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
Future of homelessness accommodation program left in lurch as funding yet to be renewed
Sarah Gerathy ABC (No paywall)For more than a decade, 30-year-old Tyler Byrnes lurched between homeless shelters, crisis accommodation and sleeping rough. "I got by sleeping rough wherever I could or saving up by getting work here or there to pay for hotel rooms for a night here and there," he said. "Doing anything I basically could to stay dry and safe, whether it be a hotel or under a bridge." But now he calls a one bedroom flat in Sydney's inner west home and rides his scooter to his job at a cafe in a neighbouring suburb.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-18/nsw-together-home-program…
# Must read NSW, Discrimination.Sydney Faces Growing Pains as Its Housing Crisis Deepens
Swati Pandey and Emma Partis Bloomberg (No paywall)Australia is grappling with a deepening housing crisis. Yet when it comes to the most obvious solution — constructing more apartments — city dwellers are pushing back against taller buildings. Placards reading “Save Sydney’s Lungs” and “Wrecking Ball Coming to You” were waved by residents and councilors this week protesting a proposal from the New South Wales state government to boost density by allowing six-story apartment blocks to be built around suburban train stations. That will cause social problems, be destructive to the environment and the city’s heritage, opponents argue.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-13/sydney-faces-…
# NSW, Rent.Build homes over rail lines, starting with Newtown and Burwood
Philip Vivian The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)Federal and state governments now acknowledge housing affordability as one of the most pressing issues faced by Australian cities. It is also certain to be a key election concern, with the Greens firing the opening shot with a controversial $12 billion housing policy. But the urgency to find solutions is leaving good options out of the discussion. NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared our state’s investment in Sydney Metro should be used to increase density and affordable housing by announcing eight metro stations and 31 heavy rail stations for targeted density increases.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/build-homes-over-rail-lines-…
# Hot topic NSW, Public and community housing.Airbnb and Stayz accept tourism levy for all holiday rentals
Michael Koziol The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)The two market leaders in short-term holiday rentals have accepted that guests should pay a levy to fund social and affordable housing in NSW, but want the tax applied to all tourism accommodation, including hotels. Meanwhile, the state government has been urged to cap the number of homes that can be used as holiday rentals in any given area, with housing advocates Shelter NSW pointing to certain regions where the number of dwellings used as Airbnbs has grown by more than 50 per cent in five years.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/airbnb-and-stayz-accept-tour…
# Hot topic NSW, .VIDEO: Greens MP warns 'political class' is set for reckoning with 'screwed over' renters
National Press Club | ABC The Guardian (No paywall)VIDEO: Speaking about the rental crisis at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather described himself as 'one of the only renters in parliament'. He said his generation has been told it will be 'thrown to the wolves' when it comes to tax handouts and adjusting housing policies. 'This is such a serious crisis and all we are doing is tinkering around the edges,' Chandler-Mather said, after explaining it would cost 20 times the average wage to buy a home in Marrickville in Sydney's inner west. 'I know that the prime minster was able to buy a home in Marrickville for $146,000, about five times the average wage,' he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/video/2024/mar/06/gre…
# Hot topic, Video Australia, .Greens will call on federal government to develop property and sell it for cheap
Tom Crowley ABC (No paywall)The Greens want the federal government to enter the property development game as part of a new housing policy to be unveiled on Wednesday afternoon. The party's housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather, will use a National Press Club address to call for the government to develop 360,000 homes in the next five years. Distinct from social housing, these homes would be available for the wider public to buy and rent at discounted prices. Mr Chandler-Mather will tell the National Press Club the proposal would save participating renters an average of $5,200 a year, and participating homebuyers $260,000 on the price of their home. Speaking to the ABC ahead of his address, Mr Chandler-Mather blamed private property developers for the housing crisis.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-06/greens-call-for-governmen…
# Hot topic, Legal significance Australia, Public and community housing.Melbourne tenant faces $100-$150 a week rent rise if she stays while suffering chronic health issues
Sarah Petty realestate.com.au (No paywall)Macleod tenant Taylor said she was “terrified” of finding a new rental as their lease was coming to an end at the same time she was dealing with chronic health issues. Her current landlord of three years has advised that their weekly rent would rise by $100-$150 a week if they were to sign on for another year. The 28-year-old mum said this was “a ridiculous amount” especially after only ever being required to pay an extra $10 a week with each year they leased the home. This would put a further strain on their family as two years ago, Taylor had to stop working when she became pregnant as she suffered a myriad of issues including hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that causes severe vomiting and nausea.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/melbourne-tenant-faces-100150…
# Australia, Eviction, Rent.Airbnb bans hosts from using indoor security cameras in rentals
Associated Press The Guardian (No paywall)Airbnb said on Monday that it’s banning the use of indoor security cameras in rentals around the world by the end of next month. The San Francisco-based online rental platform said it is seeking to “simplify” its security-camera policy while prioritizing privacy. The change will take effect 30 April. “These changes were made in consultation with our guests, hosts and privacy experts, and we’ll continue to seek feedback to help ensure our policies work for our global community,” Juniper Downs, Airbnb’s head of community policy and partnerships, said in a prepared statement.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/11/airbnb-ban-in…
# Hot topic Australia, Privacy and access, Security and safety.