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
Rooftop crops: urban farms in Hong Kong – in pictures
Anthony Wallace The Guardian (No paywall)More than 60 urban farms have sprouted across space-starved Hong Kong since 2015 – on decommissioned helipads, shopping mall rooftops and public terraces – thanks to initiatives such as Rooftop Republic
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2021/jul/14/rooftop-cr…
# International, Home.American Rent Burden Is Leading to More Homelessness
Cynthia Griffith (No paywall)From the United States ... Rarely is homelessness ever reported. But when it is, the stories are carefully crafted to make the issue appear to result from poor choices. In reality, it is but a symptom of a weak system. ... The root of the problem is in the way we’ve structured the housing market. We favor vacant luxury lofts over affordable homes. Racist policies are infused into our lending practices. And we’ve created a system where the law is almost always on the side of the corporate landlord who holds all the chips. ... As we near the end of the pandemic, we enter into a rental system designed to perpetuate poverty. With rent being the only option left for most millennials, is it any wonder that rental rates have increased significantly higher than in the years leading up to the pandemic? ... In other words, this dire situation is 20 years in the making with no real end in sight. ... Corporate landlords recognize this trend and have now begun making income requirements a condition for leasing at signing. This new tactic is just another way to make higher income the prerequisite for affordable housing-or any housing at all. (invisible PEOPLE)
https://invisiblepeople.tv/american-rent-burden-is-leading-to-mo…
# International, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability.The English Housing Survey: five key takeaways
Dominic Brady Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ...The government has published its annual English Housing Survey covering 2019/20. Dominic Brady looks at some standout findings from the report ... 1) Overcrowding again reached record highs and was worst in social rented sector; 2) Social renters feel more anxious than others; 3) Almost a quarter of social renters went into arrears in the last year; 4) City dwellers report feeling more lonely than those living in rural areas; 5) Social renters are more concerned about fire safety than private renters
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/the-english-hous…
# International, Public and community housing, Rent, Health.The benefits of investing in NDIS properties
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)Looking for a property investment that could make you feel as good as the returns it promises? As one of Australia’s leading advocates for investment in National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) housing, SMSF Loan Experts founder Yannick Ieko claims it’s the perfect proposition. On the surface, too, it offers definite benefits: higher than average market rents with yields of up to 18 per cent; returns guaranteed by government; long tenancies; and limited availability.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/the-benefits-of-investing-in-ndis…
# Australia, Disability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Call for Wollongong's homeless to be a priority for COVID-19 vaccinations
Brendan Crabb (No paywall)For nearly six weeks, Darren Mealing has been sleeping rough in a Wollongong CBD carpark. "I've spent 11 years in the street out of my 50 [years]," he said on Friday. He isn't the only homeless person using the space for shelter during lockdown. ... Mandy Booker, chief executive officer of the Wollongong Homeless Hub, said crisis accommodation was currently full, and demand for services was "really high". The Homeless Hub was working with the Department of Communities and Justice to reach out to rough sleepers, and get as many people into temporary and crisis accommodation as they could.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7344584/wollongong-rou…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Regional NSW.Almost one-third of Australians face rental or mortgage stress, survey finds
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Almost a third of Australians say they face mortgage or rental stress amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with household savings also taking a hit in recent months. Against a backdrop of rapidly rising property prices and record-high rents across much of the country, 31 per cent of people are struggling to make their rent or home loan payments, new figures show. ... [Julia Davis from the Financial Rights Legal Centre] feared the latest lockdowns would only add to the financial stress of those who had already chewed down on their savings last year and noted some people were already spending less on food and other essentials in order to meet their repayments.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/almost-one-third-of-australians-f…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership, Housing market.Rents rise at fastest pace since January 2009
Euan Black The New Daily (No paywall)National rents reported their fastest annual growth in more than a decade last financial year. Data released by CoreLogic on Monday shows national rents soared 6.6 per cent as the economic recovery beat expectations and record amounts of government stimulus flowed into Australian bank accounts. House rents increased in all capital cities over the financial year and unit rents rose in all capital cities except Sydney and Melbourne, which were affected by an oversupply of apartments and a lack of migrants due to international border closures. But the largest rent hikes were seen in regional Australia. Taryn Paris in the Urban Developer writes about the same issue at: [https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/regional-rental-prices-outpace-cities].
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/07/19/rents-fas…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Regional NSW.Pandemic boost to household wealth leaves many renters feeling poorer, research finds
Rob Stock (No paywall)From New Zealand ... Robert Whitaker is wealthier than a year ago, but feeling poorer. A lot of other renters feel the same. ... Whitaker, one of the founders of the Renters United political group representing the interests of renting households, was not surprised renters were feeling poorer, despite many having more money in the bank, and in KiwiSaver, as the rapid rise in house prices had put many further from ever owning a home. (Stuff)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125735639/pandemic-boost-to-hou…
# International, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership.