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
Aim for no-fault eviction ban to be in place by summer
Becky Morton and Jennifer McKiernan BBC (No paywall)The government hopes a ban on evicting tenants in England without a reason will be in place by next summer, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has said. The plans are part of a Renters’ Rights Bill, which was published and introduced to Parliament on Wednesday. A ban on "no-fault" evictions was first proposed under the Conservatives but it was delayed amid concern about the impact on landlords from some Tory MPs, and time ran out to pass the law before July’s election was called. The bill would also ban "bidding wars" and prevent landlords from blocking tenants on benefits or with children.
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent.Government social housing fund green-lights first grants but Help To Buy scheme set to fail
Tom Crowley ABC (No paywall)The federal government has approved grants for the construction of thousands of social and rent-capped homes, the first to be supported by its $10 billion housing fund established one year ago. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil said 185 housing projects had been green-lit in the first round of grants distributed through the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), a move which would deliver a combined 13,700 homes. That puts the government ahead of its target to build 40,000 homes in the fund's first five years of operation.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-15/social-housing-fund-issue…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.Government unaware of size of social housing spend, with some projects set to take years
Tom Crowley ABC (No paywall)The federal government does not know how much it is spending on the thousands of social and affordable homes green-lit by its housing agency, with most funding likely to be years away. A Monday announcement that 13,700 new homes would be supported through the government's flagship Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) was made before grants were finalised and, in some cases, before successful applicants were told. While a government spokesperson and industry sources said that was standard practice, it has left some uncertainty about the timeline for construction.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-17/government-unsure-of-size…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.Revealed: criminals and unlicensed agents operating across Australia’s real estate sector
Christopher Knaus and Nick Evershed The Guardian (No paywall)Convicted criminals and unlicensed agents are operating in the real estate sector across multiple states, a Guardian Australia investigation has found. In New South Wales, the Guardian has established that two individuals convicted of dishonesty offences have been allowed back into the industry well within the usual 10-year prohibition, and that gaps in the law mean convicted money launderers are able to find their way back into the industry.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/17/australia…
# Hot topic Australia, .Was the housing crisis caused by the Howard government’s policies?
Keith Mitchelson The New Daily (No paywall)The housing crisis plaguing Australia is the direct result of Coalition taxation policies that favour individuals with capital and assets, and disadvantages individuals on wage incomes. In 1999, John Howard reduced Capital Gains Tax (CGT) liabilities by 50 per cent for individuals, after Labor had introduced the CGT in 1985. The reduction resulted in a boom in investment in existing housing (an instant earning asset), and it prompted richer individuals to transfer income into capital gains to reduce personal tax liabilities.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2024/09/16/howard-governm…
# Hot topic Australia, .The Australian tenants who are charged to pay their rent
Ariel Bogle The Guardian (No paywall)For almost two years, Tim* has paid an extra $4.83 a month to pay the rent. That recently climbed to $5.10 when the rent went up. The real estate agency that manages their home in Melbourne moved its tenants over to a payment app called Ailo in late 2022. Since then, they have paid a service fee – worked out as a percentage of their rent – to set up a recurring bank transfer on the platform. Tim was “annoyed at having to pay money for basically nothing” but was afraid to say anything to their property manager.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/18/renttech-…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Starting a tenancy.$84bn lost to housing tax lurks? That would go a long way towards ending the housing crisis
Alan Morris The Conversation (No paywall)Australia’s deep housing crisis is causing enduring and widespread harm. A key impact is that it is increasing inequality. The children of parents who have paid off their mortgage and have disposal income are far more likely to become home owners. They will be better off as a result. On the other side of the coin, a growing proportion of young Australians feel they will never be in a position to buy a home and will be lifelong private renters.
https://theconversation.com/84bn-lost-to-housing-tax-lurks-that-…
# Hot topic Australia, .Housing crisis forces Queensland families to live out of motel rooms
Johanna Marie, Nikki Sorbello & Grace Whiteside ABC (No paywall)While the four walls of a motel room offer safety from the outside world, the space inside is far from a home. Single mum Jessica Davies and her four kids, aged between two and 16, have been living in a motel in the Queensland city of Bundaberg since July. "It's not suitable, especially with a two-year-old," she said. Her family has been on the waiting list for social housing since February, and has lived in several motels over the past six months. She said she was not able to find an affordable rental in Bundaberg with enough room for her kids.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-14/housing-crisis-forces-fam…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.