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
RentTech platforms: How your data is used against you
Andy Kollmorgen CHOICE (No paywall)Finding a place to rent has long been a difficult and stressful experience in Australia. For many, the proliferation of RentTech is making it even harder.
The increasing use of RentTech is making it easier for landlords and rental agents to screen prospective tenants, allowing them to use algorithmically-driven data to narrow down applicants.
It's great for rental agents, but not so great for vulnerable renters who find themselves on the wrong end of the algorithms that are can determine who does, and doesn't, win a tenancy in a tough rental market.
https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and…
# Must read, Hot topic, Research alert Australia, Privacy and access, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Most Australian renters think third-party applications require too much private data, Choice survey finds
Stephanie Convery The Guardian (No paywall)Nearly two-thirds of renters think third-party rental application platforms require too much private information from them but many still feel pressured to use them to find a home, a new report has found.
In a national survey of 1,020 renters on their use of rental technology, consumer advocacy organisation Choice found 60% of renters were uncomfortable with the amount and type of information they were asked for when applying for a rental using rent-tech platforms. Almost one-third (29%) said they had at least once chosen not to apply for a rental because they did not trust the tech company taking their application with their data, and 41% said they felt pressured to use it anyway.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/18/most-aust…
# Hot topic, Research alert Australia, Privacy and access, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Australia must realise the best form of rent control is public housing
Alistair Sisson The Guardian (No paywall)Australia’s housing crisis is going from bad to worse. Advertised rents rose more than 10% in 2022. In Sydney, rents for new tenancies rose more than 17%. Many renters have been hit with triple-digit rent increases.
Last week, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe warned that tight vacancy rates mean more rent rises are likely and could cause further inflation. Rents are the second-largest component of the consumer prices index, which measures rents for a sample of properties across Australia’s capital cities rather than just those recently on the market. It’s therefore yet to fully reflect the rising costs of a new rental. We can think of new rentals as the canary in the coalmine.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/16/australia-…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Housing affordability, Housing market.Living with density: will Australia’s housing crisis finally change the way its cities work?
Elias Visontay The Guardian (No paywall)Experts agree medium – and high-density development in established suburbs is an essential part of making housing more affordable. But the opposition from existing home owners is fierce.
For many Australians it must seem as though the housing crisis cannot get any worse.
Rents have skyrocketed with record low vacancy rates, while assistance to lower-income families is being wound back, young people face often insurmountable obstacles to buying a property and some who have obtained a mortgage are struggling to stay above water after repeated interest rate rises.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/16/living-wi…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Can Australia revive the 'golden era' of housing?
Alan Kohler ABC (No paywall)If you rent or know anyone who does, you would know costs are soaring and there's barely anything on the market, while the wait for public housing can be more than a decade.
Meanwhile, the Airbnb and holiday rental world is booming, where there are tens of thousands of properties ready for short-term lease.
So how did we get to this point?
And how do we get out of it?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/abc-news-daily/alan-kohler…
# Audio Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Thousands of young people experiencing homelessness in Australia, as services call for national plan
Myles Houlbrook-Walk ABC (No paywall)Chelsea Mitchell has a roof over her head, but she is still considered homeless.
Living in her mother's overcrowded home in a town camp in Alice Springs with her two-year-old daughter, the 18 year-old Western Arrernte woman describes her situation as dire.
"There's not enough space," she said.
"It's really stressful. Overcrowding is really having an impact on me and my baby and also [on] my mum."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-19/youth-homelessness-austra…
# Hot topic Australia, Aboriginal renters, Homelessness, Young people.Queenslanders to have their say on state's proposed rental reforms
Staff 9 News (No paywall)Queensland residents will be able to have their say on a new stage of rental reforms put forward by the state government.
An online portal has been launched to inform renters about five key changes proposed under stage two of the reforms. Community members can also provide their feedback through the portal.
Under the proposed changes, rent payments will need to be fair and landlords must be transparent about any claims against bond when a tenancy ends.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/housing-crisis-australia-queen…
# Hot topic, New policy announcement Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Queensland council seeks to block disability housing project over fast-tracking concerns
Eden Gillespie The Guardian (No paywall)A legal stoush has broken out between a disability accommodation developer and a suburban Queensland council over a two-storey project and whether it deserves to be fast-tracked amid a housing crisis across the state.
Disability Homes Investments (DHI) said it is developing the property to house people with disabilities on a quiet street in Cleveland, south-east of Brisbane.
Once complete, the Danielle Street building would have a therapy pool and four separate two-bedroom units, each with their own bathrooms, a kitchen and a balcony, as well as a studio for a carer, according to development plans.
But the Redland city council claims the property is not a community residence and is seeking to block any works from happening, arguing the project is not exempt from seeking development approvals.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/16/queenslan…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Disability, Planning and development.