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
Airbnb data identifies illegal social home sublets
Meghan Owen BBC (No paywall)Local councils and Airbnb have begun sharing data to identify the illegal subletting of social homes on the short-term rental platform. The scheme, coordinated by the Cabinet Office's fraud team, allows councils to cross-check social housing records against Airbnb listings in an effort to tackle what the government calls "social housing fraud." It is suspected nearly 6,000 social homes in England are illegally sublet on short-term rental platforms, according to the Tenancy Fraud Forum, a not-for profit organisation.
# International, Public and community housing.Pacific urged to act on housing crisis
Ema Ganivatu Island Business (No paywall)NEARLY half of Fiji’s housing stock is in average to poor condition, with thousands of families left vulnerable to climate-related disasters, Fiji’s Minister for Housing and Local Government, Maciu Nalumisa, has warned. Speaking at the Pacific Housing Forum in Suva, Nalumisa said the Pacific was facing a deepening housing crisis driven by rapid urbanisation, affordability pressures and increasing climate risks. He told around 100 participants that about 24 per cent of Fiji’s urban population currently lives in informal settlements, while rising demand for housing continues to outpace supply nationwide.
https://islandsbusiness.com/news-break/pacific-urged-to-act-on-h…
# International, .Can America fix its housing crisis?
ABC (USA) (No paywall)Congress passed the most significant housing affordability bill in decades, then Trump cancelled it. #PlanetAmerica explains why home ownership has become out of reach for so many.
# Video International, .Lived experience is often dismissed – but we should recognise it as a form of expertise
Snita Ahir-Knight and Hazel Godfrey The Conversation (No paywall)Institutions increasingly invite people to contribute their lived experience. Government agencies appoint patients to advisory panels and call on communities for their views on policy. Health New Zealand employs peer support workers and universities seek lived experience in research. These initiatives acknowledge that lived experience matters. But there is a catch. In many cases, it is still treated as perspective or testimony rather than as a form of expertise.
https://theconversation.com/lived-experience-is-often-dismissed-…
# International, .Tenant wins right to keep cat after landlord’s refusal ruled unreasonable
Pulse Tasmania (No paywall)A Tasmanian landlord’s concerns that her tenant’s cat could damage a renovated property, affect its sentimental value and worsen allergens have been rejected by a tribunal. The tenant had asked for permission to adopt an indoor cat named Celeriac at her rented three-bedroom home. The landlord refused, saying the house had been built by her grandfather and more than $34,000 of work had been done in 2022, including sanding floorboards and installing new flooring. She took the matter to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) to decide whether her refusal was reasonable.
https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/tenant-wins-right-to-keep-cat-…
# Australia, Pets, Tribunal NCAT.Indigenous housing progress staring into funding abyss
Abe Maddison National Indigenous Times (No paywall)Urgently needed long-term funding to address the housing crisis in remote Aboriginal communities will be vital if Australia is to hold off abject and worsening First Nations poverty. It is a message that has been personally delivered, with a delegation of Elders highlighting the critical importance of funds for sustainable accommodation, infrastructure and essential services on homelands during a meeting with powers that be in Canberra. Aboriginal Housing Northern Territory chief executive Leeanne Caton says the group received ''a lot of positive responses'' from ministers and bureaucrats. '
https://nit.com.au/06-07-2026/25198/indigenous-housing-progress-…
# Australia, Aboriginal renters.How to keep your home warm if you're renting or on a budget
Tegan Osborne ABC (No paywall)Shivering through winter and searching for ways to make your space warmer? If you're strapped for cash or renting a home, installing an expensive heater or renovating for improved thermal efficiency may not be an option. But these cheap and innovative tricks can make a big difference. Heating expert Chris Barnes, from consumer group Choice, says air leakage from under doors and around windows is a big problem in many Australian homes. Based on Gadigal land in Sydney, Mr Barnes says a simple way to find the source of draughts is to walk around your home with a lit incense stick.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-03/how-to-keep-your-home-war…
# Australia, Rent.Australian rental prices soar to new record high amid chronic housing shortage
Heath Parkes-Hupton news.com.au (No paywall)Australian rental prices have hit a new record high accelerating well past household incomes and a chronic shortage drives a “profound shift in affordability”. Just how high prices have risen depends on which analysts you ask, but what they agree on is the chronic shortage of rentals and recent property tax changes point to a worsening situation. Critics of the federal government’s May budget, which scrapped negative gearing and tweaked capital gains tax for investors, had warned it could drive rents up as landlords exited the market.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/australian-r…
# Australia, Rent.