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
From gated villages across Australia, retirees are sharing their financial horror stories about the land lease industry
Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett ABC (No paywall)For almost a decade, pensioners Trish Reece and her husband Wayne have been living in a gated village in Shepparton in regional Victoria, run by the controversial land lease operator Lifestyle Communities. Now they want to get out. "We don't want to live here anymore," she says. But she says they are stuck, financially, due to the so-called exit fees charged by the company when a resident sells their home. Lifestyle Communities exit fees start at 4 per cent of the selling price and scale up to a cap of 20 per cent from the fifth year of ownership. For a house that sells for $500,000, Lifestyle can take up to $100,000 in exit fees after five years.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-29/land-lease-operators-life…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Land lease communities, Starting a tenancy.Perth family facing eviction from public housing despite fear of abusive ex-partner
Daryna Zadvirna ABC (No paywall)A Perth single mother-of-five and her young children – one of whom has autism and requires significant care – are facing homelessness after having their public housing tenancy terminated amid an ongoing dispute with neighbours. Authorities argue it's for the safety of the community following dozens of complaints from neighbours over the family's anti-social behaviour. But Kylena Hill, 28, says she has nowhere else to turn and fears her life will be at risk because her violent ex-partner is out on bail, awaiting sentencing for multiple attacks on her.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-29/kylena-hill-facing-evicti…
# Must read Australia, Domestic violence, Security and safety.The Landlord's Dilemma: Renting to People With Pets
Ellen Jefferson DVM (No paywall)Finding affordable housing these days is challenging. That challenge can increase exponentially when you have a pet. Viral horror stories and confirmation bias have led many property owners to restrict pets in their rentals. This is unfortunate because these policies not only create housing challenges for many (especially in marginalized communities) but likely cost landlords far more money than they save. That brings us to The Landlord’s Dilemma: Should they follow their guts down the path of confirmation bias and restrictive policies, or should they follow the data showing pet owners are usually great and profitable tenets?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/helping-people-help-pets…
# Hot topic Australia, Bond, Rent.VIDEO: What needs to be done to fix public housing?
Tom Hartley, Emily Baker ABC (No paywall)After decades of neglect, public housing in NSW is finally getting attention, with nearly a billion taxpayer dollars pledged to overhaul the system. But it'll take more than money to fix the entrenched mistrust and disdain felt by the state's most vulnerable residents. Tom Hartley has this story with additional reporting from Emily Baker.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-29/what-needs-to-be-done-to-…
# Hot topic, Video Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Repairs.LATESTAdelaide launches innovative housing program to transform unused spaces into homes amid crisis
Glam Adelaide (No paywall)In a new initiative by the City of Adelaide, an ambitious program aiming to convert unused building space into housing has been unveiled today, in partnership with the State Government. The Adaptive Reuse City Housing Initiative (ARCHI) plans to offer 50 adapted dwellings each year within the central business district and North Adelaide. This innovative program is backed by $500,000 in State Government grants distributed over the next two years. Adelaide, currently holding the nation’s lowest rental vacancy rate at 0.6 percent, will notably benefit from this initiative which aims to alleviate the acute housing shortage.
https://glamadelaide.com.au/adelaide-launches-innovative-housing…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.NSW Premier Chris Minns announces timeline for ban on 'no-fault' evictions at the NSW State Labor Conference
Holly Tregenza and Sarah Gerathy ABC (No paywall)The New South Wales government will move to legislate a ban on no-fault evictions, preventing landlords from ending a lease without a "reasonable" excuse from next year. Under the proposed changes, homeowners will have to meet one of several "commonsense" thresholds for eviction, which include the sale of the property or if the tenant causes damage. Under current law, landlords in NSW are able to terminate rolling leases at any time without reason.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-28/nsw-premier-chris-minns-t…
# Must read, Hot topic, New policy announcement NSW, .Renters' advocates welcome move to ban 'no-fault' evictions in New South Wales
Brooke Chandler, Holly Tregenza, and Danuta Kozaki ABC (No paywall)The real estate industry has pushed back on prospective legislation in NSW that would ban "no-fault" or "no-grounds" eviction in NSW. From next year, landlords will have to meet one of several "commonsense and reasonable" thresholds for eviction, which include the sale of the property or if the tenant causes damage. There will be an obligation on owners to provide evidence when issuing an eviction notice, with penalties for "non-genuine" reasons. The "game-changer" reform will apply to everyone who is covered by the Residential Tenancies Act.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-29/nsw-moves-to-ban-no-fault…
# Must read, Hot topic, New policy announcement NSW, Eviction.NSW landlords may be fined if they evict tenants for ‘non-genuine’ reasons
The Guardian (No paywall)Landlords could be fined for making up a “non-genuine reason” for punting a tenant under New South Wales laws to scrap no-grounds evictions. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said his government is aiming to introduce legislation to end the practice in September, making good on a 2023 state election promise. Under the proposed reforms, homeowners will need a reason to end a tenancy for both periodic and fixed-term leases. Some of those include existing rules for breach of lease, damage to the property or non-payment of rent.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jul/28/n…
# Hot topic, New policy announcement NSW, Eviction.