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
‘Stressful’: Sydney tenants served eviction notices during lockdown
Eden Gillespie SBS (No paywall)As Sydney’s COVID-19 numbers were ramping up, Alex and several other tenants in his apartment building in Sydney received eviction notices. Some tenants, who live in the same building as Alex but rent apartments owned by a real estate developer, told The Feed they were successful in pushing back the date of the eviction to the end of lockdown. But Alex, who rents through McGrath Real Estate and whose home is owned by a private property investor, was not so lucky. The Feed has seen several emails sent by an employee at McGrath, who refused Alex’s multiple requests for an extension on his eviction notice. Alex has been given until August 19 to vacate the property. ... Leo Patterson Ross, chief executive of Tenants Union NSW, told The Feed that no-grounds evictions are still possible during Greater Sydney’s lockdown. Mr Patterson Ross said the union has heard from a man who was given a 30-day notice to vacate his property after he objected to house inspections during the lockdown. “Tenants are very vulnerable. People are worried about the consequences of having to move, particularly at the moment,” Mr Patterson Ross said.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/stressful-sydney-tenants-se…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Privacy and access, Coronavirus COVID-19, Landlords and agents.Families turn to portable cabins as rental prices soar
Rachel Moore (No paywall)From New Zealand ... Families are turning to backyard solutions to house loved ones as the national housing crisis limits other options. The rental house market in Horowhenua is like much of New Zealand, the few properties that are available are out of reach for most. When two teenagers showed up on Nina Pilkington’s doorstep, her Shannon home was already out of space for the extended family. But she was not out of aroha. Renting a one-room cabin for them next to the house was the only apparent solution. (Stuff)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/housing-affordability/3…
# International, Public and community housing, Homelessness, Young people.‘The market is insane’: Many voters fear home ownership is out of reach for young Australians
David Crowe The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Soaring property prices have fuelled concerns younger Australians will be shut out of the housing market for good, with 60 per cent of voters saying young people in their area will never be able to buy their own homes. ... Only 18 per cent of voters think many young people in their area will be able to buy their own homes, according to a new survey [conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age by research company Resolve Strategic] that challenges government assurances about a boost to confidence from higher prices. ... “Overall, it’s a good thing for the economy when house prices go up as opposed to going down,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on June 18. ... But the survey shows a majority of Australians believe high prices will prevent young people from getting a chance to own their own homes.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-market-is-insane-man…
# Hot topic Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market, Young people.A wet Canberra winter creates the perfect conditions for mould. Here's what you can do about it
Antoinette Radford ABC (No paywall)When Jessica McConnell moved into her Canberra rental, she was warned that any mould in the home would be her own fault. Now, she realises that warning was a red flag. "Any mould is always the tenant's fault, I think that was the line [the property manager] used," the 28-year-old Canberra renter said. Shortly after she moved into the home, she realised the bathroom was leaking water into the bedroom floor. ... Joel Dignam, executive director at Better Renting said ultimately lessors should take responsibility when houses have structural issues resulting in mould infestations. "We're also looking at structural problems where no matter what the tenant does, there's going to be mould problems," he said. He said it was up to lessors to ensure homes were fit for living. "It's absolutely not fair. These mould issues can pose a big burden on people who might be spending a lot of time dealing with damp, or with mould directly as well as the potential risk to their health," he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-23/canberra-mould-what-to-do…
# Australia, Rent, Health, Mould.The affordable housing plan that could create $100-a-week rents at no extra cost to taxpayers
Cait Kelly The New Daily (No paywall)Thousands of affordable homes, some costing as little as $100 a week, could be built in inner-city Sydney within four years at no extra cost to the taxpayer, new research from the University of Sydney has shown. ... Gareth Bryant, a political economist from the University of Sydney, said the plan could deliver genuinely affordable homes with rents as low as $100 per week. “Housing is obviously one of the key stress points and key causes of inequality in the city,” Dr Bryant told The New Daily. He said Sydney City Council currently has $600 million in cash sitting in term deposits, earning 0.7 per cent per year. “That money could be put to much better use in terms of making a social difference,” Dr Bryant said. Under the proposal, $200 million would be redirected from low-yield term deposits and co-invested with social housing providers. ... The co-investment plan has been picked up by Greens City of Sydney Lord Mayoral candidate Sylvie Ellsmore, who said local councils had the capacity to step in where state and federal governments were failing.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/07/23/housing-a…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Local Government.Lockdown could force Aussies on Centrelink into homelessness: Warnings
Lucy Dean (No paywall)Nearly 1 million low-income people in lockdowns are ineligible for the $600 disaster payments, and it’s a problem that could force many into homelessness, welfare advocates are warning. ... A survey carried out by ACOSS found that people were being forced to choose whether to spend their money on food, rent or medicine. Half of the survey respondents said they were concerned they would not be able to afford their housing and would be forced into homelessness. (yahoo!finance)
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/covid-19-disaster-payment-cent…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Homelessness.Inside the Quest to Distribute Billions in Rental Assistance Before Eviction Moratoriums Expire
Abby Vesoulis (No paywall)From the United States ... Katrina Dennis, 51, was so sure she would be evicted from her Phoenix, Arizona rental home that she had already started packing to move in with family. The pandemic cost Dennis her airline customer relations job in June 2020, and while she has since found temporary work in the travel industry, the gig hasn’t paid enough to make up for the months she was unemployed. She still owed $6,000 in rent. “Even if you fall behind by one month,” she says, “it’s just so hard to catch up.” But in mid-July, she received a text message that changed everything: her application for emergency rental assistance had been approved. The notice came just in time. The national eviction moratorium—established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September 2020 and extended four times—is slated to end on July 31. At that point, the eviction proceedings Dennis’ landlord had already initiated would have been able to move forward. But now that her landlord knows she will be able to pay, Dennis can stay in the apartment, at least through the end of her lease. “To take that big expense off of my shoulders, it’s such a relief,” she says. (yahoo!news)
https://news.yahoo.com/inside-quest-distribute-billions-rental-1…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Leaving rehab: enhancing transitions into stable housing
Cameron Duff, Nicholas Hill, Hazel Blunden, kylie valentine, Sean Randall, Rosanna Scutella and Guy Johnson AHURI (No paywall)This research presents policy and practice recommendations to enhance the coordination of housing, health and social care supports for individuals leaving residential treatment for mental health or substance use problems. People who experience contact with a support service, particularly younger individuals with complex health, housing and social care needs, tend also to experience disrupted housing trajectories. This relationship is bidirectional, in that frequency of service contact is an indication of service demand and the complexity of individual’s health care needs. This research strongly endorses the ‘housing first’ model, which emphasises the centrality of stable housing, as a guide to enhance the coordination and integration of diverse housing, health and social care supports for individuals transitioning out of residential treatment settings.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?pli=1#inbox/WhctKKWxXJLnJgwpvS…
# Research alert Australia, Public and community housing, Health, Homelessness, Young people.