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
Bidding on rentals could be restricted in the ACT as government moves to introduce tenancy reforms
Niki Burnside ABC (No paywall)Bidding on rental properties could be restricted in the ACT after the government introduced a discussion paper on residential tenancy reforms on Friday. Changes proposed include removing no-cause evictions, introducing stricter minimum property standards and giving tenants more freedom to grow their own food. The move has been welcomed by those who have pointed to an "acute housing crisis" in the ACT ... Better Renting executive director Joel Dignam welcomed the reforms, and said renters deserved to live with a sense of security and safety. "I think that's something people have been looking at for a long time," he said. "There are so many people in Canberra with experiences of cold rental properties — that they can't have people over during winter, they're going to bed early, to try to stay warm — it doesn't have to be like that, it's not actually a natural state of affairs."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-07/act-government-set-to-ref…
# Hot topic Australia, Eviction, Rent, Minimum habitability standards, Mould.CDC issues new eviction ban effective through Oct. 3
Annie Nova (No paywall)From the United States ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new federal eviction moratorium on Tuesday. The eviction ban will be targeted at areas of the country experiencing high levels of coronavirus infections and will last for 60 days until Oct. 3. The protection could cover around 90% of renters. The CDC’s original eviction ban, which had been in effect since September 2020, expired on July 31. (CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/03/cdc-to-issue-new-eviction-ban-ef…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Knowing your rental rights during Sydney’s COVID lockdown
Emily Hutchinson (No paywall)Tenants are feeling uncertain about the impact of Greater Sydney’s prolonged COVID lockdown, with many worried about how they’ll keep up with rental payments. While COVID support payments have been increased and there is a temporary ban on evictions, many tenants who have lost work and income are still concerned about the possibility of being evicted or finding themselves with a hefty debt once restrictions ease. Others say they feel the need to move, or have no other choice, but aren’t sure if this is permitted. Tenants Union NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross said his team was dealing with more distressed enquiries than usual. ... The NSW government has announced temporary support measures for both tenants and landlords struggling financially, including a freeze on evictions and financial assistance for landlords who agree to lower the rent. Federal support is also available for people who lost work and income due to the COVID-19 public health orders. [Read on] (realestate.com.au)
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/knowing-your-rental-rights-du…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Homeless support services in Perth suburb at breaking point with vulnerable people turned away
Evelyn Manfield ABC (No paywall)It's a crisp five degrees outside and Prue Broughton is sleeping in her car with no heater, alongside her cat Fury and dog Rocky. She has been doing this for the last four months since she was forced to move out of where she was living. The 47-year-old searches every day for a place to call home, but there're just too many other people on the exact same mission. "I just want a house and I want my dog and my cat to have a place to live, you know?" she said. "There's so many abandoned places here in Midland, why can't we turn them into some places for accommodation?" ... [Indigo Junction] Chief executive Sharon Gough said the organisation had to turn away 6,000 families and more than 500 young people in the last year. She said since the rental moratorium lifted in March, the number of people needing help had increased. "We've never seen it jump I guess quite this dramatically," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-08/perth-midland-homeless-is…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Older people, Women.Social housing plea with rent now unaffordable for essential workers across most Australian regions
Rachel McGhee ABC (No paywall)"There are lots and lots of people living homeless who are living in overcrowded dwellings, who are living in relatives [or] friends houses, couch surfing, boarding houses, crisis accommodation centres — all classified as being homeless." New research from housing advocacy group Everybody's Home found COVID essential workers in the care and services sector are at increasing risk of homelessness. The group's spokesperson Kate Colvin said 87 of Australia's 104 geographic regions have become unaffordable for people in these jobs, with rent in these areas costing at least a third of their weekly income.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-05/qld-homelessness-week-hou…
# Hot topic Australia, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Housing market.A drop in new home loans in June is no sign Australia’s house prices will return to reality
Greg Jericho The Guardian (No paywall)Investor housing loans remain at near record levels, with strong growth across states and territories. Great tables and graphs. Check the table entitled 'The annual growth of home loans remain very strong' for 'Owner occupied' and then 'Investor'. Check the graph 'The value of investor housing loans is at near record level'. Check the table entitled 'The strong growth in home loans is widespread' for 'Owner occupied' and then 'Investor'.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2021/aug/05/a-d…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Rental stress set to worsen as lockdowns drag on
Nila Sweeney (Paywall)More than two-thirds of tenants across the country face rental stress and lockdowns are likely to make things worse, particularly for renters in NSW and Queensland, a survey from ME Bank finds. The proportion of renters spending more than two-fifths (41 per cent) of their income on rents had jumped by 8 percentage points to 68 per cent in the past six months to June, with tenants in both the capitals and regions struggling to keep up with rising rents. (Financial Review)
https://www.afr.com/property/residential/rental-stress-set-to-wo…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market, Regional NSW.Camden secures first injunction against Landlord to stop illegal eviction of tenants
(No paywall)From the United KIngdom ... Camden Council has become the first local authority to secure an anti-social behaviour injunction against a Landlord in order to protect private tenants from illegal eviction and harassment. The Council secured the injunction against Mohammed Ali Abbas Rasool ... at The Royal Courts of Justice on June 23, 2021. Working in partnership with the Met Police, Camden brought the case against Mr Rasool after repeated attempts to illegally evict and harass tenants at a property he owns in Kilburn. As a result of a disclosure request made by the Council to the Police, the Court also heard of similar reports made against Mr Rasool by tenants in other boroughs. The hearing proceeded without Mr Rasool, who did not attend Court, with the Judge granting the injunction in his absence. The injunction includes an exclusion zone around the property, which will remain in force until May 14, 2022, and Mr Rasool can be arrested if he enters the exclusion zone. The Council’s Rogue Landlord Taskforce is continuing to support the residents of the Kilburn property by ensuring that the order is upheld, assisting with access to their own legal advice and instructing the leaseholder to make fire safety improvements to the property. The Council’s Private Sector Housing Service is also investigating the safety and management of other properties operated by Mr Rasool in Camden. (Nearly Legal and Camden Newsroom)
https://nearlylegal.co.uk/2021/08/misc-notice-periods-evictions-…
# International, Eviction, Privacy and access, Landlords and agents.