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
NCAT Snapshot
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The Tenants' Union NCAT Snapshot aims to provide transparency on the use of the NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). This dashboard will be updated regularly to ensure the public has access to up to date information on who and why landlords and tenants are using the tribunal. This dashboards allows us to compare the rates that tenants and landlords are applying to the tribunal. The evictions snapshot highlights the percentage of eviction applications out of all landlord applications as well as all applications (landlord and tenant). The application breakdowns allow us to explore the types of applications both landlords and tenants make to the tribunal.
# Must read, Research alert NSW, Tribunal NCAT.Sydney Boarding Homes Threatened by Luxury Builds
Bloomberg (No paywall)Australia’s housing crisis is a key issue in this year’s upcoming election. The future of some Sydney boarding homes being threatened by luxury builds highlights the severity and complexity of the issue, Frances Du reports.
# Video NSW, Boarders and lodgers.NT's remote communities still waiting on benefits of federal $4 billion housing promise
Olivana Lathouris ABC (No paywall)More than a year ago, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the remote Aboriginal community of Binjari to announce $4 billion for remote housing. But since then the community have yet to see a single new home built. Binjari, located around 16 kilometres west of Katherine, is one of more than 80 Aboriginal communities dotted across the NT and, like many, it is struggling with chronic overcrowding. Lifelong resident Olivia Raymond vividly remembers the day the prime minister visited town, pleading for help with her home which she said was no longer liveable.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-26/nt-communities-waiting-fo…
# Must read International, Aboriginal renters, Rent, Repairs.More than 200,000 children in short-term housing in England by 2029, analysis shows
Kiran Stacey The Guardian (No paywall)More than 200,000 children will be living in short-term emergency accommodation in England to keep them off the streets by the end of this parliament, according to projections by the housing charity Shelter. The analysis shows that 206,000 children will be living in temporary accommodation by 2029 – a 26% increase over five years – while the cost to the taxpayer is set to rise by 71% to £3.9bn a year. The figures, which take account of government policies and projected house prices, show how England’s housing crisis is playing out behind the closed doors of bedsits, hostels and bed and breakfasts across the country.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/apr/29/shelter-forecasts-r…
# Hot topic International, .London rents rise to record high for 14th consecutive month
Pedro Goncalves Yahoo News (No paywall)UK rental prices have reached new heights, with London leading the way at a record-breaking £2,698 per month. This marks the 14th consecutive month of new rent records for the capital. Outside of London, the average advertised rent has also surged, climbing to £1,349 per month, another new high. The figures from property site Rightmove (RMV.L) showed that the average advertised rent in London is now 2.5% higher than this time last year, despite an increase in the supply of rental homes.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/london-rents-rise-record-high-…
# Hot topic International, Rent.'Puppet on a string': Hunter domestic violence survivor rejected for 90 rentals
Jessica Belzycki (Paywall)A Lake Macquarie woman fleeing domestic violence with her children has been knocked back from more than 90 rentals in six weeks.
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/8946908/hunter-domestic…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.NYC's Rent Guidelines Board votes to propose hikes for rent-stabilized apartments
Marcia Kramer, Ali Bauman CBS News (No paywall)New York City's Rent Guidelines Board voted Wednesday night to propose hikes for rent-stabilized apartments. The preliminary vote sets the stage for a potential rent hike impacting more than 2 million New Yorkers. The motion, which passed in a 5-4 vote, proposes raising rent by 1.75-4.75% for one-year leases and 4.75-7.75% for two-year leases. There will be four public hearings before the board holds their final vote in June.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-city-rent-hikes-re…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Private landlords and hotels ‘cashing in’ on England’s hidden homelessness crisis
Kiran Stacey, Michael Goodier and Olivia Lee The Guardian (No paywall)Private landlords and hotel owners are charging councils far in excess of market rent to house people who would otherwise end up on the street, an investigation has found, laying bare the depth of England’s hidden homelessness crisis. Local authorities in England are paying 60% more for rooms in places such as bed and breakfasts and hostels than it would cost to rent similar-sized accommodation on the private market, with half of them spending double the local going rate. More than 100,000 households are living in temporary accommodation in England, and the UK now has the worst homelessness problem in the developed world when they are taken into account.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/27/homelessness-cri…
# International, .