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
Could 3D-printed houses ease Australia's housing crisis? Dubbo Regional Council is considering a trial
Lucy Thackray and Nic Healey ABC (No paywall)
Could 3D house-printing be the answer to regional Australia's housing crisis? With homes increasingly unavailable and unaffordable in regional Australia, one regional city is considering investing in a trial to 3D-print houses locally, hoping it could be a game-changing innovation. Houses are being 3D printed internationally, including in the US, Italy and Netherlands, and in January, Australia's first 3D-printed house was constructed in Melbourne in just three days. A western NSW council is now considering whether the technology is viable enough to help overcome Australia's worker and material shortages, with the potential for houses to be constructed quickly, more cost-efficiently and in a more environmentally friendly manner.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/3d-house-printing-austral…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Housing market, Local Government, Regional NSW.What's the best way to remove mould? We asked an expert
Dan Colasimone ABC (No paywall)Cruel mistress La Niña ensured large parts of Queensland and New South Wales were drenched with water over the summer and autumn and, according to the BOM, the wet weather is likely to continue into winter. The relentless moistness has ensured that even people in homes and businesses not devastated by flooding are now battling a serious mould and mildew problems. For those not used to dealing with rampant fungi, it's proving tough to get rid of, with tips flying all over social media about the best methods.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-27/removing-mould-best-solut…
# Australia, Mould.Management style at WA housing authority enabled corruption: inquiry
Judy Skatssoon (No paywall)The culture and management style at WA’s former housing department contributed to an environment that enabled a senior public servant to defraud the state of millions of dollars, an inquiry has heard. Paul Ronald Whyte was acting CEO of the then housing authority and was later appointed assistant director general when it became the Department of Communities. [Counsel Assisting Anthony Willing told the state’s Corruption and Crime Commission that he was also “an inveterate gambler who stole a significant amount of money from the state ... From 2009 to 2019 he used his corporate credit card and electronic fund transfers to make payments to companies which were not providing services to the department. In all, he stole more than $22 million from the state.” (Government News)
https://www.governmentnews.com.au/management-style-at-wa-housing…
# Australia, Public and community housing.How rising interest rates could affect first-home buyers
Chloe Breitkreuz Domain (No paywall)There may be a silver lining to rising interest rates for first-home buyers. While prospective buyers could see a reduction in their borrowing capacity as a result of interest rate increases, rising rates could also trigger a decline in property prices, which may help first-home buyers enter the property market sooner.
https://www.domain.com.au/money-markets/how-rising-interest-rate…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Months on from devastating Lismore floods, 1,300 people are still unable to return home
Bronwyn Herbert ABC (No paywall)Three months on from Lismore's devastating flood event in late February, 1,300 people remain in emergency accommodation and less than 20 per cent of businesses are back operating.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-29/lismore-floods-hundreds-i…
# NSW, Homelessness, Housing market, Regional NSW.When the Best Available Home Is the One You Already Have
Emily Badger The New York Times (Paywall)In this housing market, it makes less and less sense to move. American homeowners sitting on the lowest mortgage rates in modern history will find it far costlier to buy their next home. Renters facing steep inflation may be better off renewing a lease than hunting for a new one. And for most everyone, it’s gotten harder to find the right next home when there are so few vacant ones available. The simplest and most affordable decision for many Americans will be to stay put — even if their homes become too small, too big, too crowded, too far from work, too isolated from family, or too much to maintain.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/upshot/housing-market-slow-mo…
# International, Rent, Home ownership, Housing market.Survey reveals landlords plan to increase rents by 6.3 pct despite downward trend in finding good tenants
Seni Iasona (No paywall)From New Zealand ... A recent survey has revealed individual investors on average plan to raise the price of their rentals by 6.3 percent despite a downward trend in finding good tenants. (Newshub)
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2022/05/survey-reveals-land…
# International, Rent, Landlords and agents.New, efficient rental model needed, says Scape chairman Craig Carracher
Joseph Lam (No paywall)More than 2.1 million Australians are renting from a private landlord under a “fractured model” which is inefficient and stops them saving for their own home, argues Scape executive chairman Craig Carracher. Mr Carracher believes the nation needs a new institutional-grade rental product that facilitates faster entry into home ownership. He is calling for a system that uses data and takes a streamlined approach to payments and utilities bills. “It is no surprise that this is a political hot potato and last election’s negative gearing mess has resulted in both sides treating rental affordability as toxic,” he said. “We don’t even have reliable data on rental affordability. The Australian rental market is dysfunctional and uneconomic.” (realcommercial.com.au)
https://www.realcommercial.com.au/news/new-efficient-rental-mode…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market, Tax.