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
Western Australia's overheated building industry could see builders going broke in a boom
Michelle Stanley ABC (No paywall)Soaring demand in Western Australia's construction sector could see some companies "go broke in the boom", a regional builder says. Last year, up to $45,000 was on offer in state and federal building grants for West Australian households in pandemic-induced stimulus measures. Geraldton builder Warren Taylor said the grants caused a spike in demand for building across the state that was now coming to a head. "Everything's changed — the whole shooting match," Mr Taylor said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-23/western-australia-buildin…
# Australia, Housing market.Four things to consider before buying your next home
Melissa Jemkins The New Daily (No paywall)Your loan is pre-approved, your must-haves are set and you’re ready to snap up your dream home. But guess what? Real estate agents don’t need you right now. ... with a market this hot, it’s not a case of real estate agents needing to pester you – you have to suck up to them.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/dollars-and-sense/2021/08/22/…
# Australia, Housing market.Lenders lure home buyers with cash as borrowers look to fix rates
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)At least two dozen lenders are offering cashbacks of up to $5000 to attract new home loan customers as competition hots up between financial institutions for new business.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/banking/lenders-lure-home-buyers-wi…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Canberra's population is set to nearly double within 40 years — but one developer wants it to grow even larger
Craig Allen ABC (No paywall)Canberra's population is on track to increase from 432,000 to 700,000 people within 40 years. But experts are divided about whether that is a good or bad thing for the growing national capital. The ACT government is expected to soon release the newest population projections to the year 2061, based on research from the ANU School of Demography.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-22/act-population-set-to-dou…
# Australia, Planning and development.Destructive drywood termites attacking Queensland homes, but a government fumigation program is axed
Jennifer Nichols ABC (No paywall)The Queensland government is being accused of abandoning residents whose homes are being eaten by the world's most destructive drywood termite. ... Since the 1960s, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has paid for any outbreaks of the foreign invader to be treated, by tenting entire houses and fumigating them. But in January, it quietly ended the free fumigation program and hasn't confirmed if people on a waiting list before it expired, would be helped.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-22/west-indian-drywood-termi…
# Australia, Repairs, Housing market, State Government.Tenant’s Union of NSW calls for extension of eviction moratorium and stronger rental protections
Kate Burke and Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)A ban on the eviction of renters in NSW needs to be extended and strengthened in light of the state’s lockdown, with greater protections needed for those affected by the pandemic, the Tenant’s Union of New South Wales has said. A two-month eviction moratorium announced last month should be extended until next year, it said, and strengthened to stop COVID-affected tenants from being forced to leave their homes under “no grounds” evictions. The measures were among a string of recommendations the union sent to NSW Better Regulation and Innovation minister Kevin Anderson in the wake of the state’s growing COVID-19 cases. “The end of the moratorium is a few weeks away, and with record-high cases [on Wednesday] it’s very clear the lockdown isn’t going to end by then,” said chief executive Leo Patterson Ross.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/tenants-union-of-nsw-calls-for-ex…
# Must read, Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Privacy and access, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, No-grounds evictions, State Government.Increased rent relief support payments, but NSW Eviction Moratorium must be extended
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Yesterday the NSW Government announced they are increasing the rent relief support available up to $3000 for landlords who reduce (waive) rent by this amount for impacted tenants. We welcome and would like to thank Minister Anderson for extending rent relief support. ... However, the financial assistance provided through the Residential Tenancy Support Payment is only one element of the protections required to ensure tenants are not evicted during lockdown.
https://www.tenants.org.au/tu/news/increased-rent-relief-support…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, No-grounds evictions, State Government.The life-or-death consequences of pandemic evictions
Sarah Kleiner (No paywall)From the United States ... More people died from the COVID-19 virus in places where protection against eviction either didn’t exist or lapsed in 2020, according to new research. Seven experts from five universities cross-referenced coronavirus cases and deaths with data about where eviction moratoriums existed between March 13 and Sept. 3 of last year. (Watchdog Newsletter)
https://publicintegrity.org/inside-publici/newsletters/watchdog-…
# Research alert International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health.