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
Victorian worker makes plea to housing inquiry while living in tent
Eden Hynninen ABC (No paywall)Anthony Rowse loves the feeling of working with his hands. The 25-year-old spends his days making skip bins for trailers and harvesting equipment near Ballarat in Victoria's west. But that sense of achievement can quickly evaporate when he goes back to Lake Burumbeet and prepares for a cold night in his tent. "The other night I caught a rat making its way into the tent," Mr Rowse said. Mr Rowse said his best mate, Ghost, a three-year-old husky-ridgeback cross, was his only companion. "I caught it [the rat] but Ghost wanted to play with it and she let it go," he said. "I found it hiding in one of my cups trying to stay warm."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-10/homeless-youth-calls-for-…
# Must read Australia, .'You'll never get another chance like this': South Australia launches new rent-to-buy scheme
Gus Macdonald 9 News (No paywall)A new rent-to-buy scheme has been announced by the South Australian government in a push to help long-term renters enter the property market. The initiative, the first of the government's state budget announcements, aims to accelerate home ownership for eligible participants. The scheme centres on newly constructed, affordable homes, such as those being built in Woodville Park. Participants will sign an intent to buy, with the property price fixed at $517,000. Renters accepted into the program will pay 75 per cent of the prevailing market rental rate, with the expectation that the remaining 25 per cent will be saved towards a deposit.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/youll-never-get-another-chance…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Major rule changes for millions of Aussie renters just days away
Kamilia Palu Yahoo News (No paywall)For the millions of renters around the country, it’s no secret that the market is tough — forcing some Aussies to go to extreme lengths in order to have a roof over their heads. The stress of securing a home then turns into the stress of keeping it, with landlords in NSW allowed to evict a tenant for any reason, or no reason at all. But the good news is major changes are just around the corner, providing the two million renters in the state with some relief. From May 19, new tenancy laws around evictions, pets and payment options will become operational.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/major-rule-changes-for-millions-of-aus…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media, Legal significance Australia, .Sunshine Coast residents forced out as approval revoked for affordable housing
Lottie Twyford ABC (No paywall)For more than four decades, Narelle Lockett called the Sunshine Coast home. She grew up not far from the region's stunning beaches and enjoyed the simple life. Over the years, she anxiously watched as the area became increasingly popular with interstate residents and house prices skyrocketed. Despite the increasingly expensive housing market, Ms Lockett said she was prepared to make sacrifices so she could stay there, including at one point spending about 70 per cent of her income on rent. But when her landlord proposed hiking that rent even further, to $700 a week, the extra $80 a week was a bridge too far.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-11/affordable-housing-projec…
# Must read Australia, Rent.‘Prison cell’: Landlord leaves bizarre list of showering rules in Adelaide rental advertisement
Alexandra Feiam news.com.au (No paywall)A rental advertisement on a local Facebook page has raised eyebrows after leaving a bizarre list of rules stuck to the tenant’s shower. The advertisement was shared on an Adelaide rental Facebook page, offering a “full-furnished” bedroom to rent, complete with amenities such as hot water and in close vicinity to the Adelaide Airport and CBD. However, some of the images accompanying the rental listing had potential renters raising their eyebrows.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/prison-cell-…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Repairs, Security and safety.UK house prices rose by most since 2022 in March, official data shows
Reuters (Paywall)British house prices rose at their fastest pace since the end of 2022 in the 12 months to March, according to official data published on Wednesday. Average house prices rose by an annual 6.4%, the fastest increase since December 2022 and up from a 5.5% increase in February, the Office for National Statistics said.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/uk-house-prices-rose-by-m…
# Hot topic International, .How Perth's 'astonishing' rent increases are making housing unattainable for West Australians
Briana Shepherd ABC (No paywall)Times are definitely tough for WA renters. Those in Perth are facing a level of growth that has seen it go from being the country's most affordable capital to rent in, to the second-most expensive in just five years. According to the latest market insight report from property advertising platform REA Group, the median weekly rent for a house in Perth is now $700. That is 7.1 per cent more than 12 months ago, marking the biggest growth among the country's capital cities. The growth in rent for units has been even bigger, with the median rent for a unit in Perth up 8.3 per cent from last year to $650.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-17/perth-rent-prices-austral…
# Must read Australia, Rent.The most profitable locations for property investors to short-term let
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)The most lucrative towns for investors to let out properties on the short-term rental market have been revealed in new research that highlights the earning potential of regional areas. But experts warn demand for second homes in these kinds of areas affects the availability of long-term rental properties and pushes up rents. The Whitsunday region in Queensland was ranked as Australia’s most profitable location for short-term rentals, with annual revenue potential of $141,372, on figures from research firm AirDNA. It was followed by Singleton in the NSW Hunter Valley at $115,783 a year, then Exmouth in north-west WA at $101,976.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/the-most-profitable-locations-for…
# Hot topic Australia, .