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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
Desper-rent: One in four tenants go to extreme lengths to find homes
January Jones The New Daily (No paywall)Since the Covid-19 pandemic, a combination of low housing supply and high interest rates have led to a significant housing crisis across Australia. This crisis has disproportionately affected renters, as more Australians have been forced to pay soaring rents or move further out of the cities. Research by Finder has found – to combat the difficult rental market – that one in four tenants has gone to extreme lengths to secure a property. A survey of renters found that one in 10 (8 per cent) offered to pay more than the rental asking price and 7 per cent offered to pay several months upfront.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2025/01/22/tenan…
# Australia, Rent.The keys to the housing crisis
Hal Pawson The Saturday Paper (Soft Paywall)Once again, in 2025, housing seems certain to be a key flashpoint of the coming federal election. Testament to the electoral importance of housing is not only its prominence in four of the past six national polls but also its “late pledge” appearance in the past two federal contests. These saw Scott Morrison trumpeting new “last week of campaign” initiatives on low-deposit mortgages in 2019 and on access to super accounts for mortgage downpayments in 2022. Such attention indicates a policy area beset by profound challenges. Not everyone cares deeply about the housing crises.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2025/01/25/the…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.FOI documents show Victorian Building Authority found issues in government housing block before sale settled
Jesse Thompson ABC (No paywall)Victoria's building industry watchdog identified dozens of potential problems in a troubled affordable housing block months before the state government settled its $20 million purchase of the building, according to freedom of information documents obtained by the ABC. The documents are heavily redacted and provide an incomplete picture of the types of potential issues identified and which building practitioners or tradespeople may be responsible for them. But the revelations have raised further questions around the state government's due diligence process before the sale.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-29/victorian-building-author…
# Must read Australia, .More Australians moving into sharehouses in order to afford rent
Rachel Clayton ABC (No paywall)New data shows rents grew nationally at the slowest pace in six years in the December quarter, while more people are reaching the limit of what they can pay.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-15/more-australians-moving-i…
# Video Australia, Share houses.'Quite flat' Canberra rental market enters slower than usual peak season, which is good news for renters
Lottie Twyford and James Vyver ABC (No paywall)January and February have typically been the busiest months of the year for finding a rental in Canberra as university students, public servants and defence contractors move in and start looking for a new place to live. It also means it's traditionally the time of year when rents surge, sometimes by between $30 to $50 per week more than usual. But there is evidence prices are a "little bit softer" than in previous years. Real estate agent Stuart Dovers was showing an apartment in Kingston to prospective tenants over the weekend, but he said only two people attended the inspection. He says it can be "hit or miss" depending on the house and the price and tenants had been "a lot pickier".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-13/rent-canberra-flat-compar…
# Must read Australia, Rent.New suburb of Southwark unveiled with 1,300 houses on former West End Brewery site
Alana Calvert ABC (No paywall)The large vacant site which was once home to the West End Brewery will become Adelaide's newest suburb, the SA government today announced. The 8.4-hectare site in Thebarton will be renamed Southwark, which was the suburb's former name. The $1-billion housing development will incorporate "up to" 1,300 homes, according to Premier Peter Malinauskas – an increase of 300 on when the project was first announced in September 2023. Situated between the inner-western suburbs of Thebarton and Hindmarsh and flanked by Port Road and the River Torrens, the site was occupied by the historic West End Brewery until its closure in 2021.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-14/sa-southwark-housing-deve…
# Hot topic Australia, .'Location matters to me more': Young Aussie renters delaying mortgages for chance to live in expensive beachside suburbs
April Glover 9 News (No paywall)The rate of first home buyers in Australia has taken a steep dip as more renters choose prime locations over mortgages. While buying a house is top priority for some young Aussies, plenty are delaying home ownership because of dire unaffordability – and are renting by the beach while they're doing it. Lauren Swan hails from Wagga Wagga in country NSW and wanted to live near the beach when she moved to Sydney. The Bondi local is happy living in the pricey eastern suburbs and is enjoying the beachside dream, even if that fantasy has an expiry date.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/young-australians-delaying-mor…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Cost of living pitch for renters could save $2600 over 10 years
Emily Bennett 9 News (No paywall)There are calls for renters to pay bond just once in their lifetime under a new cost of living pitch to the federal government. The McKell Institute is recommending a national portable bond scheme where renters transfer their bond between leases, rather than coming up with a second deposit while the previous bond is being refunded. Under the proposal, renters would also earn interest on their bond, saving an estimated $2600 over 10 years. McKell Institute chief executive Edward Cavanough said the policy would relieve significant cost of living pressures in a tough market. "Renters are under enormous financial strain and the current need to double-up on bonds to move often traps people in unsuitable housing," Cavanough said.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/cost-of-living-pitch-for-rente…
# Video Australia, Bond, Rent.