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
Warning over growing rental pressure on elderly Australians
ABC (No paywall)Tens of thousands more older Australians will face rental stress and potentially homelessness over the coming decade, as a shortage in social housing and fall in private ownership combine with an ageing population. New analysis suggests the Federal Government would need to build 12,000 homes a year help cover the shortfall for over 65s and that's putting aside the help needed among younger Australians. With the new JobSeeker rate set to kick at the end of next month there are also fears about a jump in homelessness in the coming months. (RN Breakfast)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/warning-…
# Hot topic, Audio Australia, Eviction, Rent, Homelessness, Older people.Victoria's rental laws have changed. Here's what you need to know
Kristian Silva ABC (No paywall)If you are among the one in four people in Victoria who rent a home, or if you own an investment property, changes to the more than 130 rental law changes taking effect on Monday could have a big impact on your life. The Victorian Government says the reforms, delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will "make renting fair for all Victorians".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-29/victoria-rental-reforms-b…
# New policy announcement Australia, Bond, Rent, Fixtures - lights, aircon etc, Minimum habitability standards, No-grounds evictions, State Government.MPs urge government to provide funding for renters to repay COVID-related arrears
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... A report by the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee on the government’s support for private renters and homeless people during the COVID-19 crisis urged the government to publish an “exit plan for the private rented sector from national and local restrictions”. The HCLG Committee said “one of [the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG)] top priorities” is to deliver a financial package to support tenants to repay rent arrears caused by COVID-19, which it suggested should be done via Discretionary Housing Payments. It estimates that such a relief package would likely cost the government between £200m and £300m, however the committee said it “would likely save the exchequer a substantial amount in homelessness assistance” due to the number of evictions that such a package would prevent.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/mps-urge-government-to-prov…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.CDC extends eviction moratorium
(No paywall)The Biden administration announced today an extension of the federal eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021, and greater enforcement of the moratorium’s protections – two measures that will help keep millions of renters stably housed during the pandemic and prevent further spread of and deaths from COVID-19. (International Union of Tenants)
https://www.iut.nu/news-events/cdc-extens-eviction-moratorium/
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Housing unaffordable for most people even before price spike
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Forty per cent of first home buyers in Sydney and Hobart were priced out of their property market even before the latest surge in house values and new research reveals a widening gap between the nation’s capital cities. Only a surge in federal and state government handouts, worth up to $88,000, and record-low interest rates has prevented even worse affordability issues hitting first-time buyers, but they could grow as a key scheme comes to an end. Research released on Thursday by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation shows for the first time the affordability issues facing both buyers and renters based on income groups.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/housing-unaffordable-for…
# Hot topic, Research alert Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market, State Government.Homeless numbers set to rise again, but inquiry can be a turning point if we get smarter about housing people
David MacKenzie The Conversation (No paywall)Australian parliaments produce many committee reports, but only occasionally does one deserve to be described as a “landmark report”. The Legal and Social Issues Committee report Inquiry into homelessness in Victoria, released this month, may be just such a report that makes a difference, if its recommendations are followed. The report has advanced a bold reform agenda, proposing measures that would be the most significant response to homelessness in Australian history.
https://theconversation.com/homeless-numbers-set-to-rise-again-b…
# Australia, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.NZ student accommodation is expensive and under-regulated — here are 10 ways to fix it
Myra Williamson The Conversation (No paywall)For many of the thousands of tertiary students who have just settled into university halls of residence, not to mention their parents, the current parliamentary inquiry into student accommodation will be raising some uncomfortable questions. ... The submissions so far ... suggest there are genuine, systemic problems with student accommodation in New Zealand that need to be addressed. ... Given the apparent lack of legislative oversight, the arguments in favour of greater regulation [including under residential Tenancies Act 1986] should be listened to.
https://theconversation.com/nz-student-accommodation-is-expensiv…
# International, Rent, Housing market, Students.UK housing crisis: how did owning a home become unaffordable?
Lydia McMullan, Hilary Osborne, Garry Blight and Pamela Duncan The Guardian (No paywall)The UK has a housing crisis: in recent decades the cost of buying a home has risen faster than wages, leaving many workers priced out of the market. In some parts of the country, low-deposit mortgages are no help, because would-be homeowners cannot afford the monthly repayments on the mortgages they will need, leaving them in the position of needing to save large sums to put down. High private sector rents make this difficult – and also mean that in some areas 40% of tenants need state help to pay their monthly housing bills. Affordable social housing has become scarcer, leaving many households with no choice but to rent – often paying more than they would for a mortgage. Here is a short history of how we came to this point ...
https://www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2021/mar/31/…
# International, Public and community housing, Rent, Home ownership, Homelessness, Housing affordability.