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
Grey nomads stuck in cramped caravan back lockdowns, say it's vital to protect community
Sandra Morello ABC (No paywall)Grey nomads Adrian and Janet Saw are among 13 million people across Australia who are in lockdown, except their home is on wheels. The New South Wales couple, who reside in caravan, have been caught up in South Australia's snap seven-day lockdown, which aims to stop the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus. While it may be daunting for many people living in cramped conditions, they take it in their stride — given it is not their first lockdown during their travels across Australia.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-22/lockdown-in-a-caravan-for…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Older people, Short-term holiday letting.Perth’s carbon neutral certified apartment building
Duncan Murray The Fifth Estate (No paywall)A build-to-rent development in Perth has been certified carbon neutral under the government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Buildings, with claims it could be the first nationally.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/rating-tools/australias…
# Australia, Rent, Utilities water energy internet, Housing market.How the housing boom is impacting families in regional Victoria
Patrick Wright ABC (No paywall)Jarred Holt is one of the many Australians who decided to flee the city for the country during the pandemic. The 35-year-old father of two left Melbourne with his family earlier this year. They moved to Castlemaine, a bustling small city in Victoria's Goldfields region. The plan was to buy a house. But as Jarred quickly found out, he wasn't the only one looking for a treechange. "We're looking for a place on a block with at least some backyard and three bedrooms, because we've got two kids. Rarely does anything come up in the $500,000 range," he says. Jarred and his family have ended up renting instead. ... While the boom is great for homeowners, rental prices are soaring and residents are worried locals will be pushed out of town. "Now the average rental price is about $400 per week for an average house. A couple of years ago that could have been $280," ... And [for Jarrad] while his family loves life outside the city, they never thought it would be so hard to find an affordable home.
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/housing-boom-impacting-families-…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Regional NSW.The plan to transform ‘overlooked’ Botany Road with offices, laneways
Megan Gorrey The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Sydney’s inner south will be transformed under a City of Sydney plan to raise building heights along Botany Road, boosting the number of towers and opening the corridor to billions of dollars of commercial investment. Buildings would top 17 storeys as part of the scheme to encourage office, entertainment and retail spaces, and boost the supply of affordable housing, on 57 hectares stretching from Redfern station to north Alexandria.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-plan-to-transform-overlo…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Local Government, Planning and development.‘Virtually no protection’: Why Australian homes are so cold
Sophie Miura The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Australia might be a sunburned country, but in winter, the cold reality bites: Our homes are not built to withstand the chill. This realisation has come into focus as thousands of people have left their heated high-rise offices to work from home during the pandemic.
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/virtuall…
# Australia, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Home dreams shattered as Perth families gagged by builders’ silence culture
Marta Pascual Juanola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)West Australian families who are unhappy with their home builder say they are being silenced with threatening legal letters and non-disparagement agreements, leaving them with little recourse to get out of their contract.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/home-dreams-sh…
# Australia, Home ownership.I don't mind being a renter, except for this one thing
Matilda Dixon-Smith SBS (No paywall)I’ve heard the jokes about lawyers, and used-car salesmen. I know what people think of taxidermists. But, seriously, what is it with real estate agents? (SBS Voices)
https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2018/02/22/…
# Australia, Rent, Landlords and agents.South Coast villages brace for development influx amid city exodus
Peter Hannan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Some of the state’s most idyllic coastal villages are bracing for a flood of housing development as Sydneysiders seeking to escape the pandemic push up prices and awaken long-dormant projects. Developers have their eyes on towns such as Dalmeny, Tuross Head and Manyana on the NSW South Coast, and councils due to face elections in December have come under pressure to open up more land for housing as properties become scarce for renters and buyers alike.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/south-coast-vill…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Local Government, Planning and development, Regional NSW.