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
Britain’s Historic Wave of Student Rent Strikes
Mollie Simpson (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Rent strikes are taking place right now in 55 of 140 UK universities. It's the biggest nationwide tenant action in 40 years – and has potential to shift housing dynamics not just for students, but for renters everywhere. Read on ... (Tribune)
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/01/britains-historic-wave-of-stude…
# Hot topic International, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Students.Australian government's housing policy continues to ignore low income earners
Greg Jericho The Guardian (No paywall)This week there was some focus on the homebuilder program after the latest home loan figures showed a strong surge in mortgages for building homes since July. ... In effect, as usual, economic policy prioritises people able to afford a home or those already owning one over those who cannot or do not. ... [This week] the Productivity Commission released its report on government services and housing and the homeless. It found that in 2018 half of low income households were in rental stress – a figure barely changed from a decade ago. And yet such news never generates attention at the policy level that house prices do. ... Not much has changed in the way the Coalition government approaches housing policy since John Howard in 2003 ... Read on
https://www.theguardian.com/business/commentisfree/2021/jan/24/a…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market.What’s Abolitionist Housing Policy?
Krystle Okafor and Sophie House (No paywall)From the United States ... After the murder of George Floyd and corresponding uprising in Minneapolis, a nationwide movement of unprecedented scale arose to grieve and to resist anti-Black racism. ... This kind of sea change is overdue in housing policy, where incremental, rather than transformative, approaches have traditionally been the norm despite visionary contributions from housing activists. Read on ... (Shelterforce)
https://shelterforce.org/2021/01/14/housing-policy-needs-aboliti…
# Must read International, Housing market, Human rights.Australian housing market to experience 'up crash' on back of homebuilder mini-boom – investment bank
Ben Butler The Guardian (No paywall)Australia’s housing market is set for an “up crash” as the government’s homebuilder subsidy scheme prompts a spike in construction that will rapidly fall away, investment bank UBS says. George Tharenou, the chief economist at UBS in Australia, said ... house prices are likely to rise by 5-10%, but there was now a chance they would soar more than 10%, “particularly given the planned repeal of responsible lending” rules.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/21/australia…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market.'Quentin Tarantino moment' for men who intimidated Surry Hills tenant
Laura Chung The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A Sydney landlord who intimidated and assaulted a tenant after he fell behind in his rent joked the attack was a "Quentin Tarantino" moment that he would laugh about for years to come. Mario Venneri, 57, on Thursday pleaded guilty in the Downing Centre Local Court to intimidation and assault charges over the incident, which began after his tenant Brice Gouillou fell behind in his rent payments.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/quentin-tarantino-moment-for…
# NSW, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Landlords and agents.Church of England appoints first bishop for housing
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)In the Unuited Kingdom, Bishop of Loughborough. Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani will take up the new Bishop of Housing role, which will see her lead the church’s efforts in tackling housing inequality. ... Her appointment comes ahead of next month’s publication of the findings of a two-year commission, set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury, examining the role of the church in tackling housing inequality. ... One aim will be to ensure the Church of England uses its own land well to help resolve the housing crisis wherever possible.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/church-of-england-appo…
# Must read International, Affordable housing, Housing market, Human rights.The benefits of collaboration between the Church and housing associations
Charlie Arbuthnot and Matthew Corbett Inside Housing (Paywall)Housing associations and churches act as anchor organisations in many of the deprived communities they serve. So why don’t we do more together? That was the question posed by L&Q and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community, when they met. The quick answer was ... we could do a whole lot more. Read on ...
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/the-benefits-of-…
# International, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Housing market, Human rights.Western Sydney residents furious about two towers set to exceed approved height limit
Lydia Fend ABC (No paywall)Western Sydney residents are furious plans to increase the height of a major residential development have been given the green light, despite concerns about overdevelopment and congestion. The concept plan for two 15-storey apartment buildings at Wentworth Point means they will be almost double in height compared to neighbouring buildings, which reach a limit of nine storeys.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-22/western-sydney-residents-…
# NSW, Local Government, Planning and development.