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 increases capped under reforms introduced to NSW parliament
Allanah Sciberras 9 News (No paywall)Rental increases will be capped to once a year across NSW, under new reforms introduced to state parliament today. The reforms into rental laws will also end "no ground evictions", meaning landlords will need to give "reasonable and sensible reasons" to end a fixed term or periodic lease. Better Regulation and Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the move would provide "greater certainty and protection for renters".
https://www.9news.com.au/national/new-south-wales-rental-increas…
# Hot topic, Legal significance, New policy announcement NSW, Eviction, Rent.Landlord with seven properties decries 'greed' as tenants handed new rights: 'Bothers me'
Stewart Perrie Yahoo News (No paywall)Roughly two million renters in New South Wales can breathe a sigh of relief from today as new rules kick into gear that strengthens their tenancy rights. Premier Chris Minns has mandated that rent increases will be capped at once every 12 months, along with a raft of other measures. The move is designed to weed out bad landlords from putting increased financial pressure on tenants. Sydney-based landlord and buyer's agent Jo Vadillo, who has seven investment properties, told Yahoo Finance this is a commonsense approach to keeping everyone happy. "It always bothers me when I see this greed come out of people... I actually think the reforms are fair and they are needed," she said.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/landlord-with-seven-properties…
# Hot topic, Legal significance NSW, Eviction, Rent.Newcastle Renters' Forum: Have a say, help shape reform with Commissioner
Gabriel Fowler Newcastle Herald (Paywall)NEWCASTLE renters are invited to tell it how it is at a forum with the NSW Rental Commissioner just as parliament inches closer to debating rental law reform.
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/8793679/newcastle-rente…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, .Thousands march in Spain to demand affordable housing
Elena Rodriguez and Raul Cadenas Reuters (No paywall)MADRID, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Thousands protested on Sunday in Madrid to demand more affordable housing amid rising anger from Spaniards who feel they are being priced out of the market. Under the slogan "Housing is a right, not a business", residents marched in the Spanish capital to demand lower housing rental prices and better living conditions. Twelve thousand people took to the streets, according to the Spanish government. "Spaniards cannot live in their own cities. They are forcing us out of the cities. The government has to regulate prices, regulate housing," said nurse Blanca Prieto, 33.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-march-spain-deman…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Massive rent hikes, dodgy landlords – unlike many MPs, I know what renting is like. We have to fix it
Chris Curtis The Guardian (No paywall)his week in parliament we will begin the vital work of fixing the broken private rental sector in England. For too long, unscrupulous private landlords have been able to take advantage of tenants with sudden no-fault evictions, unacceptable living conditions and exorbitant rent increases. I know because I’ve been there. I can remember vividly when I was told by a previous landlord that he was “willing to let me stay” in the flat I’d called home for five years if I agreed to a 29% rent increase with two months’ notice. If not I could clear out. At the same time, we regularly went days without hot water when the dodgy old boiler he refused to replace broke down.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/09/renting-ho…
# Hot topic International, .Ghost houses? 100,000 dwellings reported empty in latest Census
Susan Edmunds NZ Herald (No paywall)More than 100,000 houses were empty in the latest Census – and not just because their normal inhabitants were away. But commentators say only a small portion of them are likely to be true “ghost houses”. In total, the Census recorded 111,666 dwellings that were empty. Another 113,499 had their residents away when the Census was conducted. In 2018, 97,842 were empty. Brad Olsen, chief executive at Infometrics, said houses could be empty for a number of reasons – including being a holiday home, being under renovation or having been recently constructed and not moved into yet.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/ghost-houses-100000-dwellings-repo…
# Hot topic International, Rent.Why Renting is No Longer 2nd Choice for many Americans
John McManus The Builder's Daily (No paywall)As the Federal Reserve’s recent 50-basis point policy rate cut attempts to ease borrowing costs across the economy, the U.S. housing market remains in a complex state of flux. Elevated mortgage rates continue to deter many would-be homebuyers, while the cost of homeownership rises alongside inflation and increasing land prices. Yet, a critical demographic trend is emerging—many Americans are rethinking the value of owning a home altogether.
https://www.thebuildersdaily.com/why-renting-is-no-longer-2nd-ch…
# Hot topic International, Rent.As parts of Florida went dark from Helene and Milton, the lights stayed on in this net-zero, storm-proof community
Rachel Ramirez CNN News (No paywall)William Fulford moved from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to a new waterfront development in Florida in 2023. Nestled between Sarasota Bay and the southwestern part of Tampa Bay, the new home by Bradenton Beach was everything Fulford, a retired custom homebuilder, ever wished for. The developers of the new Hunters Point community, Pearl Homes, billed the property as the first “net-zero” single-family home development in the US, meaning residents produce more energy from solar panels than they need, with the excess energy either being stored or sold back to the grid – in a state where most electricity is generated by burning natural gas, a planet-warming fossil fuel.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/12/climate/hurricane-milton-hele…
# Hot topic International, Disasters.