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
Rents surging beyond wage growth creating record unaffordability
ABC (No paywall)A new report from Cotality has found rents have been surging well beyond wage growth. Leo Patterson Ross from the Tenants Union NSW says rental affordability is usually stable and the surge in rental growth means many people will simply lose their homes and communities to get something more affordable.
# Must read, TUNSW in the media, Video NSW, .Homelessness NSW report estimates 80,000 people homeless in NSW
Suzan Giuliani and Danielle Gusmaroli Adelaide Now (No paywall)The state government has been accused of letting NSW’s homelessness crisis spiral out of control, as new figures reveal the number of people sleeping rough has more than doubled in the past four years. The latest data by Impact Economics for Homelessness NSW, which surveyed 12 services across the state, estimates 80,000 people are homeless in NSW – up from 35,011 recorded in the 2021 Census. The scathing report also shows that NSW’s funding for homelessness services is the lowest in the country, at $37 per person, compared to $75 in Victoria and $91 in Tasmania. Shockingly, the data showed a further 700,000 people were also at risk of homelessness.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/nsw/homelessness-nsw-report-…
# NSW, .Warning shot fired at Aussie landlords and real estate agents after 'unlawful' request to renter
Brianne Tolj Yahoo News (No paywall)From dozens of eager tenants lining up around the block every weekend, to Aussies trading comfort and privacy for a roof over their head, the country’s rental crisis seems like it’s only getting worse. It was again placed in the spotlight this week when a $430-per-week listing in Sydney’s outer suburbs was slammed for its “ridiculous” requirements. The 60m² granny flat in Heathcote, on Sydney's southern outskirts, which is described as a “three-room garden studio”, was called out online by renters for the private landlord’s request that the new tenant “be quiet, private, and drug and alcohol-free”. The property is “ideal for a retiree, single mother or student”, the ad states.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/warning-shot-fired-at-aussie-landlords…
# NSW, Rent, Starting a tenancy.Landlord’s ‘audacious’ $6500 claim over scuffed curtains, cockroach poo
Hannah Wilcox news.com.au (No paywall)A landlord has tried to unsuccessfully claim more than $6000 from a longtime tenant over end-of-lease deductions as petty as curtains markings and bug poo. The renter, from New South Wales, took to social media to reveal they had been summoned to the state’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) after refusing to agree to the bond deductions. “I lived at my rental for 8.5 years, landlord is taking us to NCAT next month for $6500,” the tenant wrote in a post to Reddit. “He is claiming a few scuff marks on the curtains and a little cockroach poo on one. “He (originally) wants just the bond back totalling $1600, we said no as we don’t believe we owe it – now he’s taking us for $6500.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/landlords-au…
# NSW, Bond, Tribunal NCAT.NSW regional towns where rents rose most over the past year
Sarah Webb The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Rents in many parts of regional NSW are booming, with population spillover, a bumper agricultural season and ‘rentvestors’ chasing cheaper buys, colliding with a housing drought. Figures from Domain’s latest Rent Report, show rents rose in almost every regional NSW local government area over the year to the end of December. And experts warn the pressure is far from over. Domain senior economist Joel Bowman said the overall NSW regional market had outpaced Sydney in annual rent growth.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/nsw-regional-towns-where-re…
# Hot topic, Research alert NSW, Rent.Developers desert plans for new apartments in Sydney's west due to construction costs and interest rates
Ruby Ritchie and Gavin Coote ABC (No paywall)After renting in Western Sydney for almost a decade, Dave Anderson fears his aspirations of buying a home in the region are becoming even more out of reach. "Unless I suddenly win the lottery, I'm not going to own a house in Sydney," Mr Anderson said. While new free-standing homes are being constructed across parts of his neighbourhood, the 38-year-old public servant feels locked out of the market, due to a lack of affordable apartments. "It frustrates me that people are like, 'Oh you can't build an apartment tower here' and I'm like, why not?" he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-11/developers-desert-plans-f…
# Hot topic NSW, .'Polished but hollow': Young residents pushed out as Boomers take over Byron Bay
Paul Ewart realestate.com.au (No paywall)Byron Bay's long-standing reputation as a laid-back hub for free spirits and surfers is under threat of becoming a "memory rather than a tangible reality," locals warn, as residents become older, wealthier and far less bohemian than the narrative suggests. While the connotation of the far north NSW hotspot remains stuck in its hippy past, the rise of Byron Bay's reputation as a hub for celebrities and rich-listers has prompted Boomers and successful middle-aged sea-changers to pour their generational wealth into the 2481 postcode.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/polished-but-hollow-young-res…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.How cutting the capital gains tax discount could help rebalance the housing market
Jago Dodson and Liam Davies The Conversation (No paywall)Capital gains tax is once again the subject of parliamentary debate, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers declining to rule out options for reform. Along with negative gearing, the capital gains tax discount has long been suggested as one cause of Australia’s housing affordability crisis. The tax applies to the capital gain when an asset is held for more than a year, and it currently includes a “discount” of 50% on the total gain as a nominal offset for inflation. These policies make speculative investment in housing more attractive, driving up prices and making it harder for first home buyers.
https://theconversation.com/how-cutting-the-capital-gains-tax-di…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, .