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
Cost-savings tips to take the stress out of moving house
Joel Gibson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)I have heard it said that after the death of a loved one or a divorce, moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do in life. Having just tested the theory by moving into a new home myself, there might be something in it.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/cost-savings…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Home ownership.Perth council eyes CBD car parks for night homeless shelters in winter trial
Peter de Kruijff The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Spaces like Perth CBD car parks which go unused at night could be part of a new winter trial to provide evening shelter to homeless people. The City of Perth council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to investigate the feasibility of a trial ...
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/western-australia/perth-council-…
# Australia, Homelessness, Local Government.Brisbane realtor refuses to repay $24,500 deposit after sale falls over
Toby Crockford The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A Brisbane real estate agency refused to repay a $24,500 deposit to a potential buyer after the sale of a block of land fell over, instead keeping $20,000 as commission and giving the land owner the rest.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/brisbane-realtor-refu…
# Legal significance Australia, Landlords and agents.Youth housing service raises funding fears with ‘astronomical’ demand
Matt Dennien The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A major Brisbane youth homelessness support service has raised concerns about its ability to cope with an “astronomical” spike in demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and funding certainty into winter.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/youth-housing-service…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Young people.City of London to convert offices into homes in post-Covid revamp
BBC (No paywall)The City of London is planning to convert empty offices into housing in a bid to revive the area after the Covid crisis. The City of London Corporation, which looks after the Square Mile, is aiming for at least 1,500 new homes by 2030.
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Local Government.Sydney's median house prices hit record high of more than $1.3 million
Tim Swanston ABC (No paywall)A "rapid" acceleration in price growth, mostly driven by upper-end homes, has seen Sydney's median house price rocket to a new record of more than $1.3 million. ... "It's the fastest acceleration of house prices over a single quarter since our Domain records began in 1993," [Domain's Senior Research Analyst, Nicola Powell] said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-29/nsw-house-price-growth-ro…
# NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market.The Guardian view on the cladding scandal: don’t punish the innocent
Editorial The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... If natural justice had its proper bearing, hundreds of thousands of people would not tonight be sleeping in high-rise homes that are clad in materials that could potentially go up in flames, a prospect for which they not only have to pay fire safety costs and higher insurance bills, but also face the reality that they will not be able to sell and move. Straight after the manmade tragedy of the Grenfell fire of 2017, those flammable panels should have been stripped off flats across the land and families would be getting on with their lives. Instead of which, we have this week’s extended game of parliamentary ping pong between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as they bat back and forth amendments to a fire safety bill amid a widespread sense of stasis.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/28/the-guardi…
# International, Minimum habitability standards.House price rise growth shows signs of slowing
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The housing boom is showing signs of slowing and could even end in the next few months after a period of breathless rises.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/borrowing/house-price-rise-growth-s…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.