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
Jaya was forced out of her rental. She just bought the house for $200
Jack Gramenz The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Jaya Roche went along to an auction of her old rental to see how much it sold for – and ended up buying the house for $200. “They were just going for so cheap,” she said. “We just thought, ‘Why not just give it a go?’” Roche and her partner, Cory Lowe, with children Milla, 4, and Archie, 2, previously lived in the two-bedroom house at South Murwillumbah in northern NSW. They began renting it in 2020 but had to flee two years later when devastating floods hit the region.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/jaya-was-forced-out-of-her-r…
# NSW, Rent.Barangaroo ‘poor door’ shows just how broken our idea of affordable housing has become
Women's Agenda (No paywall)Affordable housing tenants at a Barangaroo apartment complex are required to use a separate entrance. Dr Gemma Killen and Katherine Berney share this piece on what this says about who we believe deserves access to housing. This week, reports emerged of an apartment complex in central Sydney requiring affordable housing tenants to enter the building from a separate entrance. The tenants at Watermans Residences at Barangaroo have also being denied access to the building’s pool, spa, sauna and gym. For the privilege of segregation, these tenants are offered a 25 per cent discount on the market rate for rent.
https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/barangaroo-poor-door-shows-ju…
# Must read, Hot topic NSW, Rent.Share Housing: A Case for Certainty and Stronger Protections
Nicole Grgas Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Nicole is a long-standing Tenant Advocate. Recent reforms to NSW renting laws — including the end of “no grounds” evictions and better rights for tenants with pets — have been widely welcomed, but for the growing number of people who have no option but to live in share style housing, there may be little to celebrate. While share housing can be an affordable alternative, legal protections for this group of renters are confusing, limited, and in some cases, non-existent. Tenant advocates across the state regularly speak with people living in shared houses who are unsure of their legal status or unaware of how few rights they may actually have.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/share-housing-case-certainty-and…
# NSW, Rent, Share houses.End to Housing Half Measures
Mirage News (No paywall)The City of Sydney has joined forces with 13 organisations to call on the Minns Government to immediately overhaul state legislation to address the housing crisis for renters. "Many of those living in rental accommodation are in dire straits and action is urgently needed to fix this ongoing problem - housing supply alone will not make housing affordable," Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said. "In our local area alone, 20,000 households are spending more than 30% of their income on rent, placing them in housing stress. The lack of affordable housing is also contributing to an increase in the number of people sleeping rough across Sydney."
https://www.miragenews.com/end-to-housing-half-measures-1571687/
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Facing a demand for development, Mosman Council will make its own alternative housing plan
Huw Bradshaw North Shore Lorikeet (No paywall)For months, Mosman council has been in a tough spot, caught between residents' outrage at increased development and a state planning department insistent on reaching its housing goals. What happened: Lacking the authority and resources to challenge the decisions of its superior — the NSW state government — Mosman council has chosen an alternative path: moving to develop a plan for the area that accommodates both state housing goals and residential concerns over development.
https://www.northshorelorikeet.com.au/p/facing-a-demand-for-deve…
# Hot topic NSW, .Bali Illegal Villa Rental Crackdowns: What Expats Need to Know
Jason Garrard Asia Lifestyle Magazine (No paywall)Bali is in the midst of a sweeping 2025 crackdown on illegal villa rentals to foreigners. Local authorities have identified over 40 unlicensed tourist accommodations – including private villas and guesthouses – across hotspots like Canggu, Uluwatu, and Ubud. In one high-profile operation in July, officials even demolished 48 unauthorized cliffside villas and businesses at Bingin Beach for violating permits and zoning rules. These enforcement actions underscore Bali’s determination to rein in illicit rentals that bypass taxes and regulations.
https://www.asialifestylemagazine.com/bali-illegal-villa-rental-…
# Hot topic International, .Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure: City of Ryde calls for more as it surpasses housing targets
Huw Bradshaw North Shore Lorikeet (No paywall)Ryde councillors have called on the state government for hundreds of millions to be invested into local infrastructure, as the number of dwellings within the LGA grows. What happened: Among local council areas lagging behind on state housing targets, the city of Ryde has excelled at building new housing for the Greater Sydney region, overshooting their target of 5,790 new homes by almost a thousand. However, councillors argue the infrastructure necessary to support these houses is missing.
https://www.northshorelorikeet.com.au/p/infrastructure-infrastru…
# NSW, .Social housing maintenance shake-up opens opportunity for new entrants
Australian Financial Review (No paywall)Efforts to improve social housing in NSW are paying off, according to the CEO of Homes NSW, the state government body established in 2024 to take charge of the vast sector. Tasked with tackling decades of underinvestment and maintenance issues, Homes NSW manages a portfolio of 95,000 properties that house more than 250,000 tenants. Rebecca Pinkstone, the agency’s inaugural CEO, describes her organisation as “the biggest landlord in the southern hemisphere”.
https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/social-housing-maintenan…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Rent, Repairs.