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
Citizens Advice Scotland warns of impending crisis for private renters
(No paywall)From Scotland ... New data has been published which highlights an increase of renters in the private sector who have been struggling to make ends meet throughout the pandemic, with concerns that this could lead to more rent arrears and even evictions after Covid-linked support is withdrawn. (Scottish Housing News)
https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/article/citizens-advice-scot…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Housing market.NAB launches Sharia loan product into Australian Islamic finance market tipped to be worth $250b
Emilia Terzon ABC (No paywall)Australia's finance sector is tapping into the Islamic market, with one of the country's biggest lenders launching a Sharia-compliant loan and smaller institutions vying to become the first bank for the nation's Muslim population. ... Islamic finance does home loans differently ... [Asad Ansari of local Islamic finance company Amanah Finance explains.] One of the more prevalent models used in Australia is called Ijarah Muntahia Bittamleek. This is where the Islamic financier buys the house for the client and then rents it to them over a fixed term, generally decades. Over time, the client pays off the house through rental payments, which include a profit to the financier and reflect market interest rates. Eventually, the asset is wholly paid off by the client and they own the house outright. This structure is what some may already know as "rent to buy".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-05/islamic-banking-nab-home-…
# Australia, Home ownership, Race and ethnicity.Northern Ireland housing association becomes first to receive tenant participation accreditation
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)Radius Housing, which manages more than 12,000 homes, has been awarded the accreditation by the charity Supporting Communities. ... The accreditation, which reflects the regulatory requirements in Northern Ireland, recognises landlords that demonstrate excellence in tenant participation and provides an in-depth assessment of its engagement practices and activities. ... John McLean, chief executive of Radius, added: “It is paramount that tenants have a meaningful say in how we prioritise and deliver our services. Right from the outset at the planning stage of new homes through handover to the creation of diverse and shared neighbourhoods, we learn so much from our tenants and welcome their input."
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/northern-ireland-housi…
# International, Public and community housing, Landlords and agents.Paternalistic attitudes from social landlords can add to the stigmatisation of residents
Mercy Denedo and Amanze Ejiogu Inside Housing (Paywall)The Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, in which 72 people died, was instrumental in illuminating the stigma experienced by social housing tenants as well as the ineffective and discriminatory complaint procedures in social housing. ... Government policy and positioning has been a key influencer of public perspective. The economic policies of promoting homeownership as a tenure of choice have led to the polarisation of social housing, intensifying the spread of stigma associated with social housing in contrast. Politicians, politics and policies have all helped to drive a wedge between homeownership and social renters. Social housing providers (including local councils) and their contractors have also played their part in failing to address issues head-on and, by failing to facilitate strong tenant voices at local and national levels, to help combat the stigma. ... But to have the best chance of absolute eradication of social housing stigma in the UK, we need a collective consensus – a deliberate effort made by all stakeholders at the same time, including politicians, the media, housing providers, advocacy groups, professional and tenants’ bodies, social housing tenants and wider society. This movement would need to be triggered by a key action: the recognition of housing as a basic human right. [Read the full article]
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/comment/paternalistic-at…
# International, Public and community housing, Housing market, Human rights.Insurers pursue renters for accidental property damage
Jarni Blakkarty (No paywall)When Rosa (not her real name) was locked out on her balcony in July last year, she had no idea that almost a year later an insurance company would be pursuing her for thousands of dollars in damages. Unbeknown to her, the outside door latch on her rented apartment in Melbourne was faulty and when she went out onto the balcony she found herself locked out. ... Eventually the fire brigade had to break down her door to get her out, damaging the door in the process. But the real shock came when a debt collection agency acting on behalf of Chubb Insurance (her landlord's insurance provider) told her she had to pay $3600 for the damage. ... Matthew Martin, the legal director of Westjustice's economic justice program, says the organisation has seen about 10 similar cases in the past year. "That's just through our clinic alone, which only services the western suburbs of Melbourne," he says. "I can only imagine the number of renters it would be affecting nationally, it must be huge." (Choice)
https://www.choice.com.au/money/property/renting/articles/landlo…
# Hot topic Australia, Repairs, Landlords and agents.NSW's new short-term holiday letting laws risk more homeless, less housing amid crises: Mayor
Tara Cassidy ABC (No paywall)A New South Wales mayor says changes to short-term holiday renting legislation across New South Wales will wreak havoc for tenants and amplify the housing crisis. weed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry said that, on November 1, new laws will come into effect, allowing "every house approved as a dwelling to be used as a holiday rental". Cr Cherry said the issue would be raised as a matter of "urgency" in a Tweed Shire Council meeting on Thursday night, where she plans to call on local councillors to support her push to delay the legislation. She said the changes could see more residents left homeless and even less accommodation available across the sector. ... Cr Cherry said, like many other regions across the country, Tweed Shire's rental situation was "dire", with less than 1 per cent availability for rental homes. "Even our key workers — nurses, police, teachers, retail workers — are finding it very difficult to get homes and accommodation in this shire," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-05/nsw-accommodation-policy-…
# NSW, Rent, Homelessness, Housing market, Local Government, Short-term holiday letting.Sleeping in shifts: Understanding the reality of Sydney’s homeless surge
Daniel Lo Surdo (No paywall)Leading housing experts have become increasingly concerned with the housing structures propelling homelessness patterns in the inner-city. On any given night in Australia, over 120,000 people will be separated from secure housing, shelter and safety. Closer to home, it’s estimated that there are over 250 Sydneysiders forced to journey the side streets and alleyways of the city each night, with funds for backpacker accommodation scarce and dreams of a home fleeting. But the patterns and conventions of homelessness are changing. ... [Shelter NSW CEO John Engeler] worries that the focus towards high-density residences will leave those in severely overcrowded dwellings increasingly marginalised from support. “The NSW Government does not have a very big or firm program to deliver 5, 6, 7 bedroom dwellings … and yet we know that that’s a big and growing area of worry,” Engeler said. (City Hub)
https://cityhubsydney.com.au/2021/08/sleeping-in-shifts-understa…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Homelessness, Housing market, Planning and development, Sydney.Why Do We Make Things So Hard for Renters?
Ron Lieber The New York Times (Paywall)From the United States ... For struggling homeowners in the pandemic’s first year, there was hope early on that these hard times would not put people with mortgages out in the street. ... Renters weren’t so lucky. Sure, there were federal and regional eviction moratoriums, but it took nearly a year for Congress to come through with actual payment assistance, and that has only trickled out so far. Plus, it came with a host of restrictions and hurdles to clear — heaped on top of a population where millions were already in a precarious financial position. We should say it out loud: When it comes to public policy, people who do not own their own homes are treated like second-class citizens.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/your-money/rental-assistance-…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government.