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
Productivity Commission releases extensive review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA)
Productivity Commission AHURI (No paywall)AHURI News: The Productivity Commission’s newly released review on the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) has found the Agreement to be ‘ineffective’ and that there should be focus on ‘improving the affordability of the private rental market and the targeting of housing assistance’. As such, the Commission considers that the NHHA ‘should be expanded to include all government-provided housing assistance including Commonwealth Rent Assistance and first home buyer assistance.’ This finding, together with many of the recommendations in the report, is consistent with AHURI’s submission and advice to the review.
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/news/productivity-commission-r…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.New Waterloo estate consultations
Geoff Turnbull (No paywall)Following a long absence, the Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) is back with its consultants in Waterloo. LAHC wants to talk with the community and stakeholders about a “People and Place guiding framework” it is developing for the next stage of the redevelopment. (South Sydney Herald)
https://southsydneyherald.com.au/new-waterloo-estate-consultatio…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Estate renewal, State Government.Why have auction clearance rates risen for two months in a row?
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)The auction clearance rate has edged higher for two months in a row as home sellers reduce their price expectations to meet those of cautious buyers. Auctioneers have noticed the occasional hot auction starting to creep back in, but many buyers are unable or unwilling to overpay as their borrowing capacity falls along with prices.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/why-have-auction-clearance-…
# Australia, Housing market.What is a sustaining tenancies program?
AHURI (No paywall)AHURI Brief: Sustaining tenancy programs assist tenants who are at risk of losing their rental accommodation to stay in their homes and therefore ‘avoid eviction and entry into homelessness.’ Tenant support programs may also help some tenants at the beginning of their tenancy by supporting formerly homeless people enter and sustain a new rental tenancy.
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/brief/what-sustaining-tenancie…
# Australia, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Federal Government, Homelessness, State Government.Paying price of housing stress
Lachlan Leeming (No paywall)The number of homeless people in NSW has surged by 10 per cent in just two years – with an economic cost that could hit $2.5 billion in the next six years, according to a landmark new report. (Daily Telegraph) Read the report at: [https://www.ncoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IE_Aftershock_Housing_V5b_SINGLES.pdf]
https://www.ncoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Daily-Telegr…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Housing market.Who is using the Tribunal and why?
Jack Moon and Jemima Mowbray Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)We are always trying to better understand what is happening for NSW renters. We want to make sure we can identify the problems and pressures renters are experiencing, as well as whether the policies and laws in place to support them are working. One way we do this is to look at what is happening within the tenancy and social housing lists of the Consumer and Commercial Division of at the NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal (sometimes called ‘NCAT’ or just ‘the Tribunal’). ... Key take-aways: NCAT is primarily used by landlords. And they use it to seek eviction. Social housing landlords are applying to evict at a much higher rate than landlords in private rental. Private renters in Western Sydney are disproportionally impacted by eviction applications. And, over 40% of eviction applications annually for all of NSW are from Western Sydney LGAs.
# Research alert NSW, Bond, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Tribunal NCAT, Landlords and agents, Sydney.Tribunal data shows eviction applications much higher in Sydney’s west
Michael Koziol The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)NSW landlords are far more likely to take legal action against tenants than the other way around, and the rate of eviction applications is many times higher in Sydney’s west and south-west, new data shows. Tenants’ Union chief executive Leo Patterson Ross said the year’s worth of figures from the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal showed the system was stacked against tenants and reiterated calls for a ban on “no grounds” evictions.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/tribunal-data-shows-eviction…
# TUNSW in the media, Research alert NSW, Bond, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Tribunal NCAT, Landlords and agents, No-grounds evictions, Sydney.Alarm bells of a 'climate sub-prime' facing finance, as insurance on home loans gets tricky
Emilia Terzon ABC (No paywall)Alarm bells are being rung about a looming "sub-prime" crisis that could see banks exposed to the elements and more borrowers turned away from home loans in areas prone to extreme weather. Climate change is something many borrowers are not factoring in when they buy a property, but risk assessors say it should be top of mind.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-07/climate-change-insurance-…
# Australia, Climate change, Housing market.