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
Coffs Harbour mum gets 216 rental rejections
Alison Paul NBN News (No paywall)A Coffs Harbour woman says she’s running out of options to get a roof over her daughter’s head. The single mother is currently living in “unstable” accommodation, and fears affordability guidelines may be why landlords are knocking her back.
https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2026/05/26/coffs-harbour-mum-gets-216…
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Starting a tenancy.What happened to well-designed public housing?
ABC (No paywall)With a rate rise adding extra sting for mortgagees and renters alike, one has to wonder how we got here in the first place. In the sixties, there was a rise in social housing complexes built in the city - affordable, well-designed units, fitting in swathes of people. One such was the Sirius Building, which was recently bought and redeveloped. Now a two-bedroom apartment sold there a year ago for $3 million - a marked difference from when it was built.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/sydney-saturdaybreakfast/…
# Hot topic, Audio NSW, Public and community housing, Rent.Granny flats allowed again in parts of Sydney's south-west near Western Sydney airport
Brooke Chandler ABC (No paywall)Months out from the official opening of Western Sydney International Airport (WSI), the NSW government has reversed a six-year ban on granny flats in areas forecast to be least affected by aircraft noise. The amendment to the Western Parkland City environmental planning policy permits secondary dwellings of up 85 square metres in Wollondilly, Fairfield, Camden, Liverpool and Penrith. The change, made in parliament last week, applies to land within the lower noise impact zones identified in the Australian Noise Exposure Concept (ANEC). The amendment does not apply to the suburbs of Luddenham, Bringelly and Badgery's Creek, which are closest to the airport.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-19/secondary-dwelling-ban-li…
# NSW, .Squatters take over empty spaces in Sydney social housing complex
Isobel Roe ABC (No paywall)Illegal squatters have been taking over empty units and laundries in a Sydney social housing complex, with the NSW housing minister admitting managing the issue was "not easy". Tenants of the social housing block in Redfern, in inner Sydney, said they had made repeated complaints about squatters breaking in, leaving syringes in common areas and urinating in the stairwells. The apartment block is run by St George Community Housing (SGCH), which received almost $44 million in revenue from the NSW government last financial year to run social housing complexes across the state.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-26/squatters-taking-over-emp…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Security and safety.‘Everyone was in tears’: the tenants given eviction notices just before ban in England
Jessica Murray and Nicola Slawson The Guardian (No paywall)It was 2pm on 30 April when Carl Kansinde Middleton received a “no fault” eviction from his landlord in Brighton – just 10 hours before section 21 notices were officially banned under the Renters’ Right Act. “As we were getting closer, I really thought I was safe,” he said. “It just never occurred to me that it would just come right on the last day – I truly felt blindsided. “I lost my job in November and it’s been a struggle for me financially as I have no support system. I was just about treading water but this has swept me under. I haven’t found a place yet. Honestly I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/10/tenants-no-fault…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent.How will the Renters' Rights Act affect you?
BBC (No paywall)If you rent there are big changes coming. From today landlords can no longer evict tenants without giving a reason. Ending what was known as “no fault” evictions.
# Video International, Eviction.Record numbers of UK renters crowdfunding to cover bills
Jessica Murray The Guardian (No paywall)A record number of people in the UK are turning to crowdfunding to cover rent and household bills, with GoFundMe reporting more rent-related fundraisers were created in April than in any month on record. The platform said donations towards rent support had risen by 60% since 2022, with more than 100,000 people a month contributing to help others meet their housing costs. “We have seen a remarkable surge in people turning to GoFundMe for help keeping a roof over their heads,” a spokesperson said. “Every donation is a sign that when someone finds the courage to ask for help, their community shows up for them.”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/16/record-numbers-o…
# International, .Claire Valdez calls for a rent freeze – and universal rent control
Peter Sterne City & State NY (No paywall)As New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani can no longer call on the Rent Guidelines Board to “freeze the rent.” But his comrade, Assembly Member Claire Valdez, sure can! “There are things that, as a candidate and as an Assembly member, that I can talk about now, that our mayor cannot, because it is an impartial process, and he needs to remain impartial in this moment,” she told City & State. “That's why we have a tenant movement. … Because one person can't do all of this by themselves. And so I'm proud to call for a rent freeze alongside many, many tenants all over the city.”
https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2026/05/claire-valdez-call…
# International, .