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
House price growth soars to three-decade high
The New Daily (No paywall)House prices are growing at their fastest monthly pace in 32 years with Sydney properties leading the pack with a 3.7 per cent increase in March. The CoreLogic national home value index recorded a 2.8 per cent rise in March, with strong growth conditions across the country.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/04/01/property-…
# Australia, Housing market.'Smokescreen of Covid': can Tasmania's early election obscure the crisis in housing and health?
Adam Morton The Guardian (No paywall)The afternoon before the Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, announced the election, his government released two bits of information that revealed the depth of major problems facing the state. One showed public hospital waiting lists had skyrocketed to record levels. The number of people waiting for an outpatient appointment now tops 51,000 – nearly a tenth of the island state’s population and up 11% in just six months. The other illustrated a similar jump in the number of people waiting for public housing. It now sits at more than 3800 – 9% more than a year ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/04/smokescre…
# Australia, Public and community housing, State Government.Amended Glebe proposal a “great win” for social housing advocates
Allison Hore (No paywall)Social housing advocates are celebrating a “huge win” following the announcement a new development proposed for Glebe would be fully set aside for social housing. The proposed housing development which will spread across two sites in Glebe, 17-31 Cowper Street and 2A-2D Wentworth Park Road, has been amended to now deliver 100 percent social housing. (Inner West Independent)
https://cityhubsydney.com.au/2021/03/amended-glebe-proposal-a-gr…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Campaigns and law reform, Estate renewal, State Government.Protesters disrupt Glebe auction
Allison Hore (No paywall)The auction of a three bedroom terrace house in Glebe was disrupted by protesters. On the evening of the 10th of March, public housing residents and advocates surrounded the front of a terrace house at 92 Cowper Street in Glebe in an attempt to disrupt an auction which was planned to take place there. (Inner West Independent)
https://cityhubsydney.com.au/2021/03/protesters-disrupt-glebe-au…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Campaigns and law reform, Estate renewal, State Government.Why do Tasmania’s property prices keep going up?
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)https://www.domain.com.au/news/why-do-tasmanias-property-prices-keep-going-up-1030928/?utm_campaign=strap-masthead&utm_source=smh&utm_medium=link&utm_content=pos4&ref=pos1
https://www.domain.com.au/news/why-do-tasmanias-property-prices-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.House Prices Are Inflating Around the World
Mike Cherney and Patricia Kowsmann (Paywall)As the U.S. housing market booms, a parallel rise in residential real-estate prices across the world from Amsterdam to Auckland is raising fears of possible bubbles and prompting some governments to intervene to prevent their markets from overheating. Policy makers were already worried about high property prices in parts of Europe, Asia and Canada before the pandemic, especially as years of low interest rates kept demand strong. But now the trillions of dollars of stimulus deployed world-wide to fight the effects of Covid-19, along with changes in buying patterns as more people work from home, are turbocharging markets further. That is putting policy makers in a bind. ... (The Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-prices-are-inflating-around-t…
# Hot topic International, Housing market.Suncorp warns against building in flood zones, flags $250m in claims
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Suncorp says claims from this month’s flooding disasters across NSW, south-east Queensland and Victoria will cost it up to $250 million, as it warned against building new homes in high-risk areas. ... Insurance companies have in recent years underestimated the costs of natural disasters, and chief executive Steve Johnston urged governments to improve their planning decisions and avoid building new homes in highly flood-prone areas.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/suncorp-warn…
# Hot topic Australia, Housing market.NSW homelessness deemed 'humanitarian crisis' as new wave hits amid rental market squeeze
Giselle Wakatama ABC (No paywall)Domestic violence and homelessness groups along with tenancy advocates say New South Wales is on the brink of a 'humanitarian crisis' in terms of homelessness. A rally in Newcastle on Monday was told crisis accommodation was at capacity and rental vacancies were virtually non-existent. Nicole Grgas from the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service says people are desperate and resources are stretched to the limit. She says people who are now at risk have nowhere to go. ... "What they are saying is, 'I have to move into my car, I have to split my family up into different relatives' houses because I have got nowhere to go.'"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-29/nsw-homelessness-rent-squ…
# Hot topic NSW, Eviction, Rent, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Housing market, Welfare.