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
Rental prices rise by $130/week since Covid
Stuff (No paywall)New Zealand's rental prices have surged by 25% since the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, with the national median weekly rent rising from $510 to $640, according to Trade Me’s latest Rental Price Index. Trade Me Property’s Customer Director, Gavin Lloyd, highlighted the pandemic’s profound impact on the rental market. "The pandemic disrupted the housing market significantly from the minute the first lockdown was announced," said Lloyd. "Increased demand, coupled with inflation and job losses, led to significant swings in rental prices in the following months and years."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/home-property/360620246/rental-prices-ri…
# Hot topic International, .'Some of the worst' properties 'ever seen': Landlords fined after evicting tenants who complained about abysmal housing
Radio NZ ()Two Auckland tenants have been awarded compensation after being unlawfully evicted from their properties when they complained about conditions that included having to drill a hole in the kitchen floor for sewage to drain out. Their landlords, 8A Gray Ave Limited and LDW Limited, have been ordered by the Tenancy Tribunal to pay a combined total of $25,900 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), and were also issued with a six-year restraining order from committing similar breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/544308/some-of-the-worst-pro…
# Must read International, Rent.Property maintenance biggest concern for renters
Elliot Ball BBC (No paywall)Inadequate maintenance and repairs is the biggest concern among private renters, according to Citizens Advice Guernsey (CAG). A 2024 report conducted by the organisation analysed complaints raised by 76 private renters between 2022 and 2023. It found 54% had accused their landlord of failing to take action or that they delayed repairs when an issue was raised. Overall, CAG received 20% more complaints about inadequate maintenance and repairs from private renters compared to its 2021 report (34%).
# International, Rent, Repairs.Plans to tackle low quality private rentals
Danielle Andrews & Lucy Ashton BBC (No paywall)A council has set out plans to improve standards in the private rental sector to ensure the health and safety of tenants.
Barnsley Council said cold homes, overcrowding and poor maintenance were all factors putting renters at risk. A council survey in 2020 had found an estimated 19% of private rented housing in the town were not up to standard. The council said measures being taken to improve standards included prioritising enforcement action against landlords who fail to maintain properties or break the law through overcrowding or improper evictions.
Rising rents and tourist lets: How can Spain's housing crisis be solved?
Roberto Macedonio Vega Euro News (No paywall)Europe's housing crisis is worsening, and young people in Spain are struggling to get on the ladder as prices soar, experts tell Euronews. A lack of affordable housing has become one of the main concerns for citizens in the EU, especially in Spain where residents of cities like Barcelona and Madrid say they are being priced out of the property market. In the bloc's biggest cities, one in 10 households spend more than 40% of their income on rent, according to the latest data from Eurostat. In rural areas, this figure drops to 7%. In this context, soaring prices, a lack of supply and the rise of tourist rentals are hindering access to decent housing in the bloc, especially for young people.
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/18/rising-rents-and-t…
# Hot topic International, .Seized, settled, let: how Airbnb and Booking.com help Israelis make money from stolen Palestinian land
Zeke Hunter-Green, Carmen Aguilar García, Anna Leach, Mark Townsend, Pamela Duncan and Prina Shah The Guardian (No paywall)The villa is stunning. The private swimming pool; the lush, landscaped terrace with firepit; the long dining table with its expansive balcony view; the pingpong table; the piano. But the jewel in the crown, according to the Airbnb listing, is the experience of watching the sun rise over the nearby mountains from the luxury of the generous master bedroom. The villa with views of the Judean mountains is in a settlement located on land seized from Palestinians and considered illegal under international humanitarian law.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/feb/27/sei…
# Must read International, Discrimination.Which renters do landlords discriminate against most in Canada? What a national study found
Nicholas Keung The Star (No paywall)Landlords across Canada are more likely to ask personal questions and reject prospective renters who identify as racial minorities, newcomers and people with children, says a new report. Based on a landlord discrimination audit and renter survey in 57 communities, including eight in Ontario, researchers found landlords and property managers were about 14 per cent less likely to respond to these groups compared to a white man with no kids when they inquired about a rental unit.
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/which-renters-do-landlords-d…
# Must read International, Discrimination.Plans to tackle low quality private rentals
Danielle Andrews & Lucy Ashton BBC (No paywall)A council has set out plans to improve standards in the private rental sector to ensure the health and safety of tenants.
Barnsley Council said cold homes, overcrowding and poor maintenance were all factors putting renters at risk. A council survey in 2020 had found an estimated 19% of private rented housing in the town were not up to standard. The council said measures being taken to improve standards included prioritising enforcement action against landlords who fail to maintain properties or break the law through overcrowding or improper evictions.