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
Will Restrictions Be Enough to Cool NZ Housing Market?
Dinah Lewis Boucher (No paywall)New Zealand’s central bank will reinstate mortgage lending restrictions next month, with further restrictions to come for property investors, in a bid to curb the nation's surging house prices. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will tighten loan-to-value restrictions on mortgage lending, with the tightest restrictions to be imposed on property investors, who won't be able to borrow more than 60 per cent of a property's value as of 1 May. (The Urban Developer)
https://theurbandeveloper.com/articles/lending-restrictions-nz-h…
# International, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in England extended to end of March
PA Media The Guardian (No paywall)The ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in England is to be extended until the end of March, the government has announced. The housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, said the ban – introduced at the start of the pandemic last March to protect private renters – will remain in place for all but the most serious cases for another six weeks. The latest extension came after ministers announced last month that it would continue until 22 February, having been due to expire on 11 January.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/ban-on-bailiff-enf…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Renters: Eviction ban in England extended until March
BBC (No paywall)Ian Forest has been living in his home for six years, but is now facing eviction because he couldn't find work during the pandemic. He hopes he will be able to repay his arrears before the eviction ban comes to an end in the hope that he can keep a roof over his head. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said extending the ban would ensure renters remained protected "during this difficult time".
# Video International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Bailiff eviction ban extended to end of March
Dominic Brady Inside Housing (Paywall)Renters have been given a further six weeks of protection from bailiff-enforced evictions in England, the government has announced.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/bailiff-eviction-ban-e…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Coalition MPs back super-for-housing push as RBA fears price rises
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Coalition MPs have pledged their support for a backbench push for the Morrison government to give Australians early access to their superannuation savings to buy their first home, as the Reserve Bank reveals fears about rising house prices.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/rba-shows-concern-about-…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market.Tent city ‘anarchists’ should pay Perth hotel’s homeless bill: McGowan
Marta Pascual Juanola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)West Australian Premier Mark McGowan is adamant the government will not foot the bill for rough sleepers staying at an inner-city hotel, saying the “anarchists” and “activists” who booked the rooms should pay. The comments come after the owners of Perth City Apartments said they would kick out about 30 homeless people staying at the hotel on Wednesday morning, after the bill for room costs reached more than $20,000.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/tent-city-anar…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.People with dementia are twice as likely to get COVID, US study finds
Pam Belluck The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)From New York ... People with dementia had significantly greater risk of contracting the coronavirus, and they were much more likely to be hospitalised and die from it, than people without dementia, a new study of millions of medical records in the United States has found. Their risk could not be entirely explained by characteristics common to people with dementia that are known risk factors for COVID-19: old age, living in a nursing home and having conditions like obesity, asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/people-with-dementia-…
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Older people.Texas homeless face limited options for food and warmth amid winter storm
Erum Salam (No paywall)As Texas remains in the grip of an arctic blast that has left millions of people without power for several days advocates are warning of a growing crisis for the homeless in the state. The homeless and the elderly are always the most vulnerable populations in a natural disaster, and many in Texas are facing limited options for food or warmth as the state struggles to deal with the freezing temperatures and deep snow.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/16/texas-storm-snow…
# International, Homelessness.