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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
New Zealand's housing market soars, with record prices for second month in a row
Elle Hunt The Guardian (No paywall)New Zealand’s housing bubble shows no sign of bursting, with record prices recorded for the second month in a row. The property research firm CoreLogic’s house price index shows that the average house price hit $788,967 in December, reflecting an increase of 2.6%. Growth for the final quarter of 2020 was 6.1% – the highest recorded since the 6.6% in the three months to February 2004.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/07/new-zealands-housi…
# International, Housing market.Eviction ban ‘under review’, prime minister says
Dominic Brady Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The government is keeping a ban on evictions “under review” as the Christmas truce on repossessions is due to end next week, the prime minister has said. ... Mr Johnson’s review of an eviction ban comes after campaigners and housing bodies recently urged the government to reinstate introduce a full ban for renters in England again, arguing that it is “too dangerous” to evict people from their homes.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/eviction-ban-under-rev…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Rental vacancy rates hit zero in Australian coastal towns as they hit COVID capacity
Emilia Terzon ABC (No paywall)The pandemic has brought on a property boom for surf towns as cashed-up city dwellers make a sea change. But while that is great for homeowners selling at high prices, it has created a nightmare for some renters. Data supplied to ABC News by CoreLogic shows just how slim the availability of rental homes has become in several key coastal regions, including Byron Bay, Newcastle and the Gold Coast. Demand has risen so far beyond supply that there is almost nothing sitting empty for potential renters.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-08/surf-coast-rentals-at-zer…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.How President-Elect Joe Biden Proposes To Change Housing Policies
Natalie Campsi (No paywall)From the United States ... Housing was not a major talking point in the 2020 election, but President-elect Joe Biden devised a blueprint to tackle major housing issues nonetheless. The sweeping $640 billion, 10-year plan addresses everything from affordable housing to anti-discrimination policies. Some commentators have called it a “comprehensive plan” for housing, while others say Biden is throwing big money at real problems without offering practical solutions.Housing was not a major talking point in the 2020 election, but President-elect Joe Biden devised a blueprint to tackle major housing issues nonetheless. The sweeping $640 billion, 10-year plan addresses everything from affordable housing to anti-discrimination policies. Some commentators have called it a “comprehensive plan” for housing, while others say Biden is throwing big money at real problems without offering practical solutions. (Forbes)
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/biden-housing-policies/
# International, Discrimination, Affordable housing.Renters face financial strife while stuck in NSW due to border closure
Rachael Dexter The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sleeping in the car is looming as the only option for stranded Victorians who have spent thousands on emergency accommodation in NSW on top of the rent for homes they can't get to because of the border closure. ... Consumer Affairs Victoria said some renters trapped in NSW may be able to negotiate rental relief under Victoria's emergency COVID-19 laws.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/renters-face-financial-…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Rental vacancy rates drop in coastal towns due to sea-change trend
Elizabeth Redman Domain (Paywall)Frustrated tenants are pulling out all the stops to secure a rental property in coastal hotspots, with some offering $200 extra a week or paying 12 months’ rent in advance. Vacancy rates have plunged as remote workers have been leaving major cities during the pandemic, making it harder for locals to find accommodation themselves.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/rental-vacancy-rates-drop-in-coas…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Regional NSW.Cities could get more than 4°C hotter by 2100. To keep cool in Australia, we urgently need a national planning policy
Mark Maund and others The Conversation (No paywall)In cities around the world, temperatures could rise by more than 4℃ by 2100 ... Cities occupy just 3% of Earth’s surface. ... Yet more than half the world’s population live in urban environments ... It’s important ... planning ... include the cooling and shading provided by green infrastructure ... For Australia, this means getting a national green infrastructure policy that provides for green spaces within our cities, open spaces and buildings to help with increasing density and rising global temperatures.
https://theconversation.com/cities-could-get-more-than-4-c-hotte…
# Hot topic International, Federal Government, Planning and development.Is build-to-rent the next big thing in commercial property?
Sue Williams Domain (Paywall)It’s an often-misunderstood housing type, but it’s now being tipped as likely to be one of the biggest commercial asset hits of 2021. The build-to-rent sector – with its sub-sector multifamily housing as its most commonly known to institutional investors – is going through unprecedented growth in Australia with a huge number of projects being planned or set to start construction in the next 12 months.
https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/is-build-to-rent-th…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market.