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
Animal shelters and pounds report increase in surrendered animals across NSW due to rental squeeze
Laurise Dickson and Keely Johnson ABC (No paywall)For the past two years, Newcastle woman Cynthia has been relentlessly applying for rental properties across New South Wales.
Unable to secure a home, Cynthia and her staffy-cross Storm have been staying at a friend's place.
"It's practically impossible to get housing when you have a dog," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-29/increase-in-surrendered-a…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Personal stories.Labor inherits dismal housing supply outlook for Sydney and state
Michael Koziol The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The new Labor government will inherit a shrinking pipeline of new housing across Greater Sydney, with dwelling approvals running more than 15 per cent below the five-year average, threatening to exacerbate the housing and rental affordability crisis gripping the city.
The latest available figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show dwelling approvals in 2022-23 are tracking even lower than the previous financial year - 20,559 at the end of January compared to 22,239 in 2021-22. House and apartment approvals were both down.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/labor-inherits-dismal-housin…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Affordable housing, Housing affordability, State Government.'Successful' homelessness service Together Home facing uncertain future after NSW election
Heath Parkes-Hupton ABC (No paywall)The uncertain future of a program credited with helping 1,000 homeless people into secure housing in NSW shows the "tepid" response major parties have to state's housing crisis, advocates say.
Together Home was created by the NSW government in 2020 to help rough-sleepers after they were deemed as being at high-risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-24/homeless-service-together…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Homelessness, Housing affordability, State Government.There’s no future for conservatives if young people have nothing to conserve
Gray Connolly The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Duke of Wellington once summarised his genius as a soldier and Tory British prime minister with simplicity: “All the business of war, indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don’t know from what you do: that is what is called ‘guessing what’s on the other side of the hill’.”
No guessing, though, was required on Saturday. We know that the Coalition lost, which was hardly surprising after 12 years and, realistically, so many scandals.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/there-s-no-future-for-conser…
# Hot topic NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market, State Government.Seniors feel 'trapped' as retirement village fees go 'through the roof'
Brady Halls A Current Affair (No paywall)One day we all must decide where and how we will live in our old age - community living, public housing or assisted living at the family home.
For residents at one facility on the Central Coast of New South Wales, they claim they've made a grave mistake on where to spend their retirement years.
Bob Morris is a resident at the Nautical Village at Kincumber.
https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/a-current-affair-kincu…
# Hot topic NSW, Land lease communities, Housing affordability, Older people.NSW lawyers weigh in on ending no-grounds evictions
Grace Ormsby RPM (No paywall)Voicing their thoughts ahead of last week’s NSW election, the state’s law society has stated that protections for vulnerable tenants must go one step further.
Prior to the election win by Chris Minns and the Labor Party, the Law Society of NSW welcomed the commitments by parties to end “no-grounds” evictions from residential properties.
Cassandra Banks, the Law Society of NSW president, said there are good reasons to review the existing right of a landlord to end a lease at any time for no reason with 90 days’ notice and 30 days’ notice, to prevent evictions on unreasonable grounds, particularly in relation to groups that are vulnerable to discrimination.
https://www.realestatebusiness.com.au/property-management/25427-…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Housing market, No-grounds evictions.Nation’s rental system is broken for tenants and landlords
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)ustralia’s housing rental system has broken down, with new research showing landlords would be better off putting money into superannuation while tenants face some of the worst conditions in the developed world.
Analysis released on Thursday by financial and property services companies LongView and PEXA shows 60 per cent of landlords are receiving lower returns on their properties compared to an ordinary balanced super fund.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/nation-s-rental-system-i…
# Must read, Hot topic, Research alert Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Women majority of newly homeless, as ABS census data shows problem getting worse
Stephanie Convery The Guardian (No paywall)The number of people experiencing homelessness in Australia has grown 5.2% in five years, with women making up the vast majority of the newly homeless and more than a third of all homeless people aged under 25, new data has revealed.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday released its latest homelessness estimates based on the census on 10 August 2021.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/22/women-maj…
# Must read, Hot topic, Research alert Australia, Rent, Homelessness, Women.