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
NSW to change laws on pets in rentals
Brooke Fryer ABC (No paywall)A big issue for many renters is whether or not landlords will let them keep pets. The states and territories have different rules. In some jurisdictions, landlords can reject an application just because a prospective tenant has a pet. That is starting to change. New South Wales could be the next state making it easier for pet owners to find a rental property.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/pm/nsw-to-change-laws-on-…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media, New policy announcement, Audio NSW, Rent.‘Only access is through kindergarten’: Unusual Sydney rental listing slammed for entry restrictions, cleaning requests
Amy Lees Daily Telegraph (Paywall)At $950 per week this three-bedroom property in Sydney’s east might seem a bargain in today’s rental crisis, but tenants beware – no “coming and going” during certain hours, no guests, and enter via the downstairs kindergarten. Properties in the sought-after area near Bondi Junction command a median price of $1450 so in exchange for the “lower rent” tenants are required to clean and garden. The NSW Tenant Union says the Queens Park unit listing is full of red flags as potential occupants are told it is “located above child care centre and only access is through kindergarten to unit”.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/only-access-is-throug…
# Must read, Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent.Public housing: Can companies do the job of charities?
Lauren Crimp Radio NZ (No paywall)The country's only for-profit registered community housing provider says a person living in a car would not care whether their new home is built by a company rather than a charity. But community housing advocates are concerned private companies will sell up when their government contracts end, leaving tenants in the lurch. Modus Community Housing is the only one of 83 registered community housing providers (CHPs) in Aotearoa that is for-profit.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528414/public-housing-can-co…
# Hot topic International, Public and community housing, Rent.How a group of Toronto tenants turned to a risky last resort and got a ‘huge victory’
Sharif Hassan The Star (No paywall)TORONTO - In the middle of the small crowd — near the tents, the lineup of kids awaiting face painting, the snack table — stood a jubilant Chiara Padovani. “When I say ‘tenant, you say ‘power,’” she commanded to several dozen tenants, who chanted back with gusto. What looked like a summer block party in front of two north-end Toronto apartment buildings last month was a celebration of what renters who withheld payments for months called a “huge victory.”
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/how-a-group-of-toronto-tenants-…
# Hot topic International, Rent.The world's biggest 3D housing neighbourhood just opened. What can Australia learn?
Hannah Murphy ABC (No paywall)Texas in the United States is in a housing crisis. A report by Harvard University found locals were spending 30 per cent of their income on rent, and a US family had to earn $US100,000 ($148,000) a year at least in order to buy a home in some of the state's most popular cities. Research associate Daniel McCue said home ownership was becoming a distant dream for many Americans. "The costs of buying a home have left home ownership out of reach to all but the most advantaged households," he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-22/should-australia-3d-print…
# Must read International, Rent.Could the "YIMBY" movement fix America's affordable housing shortage?
Ash-har Quraishi, Amy Corral, Scott Pham, Ryan Beard CBS News (No paywall)More U.S. cities and states are starting to say "yes, in my backyard" as they struggle to meet the housing needs of growing populations. The "YIMBY" movement is a political effort to tackle the country's housing shortage by increasing the housing supply with strategies like changing zoning codes and other regulations that limit home density. The United States is millions of homes short of what's needed to meet demand, according to the national nonprofit group "Up for Growth." Minneapolis resident Bernice Duncan has been searching for a new home with more space for more than five years.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/affordable-housing-shortage-yimby-m…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Progress being made on criticised rental scheme
George Thorpe BBC (No paywall)Landlords in Jersey are getting a clearer picture about standards expected of their homes from a new code of practice, an association said. Jersey Landlord Association (JLA) members attended a presentation on Thursday with government officials to discuss the Rented Dwelling Licensing Scheme. The JLA previously criticised Jersey's government for not consulting with them before it was published and for making the document "difficult to read" and not useful for landlords and tenants. Following the first of these meetings, JLA chairman Guy Morris said some of the issues had been clarified.
# International, Rent.Labour’s housing challenge as planning permission at record low
Daniel Wainwright & Ben Chu BBC (No paywall)The number of housing projects given the go-ahead by councils in England reached a record low in the final months of the last government. Planning permission data for the year to June showed only 31,562 housing proposals were granted - 8% down in a year. Experts say developers are reluctant to put in planning bids because of costs and a lack of confidence in the market - highlighting the challenge for Labour which is pledging an additional 1.5 million homes in five years. The government said it was committed to its target, and was working to ‘unblock’ stalled projects.
# International, Rent.