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
Discussions underway to ban no-cause evictions in ACT
Lucy Bladen Canberra Times (Paywall)Renters in the ACT are set to get greater protections as discussions begin to ban no-cause evictions in the territory. ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said he had commenced discussions with stakeholders on how to implement a ban in an "effective" and "reasonable way".
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6999718/no-cause-rental-e…
# New policy announcement Australia, Rent, No-grounds evictions.The Sydney apartment tribes reshaping the harbour city
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)University of NSW's City Futures Research Centre embarked on a project to map the socio-economic make-up of people in Sydney's apartments. Its findings dispel common perceptions of the social fabric of Sydney's apartment dwellers. Bill Randolph, head of City Futures argues it has resulted in many apartment towers built in recent decades failing to cater for the people who end up living in them. "The bulk of the stock is two-bedroom, investment-grade units. And the majority of apartments are owned by investors," he said. The mapping identified about five groups living in the city's apartments.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-sydney-apartment-tribes-…
# TUNSW in the media, Research alert NSW, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development.A History of Landlords: Rent & the Feudal Origins of a Non-Working Class
John Laurits (No paywall)GREAT HOLIDAY READING ... In 2015, studies estimate that US renters paid $535 billion to landlords in residential rents. To put this in perspective, $535 billion is about enough to give $15,000 to every human being in the US state of California. It would also be enough to replace every page of every book in the US Library of Congress¹ with $100 bills. And if a person stood outside of Walt Disney World every day from open to close, handing $30,000 in cash to each individual visitor, it would take a year to hand out $535 billion. But what exactly did this massive sum of money actually pay for? Why did people start paying landlords in the first place? And do lands really need lords?
https://www.johnlaurits.com/2018/history-landlords-rent-feudalis…
# History International, History, Landlords and agents, Renting culture.More than 100 cats – and owner – evicted from Spanish flat This article is more than 3 mon
The Guardian (No paywall)Animal charities in southern Spain were urgently seeking homes for 110 cats on Saturday after they and their owner were evicted from a flat in the Valencia region.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/19/110-cats-and-owner…
# International, Rent, Health.NT remote housing program is building prefabricated homes, but some communities don't want them
Kate Ashton ABC (No paywall)The Northern Territory Government is using prefabricated homes to ease overcrowding in remote communities, but some are concerned they take construction jobs and training opportunities from Aboriginal Territorians living in remote areas.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-29/nt-prefab-homes-in-remote…
# Australia, Aboriginal renters.Builder's collapse leaves apartment owners fearing alleged $30m defects bill
Carrie Fellner and Nigel Gladstone The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Hundreds of Sydney apartment owners are facing an uncertain future after the collapse of a company linked to the builder of the Opal Tower, with allegations that it collectively owes them $30 million to repair seven defective builds across the city. The revelations come as another high-profile construction group, Ganellen, placed one of its companies into administration last week, midway through a court battle over defects and only days after it was fined over the worksite death of a young apprentice.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/builder-s-collapse-leaves-ap…
# Hot topic NSW, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Public housing options
The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Check out 'Letters' under the heading 'Public housing options': '... Clearly the NSW government needs to call a halt to the cruel policy of building public housing by cannabilising existing public housing and relocating the residents.' You will find another letter under the heading 'Glebe plan shows lack of respect' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/fiscal-inequality-throws-society-out-of-balance-20201231-p56qzb.html].
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-year-s-eve-fireworks-may…
# Hot topic NSW, Public and community housing, Estate renewal, State Government.New Zealand’s 2020 report card: doing well but could try harder
Alexander Gillespie The Conversation (No paywall)The housing crisis in New Zealand ... The housing crisis, driven by demand outstripping supply and prices escalating much faster than comparable countries, is creating a fearful situation for those who cannot afford an abode, or the costs of it eats up too much of their money. Homelessness, which was entrapping tens of thousands before the COVID pandemic remains systemic.
https://theconversation.com/new-zealands-2020-report-card-doing-…
# International, Affordable housing.