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
Alert level 3 restrictions reasonable grounds to refuse viewings, Tenancy Tribunal rules
Jake McKee (No paywall)From New Zealand ... A landlord's claim his tenant was unreasonably refusing viewings of his central Auckland apartment due to Covid-19 risks has been dismissed by the Tenancy Tribunal. The landlord* put his leasehold apartment up for sale but prospective buyers had not been able to view it. The Residential Tenancies Act states a landlord may enter a premise to show it to prospective buyers if the tenant consents, but they can reasonably withhold consent. The landlord went to the Tribunal alleging his tenant was being unreasonable. In emails provided to RNZ by the landlord, the tenant* said he did not consent to viewings because of risks related to Covid-19 and the Auckland region being at alert level 3. A Tribunal order, obtained by RNZ and yet to be made publicly, showed the adjudicator found "the tenant had reasonable grounds to withhold consent". "Acting reasonably, many people would refuse consent in this situation to unknown parties," they said. (RNZ)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/455003/alert-level-3-restric…
# Must read, Legal significance International, Privacy and access, Rent, Tribunal NCAT, Coronavirus COVID-19.25,000 Section 21 eviction notices have been handed out since Theresa May vowed to scrap them
Liam Geraghty (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... No-fault evictions allow landlords to evict their tenants without giving a reason but government plans to axe them have now slipped into 2022. It’s been two-and-a-half years since Theresa May’s government promised to scrap ‘no-fault’ evictions but renters will still be facing the prospect of being forced out without a reason in 2022. Since April 2019, more than 25,000 landlord possession claims have been heard in county courts in England and Wales, according to government statistics, with more on the cards in the months ahead. The Big Issue’s Stop Mass Homelesness campaign has been calling for ‘no-fault’ evictions – or section 21 evictions as they are also known – to be suspended to prevent rising homelessness in the next few months following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. ... Campaigners Generation Rent and Shelter have been among the groups campaigning as the Renters Reform Coalition to end the use of section 21 to evict tenants. Dan Wilson Craw, deputy director of Generation Rent, said: “The longer renters wait for the government to abolish Section 21, the more people will have their lives uprooted at their landlord’s whim. Many more will continue living in squalid conditions, afraid that a complaint will only result in an eviction notice. Renters want long-term homes and reliable landlords, so will be frustrated at yet another delay. (The Big Issue)
https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/25000-section-21-eviction-…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, No-grounds evictions.Home should be synonymous with comfort
Kymberly Martin (No paywall)A peak disability organisation is campaigning against the NSW State Government for its accessible housing strategy. “Imagine, for a moment, if you couldn’t use parts of your home, or worse yet, your home was actively dangerous for you to live in,” Physical Disability Council NSW CEO, Serena Ovens told F2L. “That’s the reality for one million people with physical disability in this state.” ... The Australian Building and Construction Board has incorporated minimum accessibility guidelines into the National Construction Code, which sets out national standards across all builds. The guidelines include features such as wider hallways and door frames, hob-less shower recesses, larger bathrooms and level access to at least one entry. ... The NSW Government will actively opt out of these sections of the Code ... (Freedom2live)
https://www.freedom2live.com.au/home-should-be-synonymous-with-c…
# NSW, Disability, Housing market, State Government.Renting: the real housing crisis
Cassie McCullagh ABC (No paywall)As rents across the city soar, issues of rental affordability and rental security loom for over a third of the population who have no other housing option. We discuss with Hal Pawson, Professor Housing Research and Policy and Associate Director at the City Futures Research Centre, UNSW. (On Focus)
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/centralcoast/programs/focus/renting…
# Audio NSW, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market.Historic Firsts Highlight U.S. Mayoral Races
Josyana Joshua (No paywall)This year’s mayoral races in the U.S. pitted incumbents and veteran city officials against newcomers with bold plans to overhaul policies on issues like policing and housing. Several were candidates who made history in their respective cities. Also, read the story here entitled: 'As Housing Costs Spike, Voters Look for Hope in Rent Control' at: [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-04/rent-control-scored-a-big-election-night-victory]. (Bloomberg CityLab)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-02/atlanta-bosto…
# International, Rent, Housing market, Local Government.Your step-by-step guide to end of lease cleaning
Lauren Vardy (No paywall)The trick to a hassle-free exit from your lease is organising your cleaning regime within a proper timeframe. Use these tips to make your next bond clean a success. (rent.com.au)
# Australia, Bond.Certifier of Sydney’s ‘worst’ apartment complex banned
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A private certifier who signed off on a Sydney apartment complex – described by the state’s Building Commissioner as “probably the worst” he has inspected – has been banned for 12 months. More than a year after it began an investigation, NSW Fair Trading has disqualified Jason Storer, a certifier at Sydney company AED Group, from being registered for a year for issuing interim occupation certificates for the two-tower development in Auburn.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/certifier-of-sydney-s-worst-…
# NSW, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Don’t retreat on stamp duty abolition, NSW: this is a reform the whole nation needs
Danielle Wood The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)This week’s comments by the new NSW Treasurer, Matt Kean, casting doubt on the future of mooted stamp duty reforms certainly reflect a cooling of enthusiasm. So what does it all mean for economic reform efforts nationally? The NSW reforms – championed by former treasurer now Premier Dominic Perrottet – held promise not only for that state but the entire nation, were other states to follow his lead. These involved slowly weaning the state off stamp duty revenue and replacing it with a broad-based land tax. The economic case is watertight: a big, one-off stamp duty payment upon the purchase of a property can be prohibitive and deters families from moving to the house or location that better suits their needs. In contrast, gradual land taxes paid each year, much like council rates, don’t distort people’s decisions. Read a report on Matt Kean's comments at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-04/sydney-news-nsw-treasurer-backs-down-from-stamp-duty-overhaul/100591084]
https://www.smh.com.au/national/don-t-retreat-on-stamp-duty-abol…
# NSW, Housing market, State Government, Tax.