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
Low rates to drive house prices up 17 per cent this year
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)House prices are tipped to grow at their fastest pace since the late 1980s, led by a 19 per cent surge across the Sydney market this year, as buyers take advantage of record-low interest rates, government programs and money saved during the coronavirus recession.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/low-rates-to-drive-house…
# Hot topic Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Housing market.Liberal MPs say super guarantee rise could be used to pay for aged care
Paul Karp The Guardian (No paywall)Liberal MPs have proposed setting aside the increase in the super guarantee from 10 to 12% to fund healthcare in later life and aged care, as a means to pay for royal commission recommendations without an income tax levy.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/25/liberal-m…
# Australia, Federal Government, Older people.House prices could rise 17 per cent this year, locking some first-home hopefuls out: ANZ
Elizabeth Redman Domain (Paywall)Australian housing prices are set to soar 17 per cent this year across the capital cities, a sharp rise that could lock some aspiring first-home buyers out of the market, ANZ economists have warned.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/house-prices-could-rise-17-per-ce…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.Global shortages, HomeBuilder demand causing building delays and price rises
Matthew Doran ABC (No paywall)A sharp increase in global demand for building products during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused price rises and delays on Australian construction sites and is prompting calls for changes to the federal government's HomeBuilder scheme.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-25/building-delays-homebuild…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Housing market.Who’s who of East Melbourne object to luxury apartments
Simon Johanson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Low-profile developer Harold Handelsman is joining the rush to build luxury boutique apartments in leafy East Melbourne, overcoming a who’s who list of objectors on the way.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/who-s-who-of-east-melb…
# Australia, Planning and development.Construction industry scrambles for tradies, materials amid HomeBuilder boom
Noel Towell The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The popularity of the federal government’s HomeBuilder stimulus program is causing headaches for Victorian builders, who say they are struggling to hire tradies and get hold of key construction materials.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/construction-industr…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market.The things you never told me ....
Giles Peaker (No paywall)This was a claim in negligent misstatement brought by Ms J. ... The brief facts – in 2014 Ms J was looking into a mutual exchange with the tenant of a ground floor flat in Finsbury Park. This was one of two flats in a Victorian terrace, both tenanted and for which L&Q were the landlord. An L&Q housing officer, Ms James took on providing assistance for the exchange, including preparation of legal documents. [Ms J.] asked Ms James to provide her with some background on the property and asked: “…if there were any complaints or Anti-Social Behaviour on the system? Ms. James said: “There is nothing that I can see on the system.” ... However, Ms J, who is black, faced racist abuse and threats from the upstairs neighbours from the start of the tenancy ... It transpired that L&Q did indeed have information about ASB relating to the flat on their system. A previous tenant of the flat (not the one exchanging), a black man with learning difficulties, had also suffered racist abuse. ... Total damages of £31,000. (Nearly Legal: Housing Law News and Comment)
https://nearlylegal.co.uk/2020/12/the-things-you-never-told-me/?…
# Legal significance International, Rent, Landlords and agents, Neighbours.Shelter NSW March 2021 e-Bulletin
(No paywall)During March, we have stretched ourselves across the micro and macro of the housing system – from thinking about social housing as critical, national infrastructure; and the plans for the future Western Sydney Airport; right through to supporting residents, tenants and allies in communities like Glebe. Of course our concern for tenants in the private rental markets continues to rise. The next few weeks will see the end of Commonwealth Covid19 income support and we fear, a great risk of increased evictions and homelessness.
https://mailchi.mp/shelternsw/shelter-nsw-march-2021-ebulletin?e…
# Must read NSW, Campaigns and law reform.