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
Homes flooded in February hit the market, but real estate agents not bound to tell buyers
Laura Lavelle ABC (No paywall)Desperate home owners are selling their properties months after they were damaged in south-east Queensland's flood disaster — but the risk of inundation is not always made clear to house hunters. While the damage is obvious in many homes, in others it is not and sometimes there is no mention in listings. The ABC has spoken with several real estate agents who said their clients made the decision to sell because they could not stand the heartbreak of enduring another flood. Many said sellers were listing their damaged homes at a discounted price, hoping their insurance payout would cover any loss to them.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-28/qld-flood-damaged-home-sa…
# Australia, Housing market, Landlords and agents.The suburbs where the property market has fallen most
Elizabeth Redman Domain (No paywall)Property values have already fallen by as much as $200,000 in some neighbourhoods, new figures show, as pricey inner city suburbs lead the broader market downturn.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-suburbs-where-the-prope…
# Australia, Housing market.Vicinity unlocks a big green opportunity beyond the mall at Box Hill
Andrew Sadauskas The Fifth Estate (No paywall)This week, one of Australia’s leading shopping centre groups received planning approval to do something that would have seemed unthinkable even 10 or 20 years ago: redevelop a suburban mall into a high-density mixed-use precinct featuring Green Star rated buildings. That’s what Vicinity is planning, with an urban regeneration plan that will see Box Hill Central transformed over the next 10 years into a 5.5 hectares mixed-use and retail precinct, including office space for 6000 workers and 3800 apartments for residents by 2030.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/urbanism/vicinity-unlocks-a-big-gr…
# Australia, Utilities water energy internet, Housing market.The Sydney neighbourhoods where property buyers can find the biggest discounts
Tawar Razaghi Domain (No paywall)A string of popular Sydney regions are offering some of the biggest discounts on homes for sale, new data reveals, as the property market continues to turn in buyers’ favour.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-sydney-neighbourhoods-w…
# NSW, Housing market.Tasmania 2022 budget reveals growing debt, cost of living concessions and millions for digital health services
Alexandra Humphries ABC (No paywall)[The Tasmanian government is] committing to what it calls the "most comprehensive and ambitious affordable housing strategy in Tasmania's history". That strategy sees $538 million being invested into social and affordable housing and homelessness initiatives over four years – more than $200 million of that next year alone. The government has promised to build 10,000 new homes over the next decade. It's ambitious – the budget papers show just 1,254 homes have been built under the Affordable Housing Strategy since 2015.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/tasmania-budget-2022-debt…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, State Government.The case to end blanket pet bans for renters in NSW
Riley Brooke Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)NSW tenancy law still allows for blanket ‘no pets’ clauses, so landlords can continue to refuse requests to get a pet for any reason, or no reason at all. In late 2020 NSW saw changes to strata regulation that had implications for owner-occupiers, and a small proportion of renters, in strata properties. However, as we outline here, these changes do not remove the barriers from the vast majority of renting households wishing to get a pet.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/case-end-blanket-pet-bans-renter…
# NSW, Rent, No-grounds evictions, State Government.This significant WA Government remote housing commitment has flown under the radar
Zak Kirkup (No paywall)How would you feel if you were one of 17 people living in a three bedroom home? Well for Aboriginal people in Australia, overcrowded housing like that isn’t rare, it’s the norm. Between 18-23 per cent of Indigenous people live in a home crammed full of people, while it’s less than five per cent of those who are non-Indigenous. It’s a difficult problem to solve and one that government’s have struggled with, effectively since colonisation. ... one of the most significant commitments in the 2022 WA State Budget has been delivered via the Housing Minister John Carey. In a move that isn’t designed to secure votes in marginal seats and didn’t rate much of a media mention, Mr Carey and the WA Government set aside $350 million to invest in housing, water and power for remote Aboriginal communities. The decision reflects, I believe, a deep and abiding respect that we’re seeing across Parliament and community for the role Indigenous people have in our country. No longer are Aboriginal Australians being asked to change and being shoe-horned into the way of life of those who colonised them. (National Indigenous Times)
https://www.nit.com.au/this-significant-wa-government-remote-hou…
# Australia, Families, Federal Government, Housing market, Race and ethnicity, State Government.What Anthony Albanese's win means for struggling renters
Emily Hutchinson (No paywall)Anthony Albanese has wasted no time launching into his new job as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia, with a raft of reforms to come - including on housing. But what can renters expect amid intense competition, a drastically short supply of available homes, and skyrocketing costs? ... with a worsening rental crisis, industry experts believe much more needs to be done to help tenants facing hardship. ... "The most exciting thing about the ALP housing policy is the promise of a National Housing Strategy, and the return of the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council," Tenants Union of New South Wales chief executive officer Leo Patterson Ross said. "The creation of a strategy gives the incoming government the ability to really grapple with the problems facing renters across the country, and the potential to meaningfully address them. There are many aspects to this, but the point is you can't fix a problem if you don't have a plan." (realestate.com.au)
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/what-anthony-albaneses-win-me…
# TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Federal Government, Housing market.