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
Trump cancels bipartisan housing bill signing, reiterates demand for SAVE America Act
Kaia Hubbard, Kathryn Watson, Caitlin Yilek and Mary Cunningham CBS News (No paywall)Trump canceled a planned signing ceremony on Wednesday for a landmark housing affordability bill that passed Congress by wide bipartisan margins, saying he will not sign the legislation into law until lawmakers pass an elections bill known as the SAVE America Act. Mr. Trump was set to sign the bill, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, during an event at the Capitol. The measure, the most comprehensive housing legislation in decades, aims to increase housing supply and bring down costs, including by limiting institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-signs-housing-bill-capitol/
# International, .Google founder Sergey Brin exits New York real estate after mayor Zohran Mamdani's rent freeze
Times of India (No paywall)Google co-founder Sergey Brin has quietly walked away from a sizable bet on New York City apartments, selling his stake in a struggling real estate fund for just six cents on the dollar—a steep loss that lands right as Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rent freeze tightens the screws on the city's landlords. The world's third-richest man offloaded his holding back to the fund's manager, A&E Real Estate, according to documents filed in December and first reported by Bloomberg.
https://timesofindia-indiatimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/times…
# International, .The homeless Australians turning to derelict boats to avoid sleeping on the streets
Myles Houlbrook-Walk ABC (No paywall)On the boat that has become his home, James Bryan has a clear message for the authorities that want to evict him: "They'll have to get me off with a gun". Mr Bryan is among the many Australians struggling with housing affordability. When he lost his job, rather than joining the throngs of homeless in NSW, he turned to living on the Lindy Lou at Brisbane Water on the NSW Central Coast. "Lost my job, lost my apartment, ended up on the water," Mr Bryan said. There's just one problem with that. It is illegal to live on a boat in NSW and, as a result, authorities want to seize the vessel.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-02/homeless-australians-livi…
# Must read Australia, Eviction.Revealing the human side of why some people need social housing
Alan Morris The Fifth Estate (No paywall)Although federal and state governments have recognised the desperate need for more social housing, and homes are being constructed (and demolished), the waiting list continues to grow. To have any chance of accessing social housing within a reasonable time frame, applicants (waitees) invariably need to be on the priority list. For example, if a waitee chooses Mount Druitt as their “allocation zone”, the waiting period for waitees on the general waiting list is 5 to 10 years for a studio or 1-bedroom property.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/revealing-the-hum…
# Australia, Public and community housing.How planning fixed the housing crisis
Alistair Sisson Substack (No paywall)In the last five years we’ve seen a raft of planning reforms in Australia, presented as solutions to the housing crisis. In two recent papers (in International Journal of Housing Policy and Urban Policy and Research) Kristian Ruming, Liz-Murphy-May and I examine how planning became a crisis fix and its political effects. As Iain White and Gauri Nandedkar argue, housing crises are ideological artefacts, not objective events. While housing has undoubtedly become harder to find, pay for and keep hold of, particularly for private renters, the causes of and solutions to this ‘crisis’ are debated from a range of political viewpoints.
https://moresocialhousing.substack.com/p/how-planning-fixed-the-…
# Australia, .The government wants to increase home ownership. But life is tough for many new homeowner
Rachel Ong ViforJ The Conversation (No paywall)On Tuesday, the Albanese government struck a deal with the Greens to allow sweeping changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount to pass parliament. The government has consistently asserted it is sharply focused on helping more Australians into home ownership. Key actions have included expanding the 5% deposit scheme and other government assistance programs, and overhauling housing tax concessions in this year’s budget. But at the same time as we try to help more people get a foot on the property ladder, are we forgetting to pay attention to what it’s like for those who do?
https://theconversation.com/the-government-wants-to-increase-hom…
# Hot topic Australia, .Real estate has been an easy target for criminals laundering money, until now
Daniel Ziffer ABC (No paywall)Criminal gangs using dirty cash to buy homes will find it harder from July 1 because the real estate industry and others have been drafted into the fight against money laundering. So-called Tranche 2 laws mean real estate agents, conveyancers, lawyers, accountants, gem dealers and precious metal brokers must verify their customers, as banks and casinos do, bringing Australia in line with the rest of the world. They'll need to know who the customers are and where the money is coming from.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-29/real-estate-easy-target-c…
# Hot topic Australia, .Closure of long-term Salvation Army residential facility sparks concerns
Costa Haritos ABC (No paywall)A long-term residential facility in Melbourne's inner-west will begin the process of shutting down, raising concerns about the future of dozens of vulnerable men living there. Foley House has provided beds for homeless men, those with disabilities and acquired brain injuries and other complex health needs since 2013. The Salvation Army, which runs the Footscray facility, said the site was no longer sustainable and that it would start moving residents to other affordable accommodation from this week.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-30/foley-house-salvation-arm…
# Australia, Rent.