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.
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
Daniel Mookhey: best way to fix the rental crisis is to build, new NSW treasurer says
Tamsin Rose The Guardian (No paywall)Every morning Daniel Mookhey is confronted with 14 pairs of glasses – most of which have interchangeable arms. The New South Wales treasurer assesses about 90 sartorial possibilities, before deciding which option to wear that day.
It’s a little like how he approaches his new job. Three weeks into the role, and ahead of his first budget, he is confronted with a housing crisis, concerns over energy and rising costs of living – along with more than $7.1bn in financial blackspots.
From his office, the 40-year-old speaks about how he’s assessing options to address housing issues, investigating how London, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York and San Francisco are tackling their own crises and seeing which – or what combination – could work here.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/20/all-optio…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Affordable housing, Housing affordability, State Government.NSW’s most popular holiday spots divided over limits on short-term holiday rentals
Jordyn Beazley The Guardian (No paywall)Councils responsible for some of New South Wales’ most popular tourism destinations are urging the incoming Minns government to give them the power to further restrict short-term holiday rentals.
In December, the Byron shire council, which has the highest rate of homelessness in the state outside Sydney, voted in favour of introducing a 90-day cap on some short-term holiday rentals in an effort to generate more long-term rental supply.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/22/nsws-most…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Rent, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.NSW urged to override councils to boost affordable housing near Sydney metro and train stations
Elias Visontay and Tamsin Rose The Guardian (No paywall)“Paltry” planning requirements for affordable housing across Sydney pale in comparison with cities such as London, say planners who believe the state government must intervene to disrupt the status quo of councils frequently rejecting development proposals.
Efforts to boost affordable housing should be focused in suburbs surrounding Sydney’s metro and train stations, the managing director of prominent architecture firm Bates Smart, Philip Vivian, said. However a “planning vacuum” along these corridors is effectively giving developers “windfall gains” with no requirement to build the types of homes the city needs.
Instead, Vivian said the state government should step in to deal with housing proposals within a short radius of stations – along new and existing lines – and incentivise developers to include ambitious affordable housing components through fast-tracking planning approvals.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/26/nsw-urged…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Affordable housing, Housing market, State Government.$520k a year: The Sydney building where CEOs and entrepreneurs pay hundreds of thousands in rent
Sam Murden realestate.com.au (No paywall)Sydneysiders looking for the ultimate luxury rental have been invited to make a ‘six-star’ hotel in Barangaroo home for up to $350,000 per year.
Amid a rental crisis in which Sydneysiders are lining up for hours to inspect available stock and cutting back on household spending to afford ballooning rent prices, the three bedroom and two bathroom apartment at 1A Barangaroo Ave is available for $9,500 per week.
The successful renter will also move into the same building as billionaire James Packer.
Mr Packer will pay $60m for two residential floors of Crown Sydney at Barangaroo, which are located above the mid-levels of the luxury high rise project that will include a casino for high rollers.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/520k-a-year-the-sydney-buildi…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Housing market, Renting culture.Samantha’s son was stressed about a rent hike, so she bought him a house
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Samantha Cook knows how fortunate she is: she bought an investment property in the spur of the moment one Saturday to help her adult son with the escalating rental and cost of living crisis.
Cook, who lives in the US with her husband who is a lawyer, had only flown into Sydney days before and was shocked to see how stressed her son was when they caught up over dinner.
“We were sitting there, and he was saying ‘I’m so stressed about money, the cost of food, the cost of housing.’ He was looking at another rental hike,” Cook said.
Later that night, she messaged her husband to say they should buy an investment property to help their son.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/samantha-s-son-was-stressed…
# Hot topic NSW, Families, Housing market, Personal stories.Sydney man left homeless amid housing, cost of living crisis
Jacob Shteyman 7 News (No paywall)More Australians are being pushed onto the streets. But residents of some affluent suburbs are obstructing affordable housing that could help solve the issue.
With its sparkling coastline and multimillion dollar homes, Sydney’s Northern Beaches boasts some of Australia’s most sought-after postcodes.
But a growing population of rough sleepers are battling to survive in its waterfront suburbs, forced onto the streets by rising rents and cost of living pressures.
https://7news.com.au/business/sydney-property/sydney-man-left-ho…
# Hot topic NSW, Homelessness, Housing market, Personal stories.Agent responds to furore over Sydney landlord's $50-per-week rule for males
Carly Bass Yahoo News (No paywall)A Sydney real estate agent has responded to accusations of unlawful discrimination after a rental listing for a one-bedroom property demanded male applicants pay an extra $50 a week – due to what they claimed was a typical male trait.
A screenshot taken from the Domain website and shared on social media appears to show details about the terrace house in the inner-west suburb of Newtown. The ad stated the extra amount for males was "due to their propensity to be messier" and those who disagreed shouldn't apply.
With the small detail attracting plenty of negative attention, many were quick to point out the controversial gender rule is actually unlawful.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/agent-responds-to-furore-over-sydney-l…
# Hot topic NSW, Discrimination, Rent, Housing market.Scotland rent freeze: the loophole landlords are using
Gabriel McKay The Herald (Scotland) (No paywall)Landlords are getting around the Scottish Government cap on rent increases by exploiting a loophole in the law, tenants and activists have warned.
A temporary freeze came into effect in September 2022 in response to the cost of living crisis, which means that rents cannot be raised by more than 3 per cent. That can only be applied if there hasn’t been an increase in the past 12 months.
However, the cap can be exceeded if the tenant and landlord both agree and The Herald can reveal this loophole is being exploited to hike costs for renters.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23462955.scotland-rent-f…
# Must read, Hot topic International, Rent, Housing affordability, International.