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
Balancing the rights of renters and landlords
ABC (No paywall)State and territory governments have been making changes to residential tenancy laws that tip the balance in favour of renters and their right to secure and comfortable housing. The latest state to consider these is Western Australia. But, some investors are worried about how that will affect their rights and ability to earn income. (ABS Radio National)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/balanc…
# Audio Australia, Landlords and agents.Tenants speak up on cold, damp houses with high rents
(No paywall)From New Zealand ... Compliance with healthy homes standards is still lagging, more than two years since the law took effect. All boarding houses and private landlords now need to ensure their rental properties meet healthy homes standards within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancies. Checkpoint heard from a lot of renters who say their places still are not up to scratch. (RNZ)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/20188…
# Audio International, Rent, Health, Minimum habitability standards.Australia’s inflation rate reaches 6.1% – the fastest annual increase in 21 years
Peter Hannam The Guardian (No paywall)Australian prices rose 6.1% in the June quarter, the fastest annual pace since 2001 as consumers forked out more for everything from fuel to food. ... The cost of new houses also rose 9% from a year earlier. Also, check at: [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation/consumer-price-index-australia/latest-release]
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/27/australia-infla…
# Australia, Families, Housing market.Redevelopment plans for historic Sydney rail workshops unveiled
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Buildings up to 28 storeys will be constructed on 10 hectares of railway land near Redfern station in central Sydney under state government plans for a residential, entertainment and technology hub. The draft master plan for the Redfern-North Eveleigh precinct is centred on an area known as the Paint Shop, which was named after the 135-year-old brick workshop where the state’s passenger trains were overhauled until 1988.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/redevelopment-plans-for-hist…
# NSW, Housing market, Planning and development, Sydney.How are landlords interacting with tenants when it comes to repairs?
Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... How are social landlords interacting with tenants when it comes to repairs and maintenance? An Inside Housing survey, in association with home life safety specialist Aico, looks for the answers
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/sponsored/how-are-landlords-inte…
# International, Public and community housing, Repairs.I'm building a tiny house so I can take it with me for work
Riordan Davis ABC (No paywall)In late 2020, in the depths of Victoria's lockdown, I was living with my parents in my childhood farmhouse in Gippsland, Victoria. I yearned for independence and a minimalist lifestyle, so rather than saving up for a house deposit and committing to one place, a mortgage, and rising interest rates, I wanted to keep my options open. ... So with the help of my dad I decided to build my own tiny house on a trailer that I could take with me wherever I go. (ABC Everyday)
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-to-build-a-tiny-sustainable-…
# Australia, Housing market, Personal stories, Young people.'Scared of overpaying’: Sydney house prices have their steepest fall in three years
Tawar Razaghi The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sydney’s median house price has recorded its steepest quarterly fall in three years, new figures show, and experts have forecast further falls as the downturn spreads across the city. Rising interest rates are the main reason for the market’s shift from boom to downturn, as higher mortgage repayments eat into home buyers’ budgets and chill the sentiment on the ground. But the discounts have provided some opportunities for home hunters to upgrade more easily than they could have six months ago.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/scared-of-overpaying-sydney…
# NSW, Housing market, Sydney.Auction clearance rates tumble as rising interest rates sap Australian homebuyers’ appetite
Peter Hannam The Guardian (No paywall)Australia’s real estate market continued to cool in the June quarter as rising interest rates sapped buyers’ appetite, with almost one in five homes to be auctioned in Sydney removed from the market, according to CoreLogic. Also, read Matthew Elmas's article entitled: 'Auction sales plunge as property downturn bites' in 'The New Daily' at: [https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2022/07/26/auction-housing-market/].
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/26/auction-c…
# Australia, Housing market.