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
Why unaffordable housing is here to stay
Michael Janda ABC (No paywall)Millions of Australians can't afford to buy a house, with prices skyrocketing since the pandemic began. In its pre-election budget, the federal government is extending a scheme allowing first home buyers to purchase a property with just a 5 percent deposit. But will it ease the crisis? Today, ABC business reporter Michael Janda explains why much more needs to be done to help the Australians priced out of the market. (ABC News Daily)
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/abc-news-daily/why-unaffor…
# Audio Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Housing market.Hobart City Council passes amendment to limit number of new whole houses used as short-stay accommodation
Isabella Podwinski ABC (No paywall)The number of short-stay properties allowed in the Hobart area will be limited under a motion passed by the Hobart City Council to stop any new permits for whole-house short-stay development in residential areas. ... Councillor Helen Burnet introduced the motion last week and said the changes would increase the availability of long-term rentals in the greater Hobart area, which would otherwise be used as short-stay accommodation, with the exception of permits in commercial and mixed-zone areas.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-29/hobart-city-council-airbn…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Local Government, Short-term holiday letting.Gold Coast suburb has $1.4bn in property at ‘very high risk’ from coastal erosion
Eden Gillespie The Guardian (No paywall)Paradise Point has 20% of its housing stock vulnerable to erosion or storm-surge damage, CoreLogic says. ... [Dr Pierre Wiart, CoreLogic’s head of consulting and risk management] ... said coastal damage would have far-reaching implications on Australia’s property market and financial sector, including on property valuations, home loan viability and insurance premiums.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/29/gold-coas…
# Australia, Climate change, Housing market.Budget expands deposit scheme for first home buyers: a second-best option, with risks down the road
Nigel Stapleton The Conversation (No paywall)With housing affordability set to be a key election issue, the 2022 federal budget expands the scheme the Coalition put forward at the 2019 election to help first home buyers. ... Government programs to assist first home buyers are routinely criticised as simply putting upward pressure on prices, providing no real benefit to first home buyers. This scheme will push up prices, but not by the same amount as the value of the assistance. So it will help those who qualify, albeit partially at the expense of those who don’t.
https://theconversation.com/budget-expands-deposit-scheme-for-fi…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership.What's in the budget for First Nations people?
Sarah Collard SBS (No paywall)The Morrison government is spending big ahead of a looming election as the high cost of living starts to bite more Australians. But what’s there for mob? ... The Northern Territory is also seeing a boost with the commonwealth allocating $408m for housing in remote communities. The funding is aimed at combating overcrowding, homelessness and improving the homes of people living in remote communities. (NITV)
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2022/03/29/whats-budget-firs…
# Australia, Aboriginal renters, Federal Government.Tenant 'traumatised' by $6k toilet blinder
Alex Druce news.com.au (Paywall)Little Real Estate stoush: Brisbane renter ‘f**king furious’ after being left without shower, toilet and laundry for months. A Brisbane man has told of a toilet blunder in his rental apartment that left him ‘traumatised’ and $6000 poorer – highlighting a huge problem. [Read his story]
https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/news/little-real-est…
# Australia, Eviction, Rent, Repairs, Tribunal NCAT.Victorian rental minimum standards: Market impact one year on and what’s to come
Scott Carbines (No paywall)Beefed-up minimum standards for Victorian rentals have not driven an increase in rents and sales by landlords, according to data released one year on. But they have exposed critical safety risks that are falling on property managers to ensure their clients fix, leading to calls for the government to promote better awareness. (realestate.com)
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/victorian-rental-minimum-stan…
# Australia, Rent, Repairs, Utilities water energy internet, Minimum habitability standards, State Government.‘Really worried’: Expansion of government home loan guarantee concerns experts
Sezen Bakan The New Daily (No paywall)A government decision to extend policies to help first-home buyers break into the housing market has been criticised by property experts for making housing less affordable. Up to 50,000 places each year are now available across three home loan guarantee schemes that allow buyers to snap up properties with deposits as low as 2 or 5 per cent of the purchase price without having to pay lenders’ mortgage insurance. ... But economists said the beefed-up schemes would drive up property prices by boosting demand without boosting supply. ... [Grattan Institute economic policy program director Brendan] Mr Coates said the scheme points to “a lack of ambition” from the government to fix Australia’s housing crisis. He said housing supply needs to be boosted, particularly by reforming planning rules that make it hard to build houses in major cities, and by reforming tax rules that “distort” demand for housing, such as capital gains tax discount and negative gearing. You will find more on this announcement in Colin Brinsden's article entitled: 'New home buyers get deposit assistance' in 'The New Daily' at: [https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2022/03/28/new-home-buyers-get-deposit-assistance/]
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2022/03/28/home-loan…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Home ownership, Housing market, Planning and development, Tax.