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
John's relationship broke down when he and his partner bought a house in the suburbs
Matt Gazy SBS (No paywall)John (not his real name) vividly remembers walking his dog with his partner of eight years and asking himself: 'Is this the rest of my life?' Just five months earlier, they had bought their first home in a new housing development 20km from the city. "It felt like we'd gone forward in time 15 years, and we were suddenly 40, living domesticated lives where suddenly we weren't around fun things that we previously had access to," John, 29, told The Feed. "You go, 'Is this the rest of my life living like this — spending a lot of money every fortnight on my mortgage?'"
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/article/johns-relationship-…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/four-tough-truths-about-renting-and-retirement-20240830-p5k6lm.html
Bec Wilson The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)A key goal for a comfortable retirement is owning your own home outright when you get there. Many renters nearing retirement write to me looking for advice, and it’s difficult to respond given the ongoing housing crisis, a problem without an easy fix. In my view, renting is a bad investment, often a necessity, driven by circumstance rather than desire. But this week, I decided to dive deeper and asked some people who rent, why they do it.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/four-tough-tru…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Choosing to pay bills over pricey dentist visits. Australians reveal toll of dental care neglect amid cost of living crisis
Zena Chamas ABC (No paywall)Ayman Al Nabieh said he was forced to take out a high-interest loan to pay for his dental care. He resorted to seeking treatment overseas for cheaper options, but the flights and associated costs were too high. "This ordeal has been emotionally and financially draining," he shared with senators. "I urge the government to address these issues promptly, making healthcare more accessible and affordable for all Australians," he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-30/dental-health-care-neglec…
# Must read Australia, .Australia at risk of Americanisation of homelessness crisis
Australian Property Markets News (No paywall)Homelessness rates in Australia are on track to match those in the United States unless a radical shift in housing policy occurs according to international homelessness expert, Associate Professor Gregg Colburn, from the University of Washington. Professor Colburn is the author of the new book, Homelessness is a Housing Problem, which outlines how escalating housing costs are increasing the number of homeless people across the United States. Housing all Australians in partnership with property industry groups and business leaders will host Professor Colburn on his Homelessness is a Housing Problem Australian tour in early September.
https://propertymarkets.news/australia-at-risk-of-americanisatio…
# Hot topic Australia, .Room listing highlights Sydney's rental market still in crisis despite easing housing demand
Miriah Davis 9 News (No paywall)A listing offering a bottom bunk bed for rent at an astonishing $370 a week has highlighted Sydney's rental market is showing no sign of reprieve despite rent rises easing in capital cities. The ad seeks a flatmate for a studio apartment in Glebe with the tenant explaining she only had need for the single bed on the top bunk. "I'm looking for a flatmate in a studio, I just need a single bed, the double one is available," the listing reads. The pictures show a single over double bunk bed next to a desk space and tiny dining table with two chairs for $370.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-rental-crisis-continues…
# Hot topic NSW, .Surge in new hotels as crackdown on Airbnbs in Byron looms
Julietta Jameson The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)On September 24 in northern NSW’s Byron Shire, the number of days short-term rental accommodation can be inhabited “unhosted” each year drops from 180 to 60. “Unhosted” means a stay at a property, usually booked through Airbnb or a similar platform, without the owners in situ. The NSW Government restrictions – both the 180-day limit brought in back in 2021 for nominated local government areas and the new 60-day limit in Byron – were instigated because of long-term rental shortages, a burgeoning housing stock dedicated to the holiday market and other critical issues, seen as co-related.
https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news/surge-in-new-hotels…
# Must read NSW, Rent.Landlords’ brutal snub after mum loses husband
Taylor Troeth news.com.au (No paywall)A single mum and business owner has revealed the surprising response she got from landlords and property agents after tragically losing her husband to a rare form of cancer. And it’s left her stuck in a $1000 per week rental that she says is far larger than she needs. Young mum Kayla Psaradellis said she discovered that property agents were imposing an unwritten requirement when she began looking for rentals and it’s left her and her two-year-old child at a disadvantage.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/landlords-br…
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent.Sydney Landlords Are Now Charging Up To $250 For A Single Bed In A Grotty Shared Room
Lachlan Hodson Pedestrian (No paywall)A bunch of Sydney landlords have shown off their superhuman ability to stoop to new lows, this time by charging for rent per bed, instead of per room like most rentals. Somebody stop the planet, I’m getting off. As renters and governments look for solutions to Australia’s spiralling rental crisis, like Victoria increasing the minimum heating and cooling standards, a bunch of opportunistic landlords are doing what they can to add fuel to the fire.
https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/sydney-landlords-rent-per-bed
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.