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
‘Poverty is not a crime’: outrage after California city passes law targeting homeless encampments
Dani Anguiano The Guardian (No paywall)A northern California city passed a law targeting unhoused people that will ban camping on public property and make “permitting, aiding, [or] abetting” encampments illegal – a provision that has caused worry among non-profits and advocates. The city council in Fremont, California, adopted the sweeping new ordinance – which has been described as one of the strictest in the state – on Tuesday with Fremont’s mayor arguing such action was necessary to ensure residents’ health and safety in the Bay Area community of 226,000. (Thank you Matt Bullen for shining a light on this article for us!)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/12/fremont-californ…
# Must read International, Security and safety.WA government's new build-to-rent incentives aim to boost rental housing stock
Phoebe Pin ABC (No paywall)Anyone who has lined up for a home open in recent years would attest to how difficult it can be to secure a rental in Western Australia. Now, WA Labor has promised to implement a scheme to encourage big developers to invest in build-to-rent projects if re-elected. The state government says the plan will help grow the Perth rental market, with the city last year crowned the least affordable for renters in the country. But just how much of a difference will build-to-rent incentives really make?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-18/build-to-rent-scheme-west…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Australian houses are getting larger. For a more sustainable future, our houses can’t be the space for everything
Bhavna Middha and Nicola Willand The Conversation (No paywall)The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, from 100 square metres in the 1950s to 236m² in 2020. The average living space in Australian households is now 84m² per person. The way we live in our homes – our habits and daily routines – is also growing and changing with our housing, and the way we want to live can shape the size of our homes. For a more sustainable future, we need to embrace living in smaller spaces.
https://theconversation.com/australian-houses-are-getting-larger…
# Must read Australia, Rent.Renters feel little relief after rate cut
Nick Grimm ABC (No paywall)
As she delivered the nation's first interest rate cut in more than years, the Reserve Bank governor was making it clear that Australians shouldn't necessarily expect another one, anytime soon. Michelle Bullock wants to remind households that the pain of the cost-of-living crisis isn't over yet. That's especially true for renters and anyone else struggling to stay ahead of prices and other costs that continue to rise, despite inflation easing.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/worldtoday/renters-feel-l…
# TUNSW in the media, Audio Australia, .Barcelona counters the effects of over-tourism – Municipality buys apartment block to prevent eviction of tenants
Proto Thema (No paywall)The municipality of Barcelona will buy an apartment building known as “Casa Orsola” to prevent the eviction of many tenants living in it, including a teacher whose threatened eviction has become a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis and months of movements against hypertourism. Josep Torrent, 49, who has lived in the same apartment in this condo for more than 20 years, was among the tenants who were told their contracts would not be renewed after the investment firm Lioness Investments bought the Art Nouveau Casa Orsola building in 2020. The company planned to start letting the apartments for short-term
https://en.protothema.gr/2025/02/07/barcelona-counters-the-effec…
# Hot topic International, Eviction.Rent freeze rejected, some tenants protections for fire victims advanced by LA City Council committee
Marissa Wenzke CBS News (No paywall)A Los Angeles City Council committee rejected a proposed one-year rent freeze but approved moving forward with some tenants' protections for residents who lost their homes or jobs in the recent wildfires. The motion for those rental protections will head to the full city council for a vote after being approved by the council's Housing and Homelessness Committee on Wednesday. It includes a prohibition on certain evictions, such as for non-payment of rent, for those affected by the fires — safeguards which require residents to provide documentation proving they experienced economic hardship. The initial proposal had mandated that tenants self-attest under perjury that they were affected by the wildfires.
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/rent-freeze-rejected-som…
# Hot topic International, Disasters.The Guardian view on new housing: Labour must not let builders dictate terms
The Guardian (No paywall)The greatly increased difficulty for young adults of either buying a home or finding a long-term, affordable tenancy is both a generational and socioeconomic injustice, and a serious political problem. Sir Keir Starmer’s government knows this and hopes its commitment to build 1.5m new homes will shore up support among voters. Making people more secure, so that disappointment and grievance do not make them easy targets for rightwing populists, is a vital task for social democratic parties everywhere. In the UK, where accommodation costs are 44% higher than the western European average, and younger people are disproportionately trapped in low-quality homes, policies to support those in housing need are a pressing priority.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/16/the-guardi…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Europe’s rents are on the rise: Who’s hardest hit?
Kata Moravecz European Data Journalism (No paywall)Rising rents across major European cities are creating a housing crisis, disproportionately affecting low-income earners and those in unstable employment. Contributing factors include tourism, migration, low housing supply, and gentrification. Our investigation, led by EUrologus, highlights the need for policy changes to address these issues and ensure affordable housing for all.
https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/cp_data_news/europes-rents…
# Must read, Research alert International, Rent.