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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See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
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Archive
The tale of Alan and Annie: living in affordable housing and retiring from paid work
Robert Mowbray Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)‘What happens to an affordable housing tenant when they retire?’ The Tenants' Union of NSW isn't sure of the answer to this question. So, Robert Mowbray - the Tenants' Union's Older Renters Policy Officer - went to do a bit of digging.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/tale-alan-and-annie-living-affor…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent, Affordable housing, Housing affordability, Older people, Transfers and relocations.August 2021 News
Shelter NSW (No paywall)Check out the latest housing news from Shelter NSW:
Shelter NSW welcomes two new Policy Officers!
Planning submissions - Housing SEPP, Macquarie Park, Elizabeth Street Redfern, Blackwattle Bay
Parliamentary Inquiries - addressing homelessness and infrastructure contributions
Shelter’s Regional Plan up and running - research project launched and Hunter region conference
Shelter NSW August Members Meeting and Special General Meeting
https://mailchi.mp/shelternsw/shelter-nsw-august-2021-ebulletin?…
# NSW, Campaigns and law reform.The mysterious benefactor who is changing lives for the homeless
Julie Power The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Who was the late Dr Dianne Houghton? Not much is known about the reclusive general practitioner other than she lived frugally, loved dogs, and worked with those in need in developing countries and in Sydney during the AIDS epidemic. Following a multimillion bequest, income from Dr Houghton’s estate will support a unique general practice near Sydney’s Central Station specialising in the health needs of the homeless, regardless of where they live or immigration and Medicare status.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-mysterious-benefactor-wh…
# Must read NSW, Public and community housing, Health, Homelessness.Welsh housing associations partner with faith groups to build homes on church land
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)Five housing associations and one consortium have been chosen to participate in the next phase of the Faith in Affordable Housing Project that is run by Housing Justice Cymru, Wales’ only non-denominational Christian housing charity. The project attempts to transform surplus church land and buildings into affordable rented housing. To date, it has delivered almost 100 affordable homes. It was launched in 2016.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/welsh-housing-associat…
# International, Affordable housing, Housing market.The poor pay more: How housing problems are costing our kids
Qiuyi Tan (No paywall)In a paper published in the New Zealand Population Review, University of Otago researcher Louisa Choe writes that "the poor pay more in all forms, not only in financial costs but also in opportunity costs and security... almost always receiving a lesser return on their investment. In other words, the poorer you are, the more things cost." It's a poverty penalty that is discounting the young women's physical and mental wellbeing to the point of "evicting" them from their childhoods, Choe argues, calling for policies specifically targeting young people's housing needs. (NZ Hearld)
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-poor-pay-more-how-housing-prob…
# Research alert International, Health, Housing market, Women, Young people.Bidding wars break out for rentals in lettings hotspots
Melissa York (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The only thing worse than being gazumped on a home you want to buy is being gazumped on a home you need to rent. Bidding wars may be commonplace in Britain’s frenzied sales market, but they are becoming the norm in lettings too. The post-pandemic landscape has changed. Landlords are selling to make the most of record house prices or they have pivoted to letting their properties on a short-term basis on platforms such as Airbnb to escape taxes, regulations and make money out of the staycation boom. The result? Fewer properties available to let long-term and tenants are having to outbid each other on the monthly rent to find a place to live. (The Times)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bidding-wars-break-out-for-re…
# International, Rent, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.Pretium Partners is under investigation. Critics ask (again) why a major Canadian pension fund formed an $870M partnership with the company
Richard Warnica (No paywall)From the United States ... A major investment partner of one of Canada’s largest public pension plans is under congressional investigation in the United States following allegations the firm sought to evict more than 1,700 renters during the pandemic, including a disproportionately large number in majority Black areas of the country. ... “I think it’s sad to see that Canadian pension funds are invested in the displacement of Black households,” said Nemoy Lewis, an assistant professor at Ryerson University who studies the impact of financialized housing on Black renters. “I definitely think that this should serve as a warning to the Canadian government, as well as all levels of government in this country, of the ramifications of continuing to allow financialized landlords to amass all these properties.” (The Star)
https://www.thestar.com/amp/business/2021/08/07/pretium-partners…
# International, Eviction, Coronavirus COVID-19, Landlords and agents, Race and ethnicity.Ohio one of few states to skip on eviction moratorium during pandemic
Jake Zuckerman (No paywall)When the new coronavirus emerged, a rush of 43 states and Washington D.C. instituted an eviction moratorium, temporarily blocking landlords from ousting tenants from their housing during a health crisis. Not Ohio. (Ohio Capital Journal)
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/08/12/ohio-one-of-few-states…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.