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
No landlords, more community — why these residents say Calgary needs more housing co-ops
Karina Zapata CBC (No paywall)[Canada] In Calgary's tight and unpredictable rental market, living at Sunnyhill Housing Co-operative has been a saving grace for Philip Cox.
He first moved into the 66-unit townhouse in Calgary's neighbourhood of Sunnyside in 1987. At the time, he was looking for a sense of community; the affordable housing fees and security of tenure were a plus.
Now, 36 years and three children later, Cox says there's a "huge need" for more housing co-ops to be developed in Calgary — especially as waitlists continue to grow for the city's 13 existing ones.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/housing-co-ops-comeback-c…
# International, Co-operatives and resident-led housing, Planning and development, Strong communities.Towards a just transformation: climate crisis and the right to housing
Balakrishnan Rajagopal Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (No paywall)[United Nations] The report highlights that the climate crisis is severely threatening the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing around the world and that housing itself makes a significant contribution to climate change. It calls for a just transition towards rights-compliant, climate-resilient and carbon-neutral housing. The report argues that the costs of such a transition in the housing sector must be shared fairly among and within countries, and among public authorities, taxpayers, homeowners and renters or other affected groups, to ensure that nobody is left behind.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5228-tow…
# New policy announcement, Research alert International, Campaigns and law reform, Climate change, Human rights.FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Protect Renters and Promote Rental Affordability
White House Staff The White House (US) (No paywall)[United States] Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new actions to increase fairness in the rental market and further principles of fair housing. These actions align with a new Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights that the Administration is also releasing today. The Blueprint lays out a set of principles to drive action by the federal government, state and local partners, and the private sector to strengthen tenant protections and encourage rental affordability.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/202…
# New policy announcement International, Eviction, Campaigns and law reform, Housing affordability, Housing market, Human rights, Landlords and agents, No-grounds evictions.In this Sydney suburb, one in three homes is empty. It’s not just a data error
Angus Dalton, Billie Eder, Millie Muroi, Anthony Segaert and Angus Thomson The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Barney Gardner watched as his once-bustling, working-class suburb of Millers Point was turned into extravagantly renovated townhouses and rows of empty holiday homes.
“Just about all of them are Airbnb because they were turned into one- bedrooms, and there are still quite a lot of empty properties that have been sold, and the people haven’t done anything with them,” Gardner said.
The harbourside enclave, which was once known for its social housing, has become the Sydney suburb with the highest proportion of unoccupied dwellings, with 34 per cent of its homes empty on the most recent census night.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/in-this-sydney-suburb-one-in…
# Must read NSW, Public and community housing, Housing affordability, Short-term holiday letting, Sydney.Rental crisis: Pensioner forced to move hours away from family, friends
Jorge Branco 9 News (No paywall)More than two hours from her children and just a few months into life in a new town, Karren Warren spent Christmas alone for the first time.
After 12 years in Merimbula on the NSW South Coast, the pensioner said she had no option but to pack up and leave when her beloved two-bed rental was sold in October, leaving her priced completely out of the market.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/rental-crisis-australia-pensio…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Rent, Campaigns and law reform, Housing affordability, Housing market, Long-term tenant, Personal stories, Regional NSW.Sydney renter describes all too common nightmare in current market
Madeleine Achenza news.com.au (No paywall)Sydney renters are being forced to either cop massive rent hikes or move out into the uncertain competition for the city’s overpriced rentals.
Emily* lived in a three-bedroom, two bathroom townhouse in Sydney’s east for more than a decade before the property manager sent out a text saying her rent would be increasing from $720 to $850 a week – an 18 per cent price hike.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/sydney-rente…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.The housing game is rigged. We need more than window dressing to fix it
Jenny Leong and Abigail Boyd The Age (No paywall)Rents are rising out of control and the public housing waitlist continues to grow. Even before the pandemic, while we had record housing supply, we had record levels of homelessness. The crisis extends well beyond those trying to buy their first home, and yet – nine weeks away from an election – that is the cohort the two leaders vying for the top job seem most keen to impress.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/the-housing-game-is-rigge…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development.Homeless NSW South Coast woman calls for more action on housing crisis after premier visits region
Fatima Olumee ABC (No paywall)Robyn Goodsell has always believed the public housing system is "broken", especially after experiencing homelessness herself.
Now, after dedicating decades of her life to working in the sector, she is without a home yet again and living in a tent.
The first time she was homeless, Ms Goodsell was fleeing a violent relationship and now, after being forced to move out of her relative's home, she is in the same boat.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-23/homeless-nsw-south-coast-…
# Must read NSW, Aboriginal renters, Public and community housing, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development.