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
Home options dwindle for pet owners
Taylor Troeth news.com.au (No paywall)Senior Aussies are embracing the benefits of pet ownership, but their furry friends are causing huge challenges when it comes to securing a home. For The Love of Pets Report released Sunday by Australian Seniors, showed over half of Australian senior pet owners owned more than two pets and a further 32 per cent planned to get another one in the future. However, their love of pets has caused increased challenges when it came to finding a home for seniors, with one in seven senior pet owners revealing they struggled to find a suitable rental property.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/seniors-with…
# Must read Australia, Rent.Number of tenants challenging rent increases skyrockets again
Rachel Eddie The Age (Paywall)The number of tenants challenging increases to their rent this year is on track to surpass last year’s record by 54 per cent, as advocates warn thousands of Victorians could be paying too much because of invalid notices provided by real estate agents. Consumer Affairs data provided to The Age shows 4206 tenants asked the regulator to investigate whether their rental increase was excessive in the six months to December 31 – nearly double the entire 2021-22 financial year.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/number-of-tenants-ch…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Tribunal NCAT.Written Off: The high cost of Australia’s unfair tax system
Everybody's Home (No paywall)Written Off contrasts the impact of federal government housing policy over the last forty years and unpacks why prioritising tax breaks for investors over expanding social housing has fuelled Australia’s housing crisis.
# Must read, Research alert Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.Five of the best books about the UK housing crisis
Oliver Wainwright The Guardian (No paywall)Unaffordability, insecurity, overcrowding, homelessness: the housing crisis is something that has become so ubiquitous, and so apparently insolvable, that it is easy to become resigned to it as an inevitability. But it is not. Our current predicament is a product of political choices, a situation that has been consciously manufactured by successive generations to preserve their power and protect their assets. The following books go some way to explaining how we got into this permacrisis – and what we might do to get out of it.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/jan/25/five-of-the-best-b…
# Must read International, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Repairs.Landlord who dropped in on tenants uninvited ordered to pay compensation
Arthur Acolin 9 News (No paywall)Aotearoa New Zealand: A tenant who awoke to find his landlord in his rental house, uninvited, has been awarded more than $6000 in compensation and damages. Under a breach of quiet enjoyment, unlawful entry and maintenance rules, the landlord was ordered to pay the two renters, who leased a farm house from him on New Zealand's north island in 2023.
https://www.nine.com.au/property/news/landlord-who-dropped-in-on…
# International, Privacy and access.New Year, New NSW Renting Laws Resolutions: A three-point kickstart plan for better renting in 2024!
Jemima Mowbray Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)As we kick off the new year, it's time for our beloved NSW renting laws to take a long, hard look in the mirror and make some serious resolutions. Just like the rest of us, they've been making promises for years, and it's high time they start keeping them. A rented home should be safe, healthy, stable and affordable and our policies and laws should be aimed at delivering on this. We’re going to set a few specific goals, just as starters...
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/new-year-new-nsw-renting-laws-re…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Boarders and lodgers, Eviction, Rent.Rents and migration - what does the data tell us?
Leo Patterson Ross Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)In recent times, amplified by the Federal government, there has been a resurgence of the idea that pulling back migration numbers will ease pressure on our renting system. Progressive and conservative voices critique this notion.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/rents-and-migration-what-does-da…
# Must read, Hot topic, Research alert NSW, Discrimination, Public and community housing, Rent.Thousands of public, social homes eligible for subsidised property upgrades in renewable energy scheme
Mikala Theocharous 9 News (No paywall)Thousands of low-income households across New South Wales will have access to cheaper clean energy as part of a savings scheme spearheaded by the federal government. The initiative will provide upgrades to 24,000 public and social housing properties to help residents save money on electricity. The upgrades include heat pump hot water system installations, ceiling fans, reverse-cycle air conditioners, solar systems, insulation and draught proofing.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-clean-energy-cost-of-livin…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Public and community housing, Rent, Repairs.