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
Northern housing associations launch tenant climate jury
Dominic Brady Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) has launched a first-of-its-kind tenants’ jury to consider how residents, social landlords and others can tackle climate change. ... The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury will select 30 tenants from project partners Karbon Homes, Yorkshire Housing, Thirteen Group, Salix Homes and First Choice Homes Oldham. In particular the jury will look at retrofitting to understand tenants’ preferences on how this should be undertaken in their homes. Tenants will also have a chance to say what information they need before, during and after the retrofit process to use low-carbon heating technology confidently.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/northern-housing-associatio…
# International, Public and community housing, Utilities water energy internet, Climate change.‘Complex, wicked problem’: Creaking towers are alarming engineers
Charlotte Grieve The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Creaking noises in high rise buildings are caused by developers using new technology to cut costs and a regulator that is slow to act, engineers say, prompting fears about fire safety and driving calls for a national review of construction products. The Age has reported creaking noises that have tormented residents of Melbourne’s tallest towers, including Australia 108, Prima Pearl, Aurora, Melbourne Square and now Premier Tower – many constructed by building giant Multiplex. ... Structural engineer and researcher Scott Menegon said creaking noises can occur as a result of developers using new technology to build flexible towers while continuing to use old products, such as wall and ceiling systems, that are not designed to bend.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/complex-wicked-problem-…
# Australia, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Trying to stay warm? Here’s the most cost-effective way to heat a room
Sean Naden and Nick O'Malley The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Houses better designed for winter – or even retro-fitted for it – with fewer cracks, better glazing and better insulation, would have left Australians more comfortable this week, Australia’s leading expert in the niche field of thermal comfort says.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/trying-to-stay…
# Australia, Minimum habitability standards.The Price of Ubers and Airbnbs Is About to Get Jacked Up
Dan Robitzski (No paywall)Unfortunately for everyone who got used to booking suspiciously-cheap rides across town or taking affordable vacations while living in a stranger’s home, companies like Airbnb and Uber are emerging from the pandemic much more expensive than they were before. (Futurism)
# International, Rent, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.Is it worth selling my house if I’m going into aged care?
Colin Zhang The Conversation (No paywall)or senior Australians who cannot live independently at home, residential aged care can provide accommodation, personal care and general health care. People usually think this is expensive. And many assume they need to sell their home to pay for a lump-sum deposit.
But that’s not necessarily the case.
https://theconversation.com/is-it-worth-selling-my-house-if-im-g…
# Australia, Rent, Home ownership, Housing market, Older people.Fire, drought and real estate prices are ending the Californian dream
Kathryn Diss and Cameron Schwarz ABC (No paywall)And some Californians simply can no longer afford to live here. San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego have become expensive, with house prices growing in line with Silicon Valley's rise. The median house price in San Francisco is $1.8 million. That's even more expensive than Sydney, where the median house price is $1.3 million. Critics argue that has pushed out and priced out many middle-class Americans, created an ever-widening wedge between the state's poor and the uber-rich. It has also exacerbated the state's homelessness crisis, with an estimated 161,000 people sleeping rough. That's the highest of any state in the US.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-13/california-dream-is-becom…
# International, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market.Adelaide outperforms interstate rivals to be declared world's third most liveable city
ABC (No paywall)Adelaide has scaled the heights of a global ranking of the world's most liveable cities, reaching third spot overall and edging out its interstate rivals.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-09/adelaide-declared-worlds-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health, Housing market, International.Former Ray White real estate agent Ant Manton investigated for alleged data theft
ABC (No paywall)A real estate agent who dobbed in an employee for stealing client data — an act he said would result in "the end of my business and everything associated with it" — is now the subject of a similar complaint.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-09/ex-ray-white-agent-ant-ma…
# Australia, Landlords and agents.