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
How a 3D printer could build your next home
Melissa Heagney Domain (No paywall)A giant 3D printer has built a pool cabana on the outskirts of Melbourne in a rare feat that could pave the way for 3D-printed houses in the future. The printing technology used a special type of concrete to construct the building as part of the reality renovation TV show The Block. It was among the first 3D-printed builds in Australia.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/how-a-3d-printer-could-buil…
# Australia, Housing market.House prices are falling. Confidence is edging up. Is it a good time to buy?
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)Home buyers have a stronger chance of getting into the property market this spring than during the pandemic-era boom, but experts are mixed about whether even better buying opportunities lie ahead. While some economists say the benefit of property price falls has been largely cancelled out by the rising cost of home loans and it will take time for affordability to improve, other industry figures say potential buyers have more homes to choose from and less competition now.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/house-prices-are-falling-co…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.Seller beware: A property’s flood risk may need to be declared under Qld reforms
Sean Parnell The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Queensland government is consulting on a last-minute rethink of mandatory disclosure statements for property sales and whether to include information on flood risk. Only days after wrapping up consultation on a proposed statutory seller disclosure scheme, the government has contacted stakeholders to ask whether flood information should be proactively provided to buyers.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/seller-beware-a-prope…
# Australia, Housing market, State Government.‘My choices are limited’: over-50s turn to flatsharing in cost of living crisis
Rachel Hall The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Some choose to share for social reasons as stigma fades but many are priced out of living alone. ... Marie, 53, shares a flat with her friend and their family. It’s noisy and cramped and she is desperate to move into her own place but she can’t. Rents are high in East Sussex, where she lives, and the property market is highly competitive, with estate agents prioritising dual-income families. “I’m looking all the time, I have to move,” she said. “It’s not conducive to my mental health or wellbeing here.”
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/sep/09/over-50s-turn-to-f…
# International, Rent, Share houses.BOM declares La Niña, increasing flood risk for third year in a row
Kate Doyle ABC (No paywall)You say La Nina, I say mould ... After months of speculation it is finally Bureau of Meteorology official: we are in the third La Niña in a row. Also, read Ciara Jones's article entitled: 'As Queensland readies for a third La Niña event, here's how you can prepare your property' on the ABC at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-15/bom-la-nina-weather-forecast-brisbane-queensland-rain/101437142]
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-13/bom-declares-third-la-nin…
# NSW, Mould.The ‘mirage’ on Sydney’s outskirts
Catherine Hanrahan ABC (No paywall)It was supposed be Sydney’s answer to Silicon Valley. But six years after plans for this $5 billion tech hub were approved, its near 300-hectare site is still a paddock. The blueprint was bold: gleaming laboratories, office towers, a school and 12,000 much-needed jobs in the city’s booming south-western suburbs. But there are now fears the Sydney Science Park dream is an expensive “mirage”, at risk of being turned into another housing estate on the city’s fringes, where residents must commute long distances to earn a crust.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-15/inside-sydney-science-par…
# NSW, Housing market, Sydney, Work, employment.Smears and fears as Commish targetted
Jimmy Thomson (No paywall)If NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler has served no other function, he earns our respect and gratitude for being a very useful source of entertaining, informative and occasionally horrifying stories. (Flat Chat)
# Video NSW, Strata, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Darwin's rising property values attracting investors, putting pressure on Northern Territory renters
Alicia Perera and Myles Houlbrook-Walk ABC (No paywall)According to figures released by property data provider CoreLogic this month, Darwin is the only capital city in Australia where dwelling values are rising. ... With rising rents and more affordable properties compared to other capitals, experts say the situation is a boon for investors. The trends are not good news for everyone. As rents and sales prices continue to grow, experts say renters and prospective buyers at the lower end of the market are struggling to keep up. Mike Byrne, regional coordinator with affordable housing peak body NT Shelter, said Darwin renters were being squeezed with price hikes of up to $100 a week or $150 a fortnight.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-13/nt-darwin-property-prices…
# Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.