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
How to win at the property auction game
Joel Gibson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Just like tens of thousands of other Aussies, I have been spending quite a bit of time doing the rounds of property auctions lately. With a little help from real estate agents and economists, I have come up with a few tips and tricks to help you get to the front of the line with your auction bids as you try to secure your dream home. ... Richard Holden, Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales, says the “winner’s curse” is an even greater risk in an overheated property market. “[Your research] is always going to be imperfect. If you bid right up to the amount you think the property is worth and you win, you’ll overpay. It’s about scaling back what you’re willing to pay, even if it means missing out, and setting your limit based on your research”.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/how-to-win-a…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Caution needed when buying a house with a small deposit
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A total of 20,000 places will be made available from July 1 in schemes operated by the federal government where first-home buyers and single parents need only a small deposit.
However, while qualifying first-home buyers can put down a deposit of 5 per cent and single parents just 2 per cent, there are traps that await the unwary. [Read on]
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/caution-needed-when-buyin…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability.Why do renters get a bad rap in Calgary?
(No paywall)From Canada ... Luis Virla and his wife Inés Hernández-Virla rent a two-bedroom unit in a fourplex in Windsor Park, an established community in southwest Calgary. But with two children to care for, their hearts are set on homeownership. “Owning a home is a symbol of stability,” Virla said. “If you don’t own one, you’re unstable.” Their aspirations are akin to those of many Calgarians, who see renting as just a temporary arrangement. But in Calgary, like in cities across North America, renters aren’t always welcome, which makes it difficult to find a suitable, stable home to raise one’s family. To some homeowners, renters can seem detached and uninvested in their communities. [Read on] (The Sprawl)
https://www.sprawlalberta.com/why-do-calgary-renters-get-a-bad-r…
# International, Rent, Home ownership.Supply the key to housing crisis: PM
Phillip Coorey (Paywall)The best antidote to soaring house prices is supply and, short of the states freeing up more land, the next best solution is a policy platform to encourage the construction of new homes, Scott Morrison says. With housing availability and affordability to be a key battleground in the forthcoming federal election, Mr Morrison said it was too early for the regulators to step in with macroprudential measures to discourage investors because demand was still being driven primarily by owner-occupiers. (Financial Review)
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/supply-the-key-to-housing-c…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development.Karrinyup high-rise in doubt after council sides with furious locals
Marta Pascual Juanola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The fate of a deeply unpopular development in the heart of Karrinyup that could see an apartment block the size of the CBD’s Westpac tower built near single-storey family homes will be decided at the end of the month.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/karrinyup-high…
# Australia, Housing market, Local Government, Planning and development.A welcome plan for social housing for the needy
Letters, The Age (Paywall)Scroll through Letters to the Editor. Here's the first letter at the top of the column ... Anthony Albanese’s commitment to social housing (The Age, 14/5) provides a much needed vision for Australians on low incomes. The added importance of this announcement is the inclusion of older women in the target groups to be housed. It is projected that 440,000 private renters aged over 65 will be living in poverty by 2031 if investment in affordable rental housing is not tackled by governments. The royal commission also recognised the importance of affordable housing investment to ensure a fair aged care system. Whilst more than 1million people receive home-based aged care, this “right” is not available for many older, private renters who are evicted because they can’t afford their rent, the owner decides to sell or they are denied permission by landlords for home modifications to enable ageing-in-place. You cannot access aged care services if you are homeless. Here's the next letter ... Hooray for Labor and its $10billion for social housing. Safe, supportive, secure housing is core to our wellbeing. As a psychiatric nurse, I was witness to the alternative. It is a living hell for many of our fellow Australians and they deserve better.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/a-welcome-plan-for-s…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Health, Housing market, Older people, Women.Developers to be levied for affordable housing across City of Sydney
Angus Thompson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sydney’s centre will be the first place in the state to implement an affordable housing scheme that will see developers face levies to build new homes across the local government area. The NSW government has given the go-ahead for the City of Sydney to extend its scheme requiring new developments to make financial or floor-space contributions towards new rental housing throughout the municipality.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/developers-to-be-levied-for-…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Local Government, Planning and development, State Government, Tax.States Struggle to Give Out Over $45 Billion in Rental Assistance as Evictions Continue
Annie Nova (No paywall)From the United States ... Congress has allocated more than $45 billion in rental assistance. But states are struggling to get the money to renters, many of whom are still facing the threat of eviction. ... The delays are due to the fact that states are figuring out how to distribute an unprecedented amount of money, experts say. In addition, housing advocates say that some states are unnecessarily slowing things by imposing arduous documentation requirements for tenants to qualify. Another issue is that state programs have the option of giving the money directly to a renter if their landlord refuses to participate, but most aren't doing so ... (CNBC)
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/business/money-report/states-…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Landlords and agents.