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
Byron Bay: ‘When did the rot set in?’
David Leser The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)It attracted rebels and misfits and dreamers; people who wanted to live outside of the dominant paradigm. And now? It is an area beset by chronic housing insecurity ... with people sleeping in their cars or camping on the sides of mountains. ... “This is a problem being faced by communities all over the country,” says [David] Leser, “where people are being priced out, where there’s not enough long-term housing, where people are opting to rent out their rooms for Airbnb, and where the army of homeless – particularly among women, single mothers and older women – is growing at an alarming rate.” Read David Leser's full article entitled 'Loved to Death' in Good Weekend (17 July 2021) at: [https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/byron-blues-how-mega-money-and-global-exposure-are-changing-an-australian-paradise-20210623-p583pa.html]
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/byron-ba…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Homelessness, Older people, Regional NSW, Women.Why COVID strengthens the case for abolishing stamp duty
Jessica Irvine The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)COVID’s sudden and radical reshaping of the landscape of our private and working lives — which is likely to persist, given rising acceptance of working from home by employers — has provided a unique opportunity for Australians to rethink their ideal home. Many have already voted with their feet, ditching inner city pads for more expansive countryside abodes. But there remains a huge barrier to this desirable societal shift of Australians being liberated to live where it best suits them: stamp duty.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/why-covid-strengthen…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, State Government, Tax.Building more affordable and social housing keeps the state safe and saves the public purse: experts
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Governments have been urged to ramp up the construction of thousands of social and affordable homes in NSW to keep the state safe and save the public purse as the pandemic rips through communities that are at most risk of homelessness, experts have warned. ... Health and housing experts said the latest outbreak highlighted the importance of secure and affordable homes to secure better health outcomes for individual families and the broader community. “What the pandemic has made clear is the community impact. The disadvantage has a broader community impact,” said Kate Colvin, spokeswoman for the Everybody’s Home campaign, which aims to end homelessness and support vulnerable households, first-home buyers and renters.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/building-more-affordable-social-h…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Health, Homelessness, State Government.Landlords Receive Federal Funds for Rental Assistance, Even When Tenants Live In Poor Conditions
Amanda Michelle Gomez (No paywall)From the United States ... Tenants at three D.C. properties have spent the past year fighting for rent relief and better housing conditions. While they’ve had some success, their fight isn’t over. Read their stories ...
https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/523476/landlords-receive…
# International, Repairs, Campaigns and law reform, Landlords and agents, Minimum habitability standards, Personal stories.Is homelessness a property rights issue or a human rights issue? We have to decide
Frank Shyong (No paywall)From United States ... Everyone in Los Angeles seems to agree that homelessness is an emergency, and that consensus has existed for years. ... But I think there’s a major disagreement about what kind of problem homelessness actually is. ... But I think there’s a major disagreement about what kind of problem homelessness actually is.
For one group, the crisis is about the unchallenged misuse of public and private property. It’s a problem of wounded civic pride, lowered property values and dwindling tourism and investment dollars, with a seemingly easy solution: Just get homeless people out of our parks and off our sidewalks. For the other side, the crisis is one of people lacking homes and the maelstrom of medical, psychological and addiction problems that accompany a life on the streets. To them, the main problem is a rapacious, profit-maximized real estate market that generates evictions and homelessness faster than we can house homeless people. And a perfect solution to this problem doesn’t quite exist. (Los Angeles Times)
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-16/column-homel…
# International, Eviction, Homelessness, Housing market.Councils to be encouraged to convert empty buildings into homes as part of plans to save the high street
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The government is encouraging local authorities to use their powers to convert empty buildings into homes as part of its new strategy to revitalise the high street.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/councils-to-be-encoura…
# International, Housing market, Local Government.No wave of properties being offloaded by investors
Tony Alexander (No paywall)From New Zealand ... There is no statistical evidence to back up the claim that a wave of investors are offloading their property [following tax changes announced by the government March 23]
https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/tony-alexander-no-wave-of-propert…
# International, Rent, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Sydney luxury home prices set to eclipse the world
Carolyn Cummins The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sydney has been ranked as the world’s leading city in luxury homes in the Knight Frank 2021 prime forecast report, with prices expected to rise 10 per cent over the coming year. ... [Knight Frank Australia’s head of residential research, Michelle Ciesielski said] “Many of our ultra-wealthy clients are now embracing the low interest rate environment to expand their property portfolios further ...
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/sydney-luxury-home-pri…
# NSW, Housing market, Landlords and agents.