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
Why the Greens think landlords should have to hold a licence
ABC (No paywall)The Victorian Greens say landlords should have to hold licences in order to rent out properties in their latest election pledge. Greens spokesperson for renters' rights Gabrielle De Vietri told Charlie Pickering the policy would protect renters from "substandard housing" but could not answer how this could impact housing supply in Victoria.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-drive/greens-la…
# Audio Australia, .Rent-tech platforms sidestepping credit card surcharge ban with new fees and paid ‘memberships’
Luca Ittimani and Catie McLeod The Guardian (No paywall)Online property management platforms are charging renters new fees or pushing them on to paid “memberships” to avoid processing costs associated with card payments after the ban on surcharges. Tenants have been encouraged to challenge or bypass additional fees charged by so-called rent-tech platforms, including in Victoria, where fees on rent payments are banned. At least 1.2m rent payments each month are made on the platforms in Australia, typically at the instruction of property managers and often with an extra transaction fee.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/13/renters-c…
# Australia, Starting a tenancy.No, the Budget's tax changes are not increasing rents
Matt Grudnoff The Point (No paywall)The latest data from Cotality has some good news. It shows that rent increases are slowing down. But this is exactly the opposite of what all the self-interested shouting was claiming would happen after the tax changes in the budget. Let’s go back five months to May, when the Government announced changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax (CGT). The initial reaction from investors, real estate agents, and anybody else who benefits from rapidly rising house prices was to loudly announce this would push house prices down. And, along with some interest rate increases, that is what happened.
https://thepoint.com.au/explainers/261013-no-the-budgets-tax-cha…
# Australia, .Victorian renters are still being forced out despite ban on no-grounds evictions
Dale Clough The Point (No paywall)Renters across Victoria are being evicted in retaliation for attempting to assert their rights by landlords who are hiding behind reasons such as selling a property, renovating, or having a family member move in. But stating a valid reason isn’t the same as proving it, and right now, there is no accountability for retaliating against a tenant.
https://thepoint.com.au/opinions/261012-victorian-renters-are-st…
# Must read Australia, Eviction, Rent, Repairs.More protections for renters
Tenants Victoria (No paywall)Tenants Victoria welcomes reforms to rental laws... New rental laws start next month, 13 October 2026, giving renters stronger protections against unfair and dodgy practices. If a landlord or agent wants to make a claim against your bond at Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV), they must provide evidence, such as photos or quotes. A landlord or agent can be fined if they make a claim against your bond without evidence or the claim conflicts with the condition report.
https://tenantsvic.org.au/news/more-protections-for-renters/
# Australia, Rent.Rethinking Empty Housing: Vacancy Beyond Physical Absence
(No paywall)At the 2025 Annual Housing Studies Association (HSA) conference, I had the pleasure of presenting an early conceptual overview of my doctoral research on housing vacancy. My research begins from a paradox that has become increasingly visible across cities worldwide: while housing need continues to grow, substantial numbers of homes remain empty. Rising house prices, deepening affordability crises and increasing homelessness coexist alongside large stocks of vacant dwellings.
https://www.housing-studies-association.org/articles/rethinking-…
# International, .Clare Hanson and the Save Public Housing Campaign
House Well Age Well ()Clare Hanson has lived at the Ascot Vale public housing estate in Victoria for many years and is an active member of the Save Ascot Vale Group and, more broadly, the Save Public Housing Collective. The Save Public Housing Collective are one of a number of organisations campaigning against the demolition of the 44 high-rise public housing towers across Melbourne. In this podcast episode Clare tells us about her housing journey from homelessness to public housing and why the Victorian community should get behind the campaign to save public housing.
https://app.notion.com/p/15-10-2026-Housing-News-Digest-3f9ec708…
# Audio Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.An investment firm evicted an 87-year-old. Now, Spain is fighting back
Tessa Flemming ABC (No paywall)It was an image of an 87-year-old woman on a stretcher, wheeled out by paramedics, that sparked a national movement. She was not sick. Rather, evicted. Maricarmen Abascal had lived in her Madrid apartment for more than 70 years. She took over the lease her father signed in 1956, and enjoyed capped rent. Then, in 2018, her apartment was bought by an investment firm. The monthly rent soon soared from €500 ($811) to €1,650 ($2,678). And Maricarmen, a pensioner with a disability whose monthly benefits total €1,350 ($2,192), was forced out in a court-ordered eviction.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-03/how-the-case-of-maricarme…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent.