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
The San Francisco homes that prove why NSW stamp duty changes won’t work
Benjamin Ward The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)With Sydney house prices soaring, attention has returned to NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet’s proposed stamp duty reform. The Treasurer used recent price rises as evidence that we “need a fairer and equitable system in place” and last Friday released a progress paper that predicted the reform could lead to a 6 per cent jump in homeownership. The Treasurer should be commended for pursuing the state’s biggest tax reform in decades. But to achieve the fairness and equity that the Treasurer describes, we should be wary of the path proposed to transition to the new land tax.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-san-francisco-homes-that-pro…
# NSW, Home ownership, Housing market, Tax.‘It starts to add up’: renters charged fees to pay rent as real estate agents outsource collection
Michael McGowan The Guardian (No paywall)Tenants are effectively being charged fees to pay their own rent by real estate firms that outsource payment processing to third-party companies, a practice advocacy groups say has become increasingly common despite laws meant to curtail its use. You can check out Scott Pape's article at: [https://www.barefootinvestor.com/articles/rental-rewards]
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/17/it-starts…
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.Built-to-Rent Suburbs Are Poised to Spread Across the U.S.
Will Parker (No paywall)From the United States ... Built-to-rent developments ... are entirely new subdivisions designed for renters. They are managed more like new apartment buildings, with designated staff for repairs and maintenance. In the past few years, the model has taken off around Phoenix and elsewhere—and is likely to become a dominant force in the rental housing market in the coming years, with implications for the communities that surround them, and the nature of home ownership.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/built-to-rent-suburbs-are-poised-to…
# International, Rent, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Anne and Michael Wilks looking for a home in tough rental market after 90 day eviction notice
Sage Swinton (Paywall)"I've got two kids who I've fought for and promised stuff to and I can't even deliver a home." (Newcastle Herald)
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7294273/familys-house-b…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent, Tribunal NCAT, Homelessness.Call for stricter controls for ACT landlords as Canberra renters asked to care for chickens, limit heater use
Niki Burnside ABC (No paywall)When Kerrie Littlefield found a rental property for herself and her two daughters in Canberra's south in late 2019, she signed the lease with the understanding that renovations at the property would be completed within a few months. The educator, who works with special needs children, was delighted to secure a lease after struggling to find anything affordable close to her friends and workplace. But the renovations were never completed, and the family lived in a home without carpet, forced to buy rugs to ease the cold. In that time, she was also expected to care for the owner's chooks, and said she was never compensated for the more than $400 she spent on feed.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/act-call-for-stricter-con…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, State Government.‘Get the biggest cardboard box you can find …’ How to declutter your home as lockdown eases
Stuart Heritage The Guardian (No paywall)Now that we’ve all had more than a year of staring at nothing but the inside of our own homes, it’s becoming very apparent that we own far too much stuff. ... Nothing will help you identify areas of progress like photos, says Begum Zarmann, TaskRabbit UK’s decluttering trend expert. “Before you start to declutter, choose a small part of your home, like a bathroom cabinet, and take a photo of it. Once you have tidied and organised that space, take an after photo.” Why? “Keeping a record of your transformations gives you the motivation to declutter more.”
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/apr/12/how-declutt…
# International, Home.At least 130,000 households in England made homeless in pandemic
Chaminda Jayanetti The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... At least 130,000 households in England were made homeless during the first year of the pandemic, despite the government’s ban on evictions, according to data sourced by the Observer. With the ban now over, fears are rising that a surge of evictions may be imminent. But the Observer’s figures show that even while the ban was in place, households were being forced from their homes. “The ban didn’t stop tens of thousands from facing homelessness,” said Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter. “During the pandemic, the most common triggers for homelessness were no longer being able to stay with friends or family, losing a private tenancy, and domestic abuse.”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/13/at-least-130000-…
# International, Domestic violence, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.Nearly two-thirds of Australians think home ownership won't be an option for young people as property prices rise
Stephanie Chalmers ABC (No paywall)Stephen Green hopes to buy a home for his family of four, but that dream has so far proven elusive. ... The fact young people feel home ownership is a 'pipe dream' wouldn't come as a surprise to most Australians. The Australia Talks national survey found 65 per cent of Australians in general think owning a home isn't really an option for most young Australians anymore. ... The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation found affordability was worst for potential first homebuyers in Sydney and Hobart, with only 10 to 20 per cent of properties in those markets affordable for the bottom 60 per cent of income earners.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/survey-home-ownership-not…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market.