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
Paying $500 rent for 'a glorified tent' as regional NSW housing shortage prices people out
Wiriya Sati ABC (No paywall)Since the arrival of COVID-19 and the subsequent exodus of people from the cities, a lack of housing supply in regional NSW has pushed up prices and squeezed locals out of the rental market. Port Macquarie has become an investors market and rents have skyrocketed and there is fierce competition for available properties. Alex and Kylie privately rent a derelict three-bedroom farmhouse in Port Macquarie for $500, where they live with their two children and three dogs. The couple, who do not want their full names published, says the owner has refused requests to undertake repairs to the house. And when they told him they would take the issues up with the tenancy tribunal, they say they were given notice to leave. After applying for about 25 rental properties over three months, Alex and Kylie were unable to find another home to rent. The landlord has allowed the family to stay on, but their rent has increased $100 a week.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-08/housing-shortage-regional…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent, Repairs, Minimum habitability standards, Mould, Regional NSW.Perth average weekly house rent hits six-year high after biggest increase in more than a decade
Herlyn Kaur ABC (No paywall)Perth's average weekly rent has skyrocketed to a six-year high, creating a massive win for landlords while tenants face steep increases in a fiercely competitive market. Katie Lean is just one of those affected, with the spike making life difficult for the 38-year-old single mother with three children aged 15 years and under. She is renting a four-bedroom home in Treeby, a developing suburb more than 20 kilometres south of Perth, as she works full time at a primary school, and prides herself on always paying her bills on time. Her landlord has just asked for a $90 per week increase on rent, after having already increased it by $40 when the rental moratorium lifted at the end of March this year. ... Ms Lean said she was forced to look at other options after she tried to negotiate for a three-month lease, instead of the standard six or 12-month contract, but had it knocked back. She was also recently sent an email with a notice to vacate the property within 30 days, without being given a reason. ... I may find myself at the end of this month with no specific home to go to and having to vacate … obviously, that's a really stressful scenario." David Prestipino writes another story on the same issue. His article is entitled: 'Perth rents hit six-year high as public housing crisis deepens' at: [https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/perth-rents-hit-six-year-high-as-public-housing-crisis-deepens-20210708-p587yo.html]
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-08/perth-average-weekly-hous…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Housing market, No-grounds evictions.Housing affordability in Regional Australia
Nenad (No paywall)Despite early expectations to the contrary, house prices have continued to increase throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps more surprising was the increase in median house prices across Regional Australia. In this blog, Nenad walks through the factors influencing regional house pricing and affordability, and looks at the levers Local Government have to affect affordability in their local areas. (.id)
https://blog.id.com.au/2021/housing-analysis/housing-affordabili…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Local Government, Regional NSW.Northern Ireland government to pay £500 bonus to homelessness and supported housing workers
Nathaniel Barker Inside Housing (Paywall)Northern Ireland’s government will pay homelessness and supported housing workers special payments of up to £500 in recognition of their work during the coronavirus pandemic. ... Communities minister Deirdre Hargey said: “I am developing a scheme that ensures SP staff [Supporting People programme] receive a recognition payment of up to £500 for their part in delivering critical services over the past year, including supporting homeless people, older people, young people, those with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and those with mental health issues.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/northern-ireland-gover…
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.Sexual assault survivors face a 'housing maze', support workers warn
Dominic Cansdale ABC (No paywall)There is a lack of dedicated crisis accommodation and housing support for survivors of sexual assault, according to a the Gold Coast Centre Against Sexual Violence. ... When someone is trying to exit from a shared house because they've been sexually assaulted, clearly they're going to feel unsafe, they don’t want to stay there but where else are they gonna go?" Ms MacLeod said the issue was compounded further by the booming housing market, with median vacancy rates below one per cent meaning rentals were harder to find.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/sexual-assault-survivors-…
# Australia, Domestic violence, Rent, Share houses, Women.Waterloo South taking shape
Geoff Turnbull (No paywall)The Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment (DPIE) has released its assessment of Waterloo South. As it was the Council proposal, with three towers on McEvoy Street, which was submitted for assessment, a modified Council proposal will go to public exhibition in coming months. DPIE has asked for more work on the proposal before it is exhibited. (The South Sydney Herald)
https://southsydneyherald.com.au/waterloo-south-taking-shape/
# NSW, Public and community housing, Estate renewal, Housing market, Planning and development, State Government.Tenants could be hesitant to try enforce Healthy Homes Standards, lawyer says
Charlie Dreaver (No paywall)From New Zealand ... From this month, landlords have to meet the healthy homes standards within 90 days of a new tenancy. However housing lawyer Machrus Siregar from Community Law Wellington explained there were complications if the landlord had not complied after that 90 day period. "The tenants could apply to the Tenancy Tribunal and seek a work order to have the landlord complete that work. "My concern with this is that it puts enforcement onto the tenants and tenants are very hesitant, understandably so, to initiate proceedings against their landlord. It's because they're concerned about being blacklisted or some [other] sort of retaliation."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/446445/tenants-could-be-hes…
# International, Rent, Repairs.Mandatory NJ landlord-tenant settlements will begin. Here are tenant advocates' concerns
Ashley Balcerzak (Paywall)From New Jersey ... Renters in New Jersey are still protected against lockouts through the end of the year, but starting this month, courts will require mandatory settlement hearings for landlord-tenant cases — and some tenant advocates are worried about the potential impact. Through such hearings, tenants and landlords meet — primarily online, at a time scheduled by the court — and discuss ways to resolve their cases. The estimated 14,000 cases that have been pending for more than a year will be prioritized, as well as newer cases involving a year's worth of missed rent. There are consequences if either party doesn't show up. If a landlord fails to appear, the case gets dismissed. If a tenant fails to appear, and the court determines the landlord has made his or her case, the court will enter a default judgment to evict the tenant. ... The state's eviction moratorium is still in effect, meaning renters cannot be kicked out of their homes through the end of the year. So for many tenants, it may not be in their interest to agree to a deal that requires them to move out within 30 days ... (northjersey.com)
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2021/07/08/landlord-tenan…
# International, Tribunal NCAT.