advocates are calling for urgent reform
Shalailah Medhora ABC (No paywall)Every four days, a young homeless person aged between 15 and 24 dies. Most of the time the cause of death is suicide, according to new figures released by community support organisation, Melbourne City Mission. The organisation cross-checked Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data with coronial records and homelessness services to try to estimate the prevalence of suicide in young people without a fixed address.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-15/youth-homelessness/105175…
# Must read Australia, .Australians tell ABC's Your Say they are struggling more than ever with housing costs
Ben Knight ABC (No paywall)Harry Jang is a 24-year-old ACT resident, who's hoping to buy his first home soon — a one or two-bedroom apartment. So, when the two major parties launched their big housing policies on the weekend, he was watching closely. "I think it's great. I think it provides a big spotlight and a real drive. It tells me that there is a focus on housing amidst all the economic concerns and cost of living," he said. "As to whether the policies will work — that's a different question."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-15/abc-your-say-federal-elec…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Half of all investment properties sold within two years of tenants living in them, AHURI study finds
Adelaide Miller and Emilia Terzon ABC (No paywall)Half of all investment properties are being resold within two years of tenants living in them, according to new data from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). The research, based on data from a large and long-running survey by the Melbourne Institute, shows people aged 25-34 years are more likely to buy a rental property compared to other age groups, but also more likely to sell quickly.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-16/new-rental-housing-data/1…
# Must read, Hot topic, Research alert Australia, .‘A time of great anxiety’: renters fear surge in no-grounds evictions before NSW ban comes into force
Daisy Dumas The Guardian (No paywall)Renters and advocates are worried there could be a surge in no-grounds evictions in New South Wales over the coming month as landlords act ahead of the law changing in mid-May. The Tenants’ Union of NSW says it’s a “real risk” and the Minns government has dropped the ball by not putting interim measures in place to protect renters. Luke Fennell and his family in 2023 faced a massive 40% increase in the rent of their Sydney home. Fennell knew challenging the rise was risky but fought for a 25% jump instead. Two months later, the engineer was served a no-grounds eviction notice.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/11/nsw-rente…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Rent.