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
Rents in capital cities rising at fastest pace in two years, report finds
ABC (No paywall)A new report by property website Domain has found rents in Australia's capital cities are rising at their fastest pace in almost two years. Economists have said fewer properties, higher interest rates and strong population growth are to blame.
# Video Australia, Rent.Homeless campers at Wagga Wagga under pressure as deadline to leave site arrives
Jostina Basta and Rachel Holdsworth ABC (No paywall)The deadline for people to vacate a homeless camp near Wagga Wagga's CBD has passed but some rough sleepers say they have nowhere else to go. Wagga Wagga City Council rangers issued compliance action requests at Wilks Park less than two weeks ago. The move-on orders were issued as part of a NSW government emergency response prompted by the death of an infant at a camp on Wagga's riverbank.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-07/wagga-wilks-park-homeless…
# NSW, Eviction.Can tighter rules on short‑stay rentals help the long‑term market?
Caitlin Buckle, Nicole Gurran and Peter Phibbs The Conversation (No paywall)There is a crisis of rental housing across Australia. Areas in major cities and regional Australia alike are facing extremely low rental stock and record high rents. Many cities around the globe have cracked down on platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz to try and deal with the overlap of rental shortages and high numbers of short-term rentals. The aim is to preserve rental supply for locals by restricting short-stay accommodation for tourists to certain areas, limiting the number of nights an unhosted home can be rented, or banning short-term rentals altogether. Australia has been following suit, and the big question is: will it work?
https://theconversation.com/can-tighter-rules-on-short-stay-rent…
# NSW, .Australians face record-high rents across all capital cities: Domain report
Yiying Li and David Taylor ABC (No paywall)Australians are paying record-high rents across all the capital cities as low vacancy rates mean tenants are facing "a landlord's market". Data from property website Domain has revealed a renewed acceleration in rental growth across the capitals, led by Sydney's strongest quarterly increase in four years. Combined capital city house rents increased by $20 over the June quarter, taking annual growth to its strongest pace in almost two years, according to Domain's June Quarter 2026 Rent Report.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-08/record-high-rents-across-…
# NSW, .New data shows renters feel more secure in their homes thanks to Minns Labor Government’s reforms
NSW Government (No paywall)New insights from the Department of Customer Service have revealed that the state’s renters are feeling empowered, protected and confident in the first year of the Minns Labor Government’s landmark reforms. Over the last 12 months, the Government has made renting fairer by banning no-grounds evictions, limiting rent increases to once per year, ensuring renters have fee-free ways to pay rent, banning illegal fees for background checks, making it easier to have pets in rentals and announcing the launch of Smart Rental Bonds later this year.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/renters-feeling-more…
# NSW, Bond, Eviction, Pets.Sydney suburbs set to be hit hardest by rent rises
Aidan Devine realestate.com.au (No paywall)Sydney tenants have been told to brace for another financial squeeze due to the government’s controversial decision to axe negative gearing. Economic modelling from property analytics group FoundIt has forecast rents will rise by up to $34 a week in some Sydney areas over the next three months alone. These rises would occur as new landlords await confirmation of negative gearing restrictions announced in the Budget, currently before parliament, which will restrict negative gearing tax benefits to new builds from mid-2027.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/sydney-suburbs-set-to-be-hit-…
# NSW, Rent.Parramatta, Central Coast & Penrith to lead Smart Rental Bonds rollout
NSW Government (No paywall)The Minns Labor Government has unveiled that renters in Parramatta, the Central Coast and Penrith will be first to experience Smart Rental Bonds with a phased rollout across NSW starting in August. Smart Rental Bonds will allow the 2.3 million renters across NSW to digitally transfer bonds between properties, eliminating the need to fork out thousands of dollars for another bond. This is expected to save renters up to $4,000 each time they move home. The fast-growing communities in the Paramatta, the Central Coast and Penrith Local Government Areas have some of the state’s highest rates of daily bond lodgement, with Smart Rental Bonds delivering crucial cost-of-living savings to renters in metropolitan and regional NSW.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/smart-rental-bonds-r…
# NSW, Bond.NSW to set up modular housing factory to 'turbocharge' delivery of new homes
Sean Tarek Goodwin ABC (No paywall)The New South Wales government is looking to partner with construction companies to create a new modular housing factory to "turbocharge" the delivery of new homes. It is opening a tender process for a Modern Methods of Construction Innovation Facility, where prefabricated housing modules and components could be built faster and more cheaply. The model would involve large sections of rooms being constructed off-site in a dedicated facility before being transported to new developments across the state. "The way we build homes has barely changed for generations," Premier Chris Minns said in a statement.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-21/nsw-modular-homes-plan-to…
# NSW, .