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
‘Put your man pants on’: Building watchdog tells ASIC to do its job
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler has launched a blistering attack on the nation’s corporate regulator, telling it to “put your man pants on” and do more to help crack down on misconduct in the construction industry. Mr Chandler took aim at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission due to few signs of progress in its investigation into Ralan Group, two years after administrators raised serious concerns about the circumstances behind the Sydney property developer’s collapse.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/put-your-man-pants-on-buildi…
# NSW, Strata, Housing market.Concerns 57,000 travel permits to inspect real estate pose COVID threat to NSW regions
Miranda Saunders, Bruce Mackenzie, and Leah White ABC (No paywall)Since August 20, Service New South Wales has approved more than 57,000 travel registrations that will allow people from Greater Sydney to go into the regions and look at real estate. ... Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon said the figure was "outrageous" and putting regions at risk of COVID-19 outbreaks. ... Northern NSW MPs have joined forces to ask the state to better safeguard the region against a predicted influx of double-vaccinated city visitors.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-24/service-nsw-approves-5700…
# NSW, Privacy and access, Housing market.Caravan park owners 'stunned' by torrent of abuse over vaccination stance
Richard Crabtree ABC (No paywall)The owners of the Curlwaa Caravan Park did not think they were being controversial when they announced they would soon only be accepting patrons fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-23/curlwaa-caravan-park-owns…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Coronavirus COVID-19.Taking tenants along for the zero carbon ride
Duncan Murray The Fifth Estate (No paywall)For all the efforts of the building industry on sustainability and decarbonising assets, the emissions of tenants who actually occupy the buildings generally lie beyond the remit of owners and managers and consequently are getting left out of the equation.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/facilities-management/t…
# Australia, Rent, Strata, Utilities water energy internet, Climate change.How to empower older adults to become digital citizens in our tech-dependent world
Rachelle Patille, Atiya Mahmood and Priscilla Ruth Chyrva The Conversation (No paywall)From Canada ... Living in a technology dependent world means we all want to stay connected, regardless of age. And the COVID-19 pandemic was a major catalyst for increasing our technological dependence. ... Older adults were left without the main resource that has been keeping many of us connected — technology. But that’s not all the pandemic has laid bare for older adults. A large number of them are also either experiencing, or are vulnerable to homelessness. Older adults have become one of the groups most at-risk for housing insecurities during the pandemic. And one of the largest barriers to housing, is low socioeconomic status. Our technological dependence has created new challenges for older adults, and helped solidify pre-existing ones, like navigating online platforms to secure housing. Older adults face housing barriers due to the lack of technological resources and education on how to use them; there is a clear need to empower them to be digital citizens.
https://theconversation.com/how-to-empower-older-adults-to-becom…
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Older people.Is it time to clamp down on short-term rentals in the regions?
Jack Needham (No paywall)A decade ago many travellers would have been hard pushed to find holiday accommodation in regional Australia beyond the local pub or motel. But the advent of short-term listing platforms like Airbnb and Stayz [owned by Expedia Group] has led to a proliferation of residential-style accommodation from Byron Bay to Broome.
Housing experts have linked this boom in short-term letting to a shortage of rental housing stock in some communities, leading to fierce debate over whether the industry needs stronger regulation, as seen in some overseas locations.
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7417837/is-it-time-to-c…
# Australia, Human rights, Regional NSW, Short-term holiday letting.CHOICE calls for new safety laws to prevent toppling furniture deaths
(No paywall)Unsecured furniture and TVs in the home can prove dangerous to you and your loved ones. Since 2000, at least 27 people have died in Australia as a result of injury from toppling furniture or TVs. It's clear that anchoring furniture saves lives. CHOICE has made 10 recommendations, including implementing mandatory safety and information standards, and removing specific barriers for renters. ... In 2020, we surveyed CHOICE members and supporters to ask them what they think about risk and prevention of furniture and TVs toppling over. Of the respondents who rent and who hadn't anchored furniture or TVs, 58% said the number one reason for that was because their landlord or managing agent didn't allow it.
https://www.choice.com.au/babies-and-kids/children-and-safety/av…
# Australia, Rent, Security and safety.Real estate agents fined over trust account issues
Nigel Gladstone The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Twenty real estate agents, from Balmain, Rozelle, Baulkham Hills, Coogee, Bondi Beach and other parts of Sydney, have been fined a total of $173,500 and eight have lost their licences for failing to comply with strict rules around trust accounts. ... “In the past we’ve seen real estate agents using trust account funds for gambling, alcohol and drugs – in some cases spending hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Ms Griswold [of NSW Fair Trading] said.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/real-estate-agents-fined-ove…
# NSW, Landlords and agents.