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
More deaths as cold creeps into Australian homes
Melissa Coade The Mandarin (No paywall)Housing advocates have warned that the poor thermal performance of homes in South Australia is associated with more than 600 deaths each year. .... The report was commissioned by tenant advocacy organisation Better Renting and identified that as temperatures went down during the SA winter, death rates went up. Better Renting executive director Joel Dignam said that despite the fact that Australia experienced milder winters compared to other places in the world, the way that the homes in Australia are built make them less resilient when the temperature drops. What this showed, he said, was that warmer countries experienced higher rates of deaths (mainly due to respiratory and cardiovascular disease in older people) correlated to cold weather. “A cold home doesn’t just mean higher power bills, it means living every day with a threat to your health,” Dignam said.
https://www.themandarin.com.au/170278-more-deaths-as-cold-creeps…
# Australia, Rent, Health, Minimum habitability standards, Older people.The feared eviction ‘tsunami’ has not yet happened. Experts are conflicted on why.
Rachel Siegel and Jonathan O'Connell (No paywall)From United States ... When the Supreme Court decided to strike down a federal ban on evictions in August, lawmakers and housing experts mentioned a slew of devastating metaphors — cliff, tsunami, tidal wave — to describe the national eviction crisis they saw coming. One month later, however, many of those same authorities find themselves wondering: Where is the cliff? ... Housing and eviction experts offered a mix of guesses about why a feared onslaught of evictions has not yet materialized, including that the wave could still be coming. The pace at which courts handle cases varies widely across the country, and some courts may be severely backlogged. In some regions of the country, the federal eviction moratorium did little to slow filings amid the pandemic and, in other areas, protections are in place. Some tenants may have moved on their own to avoid eviction. Housing experts don’t believe the country has solved its eviction issues, and there are still places where evictions have risen since the ban ended. ... Still, the overall picture has confused experts who had grim warnings for the looming crisis once the federal ban was no longer in place. Those same experts are hesitant to say the wave won’t come. (The Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/09/28/eviction-clif…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.New Zealand Steps in to Prevent Housing Bubble
Renee McKeown (No paywall)New Zealand is scrapping tax incentives for investors in an effort to cool one of the hottest property markets on the planet as it responds to the country’s “housing problem”. Property values have increased nearly eight times faster than income with prices up 27 per cent on average according to Corelogic. The draft legislation would limit the availability of deduction for interest expenses for existing residential properties, however would not extend to new builds. Finance minister Grant Robertson said they needed to stem investor demand. “We want to curb investors’ appetite for existing residential properties but also want to stimulate investment in new housing,” Robertson said. (The Urban Developer)
https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/nz-government-steps-i…
# International, Rent, Federal Government, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.100,000 renters in England ‘risk eviction’ when universal credit is cut
Robert Booth The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... At least 100,000 renting households will be placed at risk of eviction when the government’s planned £20-a-week cut to universal credit comes into effect next week, the housing charity Crisis has warned. The proportion of private renters relying on benefits in England has surged to around one in three since the start of the pandemic, leaving thousands at risk of homelessness due to arrears if the uplift to UC is removed by ministers as planned. The footballer Marcus Rashford is among those calling for its retention, citing fears about child hunger. Read the same story on the BBC at: [https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-58748420]
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/30/100000-renters-i…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Homelessness, Housing market, Welfare.Why climate change could push home loan interest rates up to ‘scary’ levels
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)Home loan interest rates could be pushed up to “scary” levels if the main global lenders of cash consider Australia is dragging its feet on climate change action, economists have confirmed. ... [AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said] “So as the world becomes more carbon-conscious, the likelihood is that more and more lenders will be less keen to lend to countries that aren’t seen to be playing their role in cutting their carbon emissions, so banks will have to lift their interest rates to attract them.”
https://www.domain.com.au/news/why-climate-change-could-push-hom…
# Australia, Climate change, Housing market.Using valuable inner-city land for car parking? In a housing crisis, that just doesn’t add up
Timothy Welch The Conversation (No paywall)From New Zealand ... When I first moved to New Zealand – even after living in some of the highest-priced US property markets – I was taken aback by house prices. My shock was reinforced by the condition of the houses, many of which lack sufficient insulation, adequate heating or cooling, or double-glazed windows. I wondered why I’d pay so much for a house that needed so much attention. Then I overheard someone quip, “In New Zealand, you pay for the land and the house comes for free.” Suddenly things made a lot more sense.
https://theconversation.com/using-valuable-inner-city-land-for-c…
# International, Housing market.Why homebuyers rate internet speed more important than ever before
James Ried The New Daily (No paywall)For Australian householders, good internet speeds have become more important than ever, and especially so for anyone looking to buy or rent a new property. With so many people needing to work from home during COVID-19 lockdowns, often while simultaneously homeschooling and entertaining children, a strong internet connection has become a crucial requirement.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/tech/2021/10/01/internet-speed-h…
# Australia, Utilities water energy internet.Affordable housing is a myth that worsens the housing crisis – but there is a fix
Rachel Joy Bosler The Conversation (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The shift to affordable rent, therefore, has exacerbated the housing crisis. In spite of a slight increase in house building, the new homes being built are too expensive for those who need them. Also, in seeking to solve the housing crisis by raising rents from social to affordable for council tenants, the cost burden effectively falls on those most in need. Lavish subsidiaries and tax breaks, meanwhile, are given to those who can afford multiple houses.
https://theconversation.com/affordable-housing-is-a-myth-that-wo…
# International, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Housing market, Tax.