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
Evictions by private landlords outstrip social housing sector for first time during pandemic
Nathaniel Barker Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Evictions by private landlords have outstripped those in the social housing sector across England and Wales for the first time during the pandemic, official statistics show.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/home/evictions-by-private-l…
# International, Eviction, Public and community housing, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.First-time buyers in England offered new homes at up to 50% off
Rupert Jones The Guardian (No paywall)First-time buyers in England will be able to apply for a discount of up to 50% on a new-build home under a government scheme. The First Homes initiative could save buyers £100,000 or more. But some experts say that with demand for these cut-price homes likely to exceed supply, it could spark a scramble for properties and add more fuel to the house price boom.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jun/04/first-time-buyers-…
# International, Home ownership, Housing market.Fears a wave of evictions will see a spike in homelessness as property boom rolls on
David Taylor ABC (No paywall)Renters are increasingly finding themselves facing eviction, and in a mad search for somewhere to live, researchers say. The latest check on the property market shows the boom's rolling on and, for the first since the pandemic struck, apartment prices are now rising after a long lull. It's pushing rental prices up higher than many can afford, but landlords are also selling-up, and evicting tenants in an effort to get top-dollar for their properties. While some will be able to find another place to rent, there are big fears a wave of renters are now facing homelessness. (ABC PM)
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/programs/pm/fears-a-wave-of-…
# Audio Australia, Eviction, Rent, Landlords and agents.Australia’s property market is still running hot and it’s not just in the big cities
Sinead Mangan ABC (No paywall)Australia's property market continues to boom, with Core Logic reporting values of houses lifting another 2.2% nationally in May. This growth is not just confined to the big cities with massive gains in regional Australia as well some of our regional capitals. It's cold comfort if you're currently looking to buy or rent a place in most parts of Australia with ongoing housing shortages continuing to be an issue across the nation. (ABC Australia Wide)
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/australia-wide/australia-w…
# Audio Australia, Housing market, Regional NSW.Owners in last-ditch attempt to recoup losses two years after Mascot Towers evacuation
Yumi Oba SBS (No paywall)The Mascot Towers debacle in which apartment owners were forced to evacuate the building has led to a raft of legislative changes, yet the 132 unit owners say they have been left forgotten. Now many who were once "silent" have come forward, ahead of a vote to decide their future, as a last plea to the government.
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/owners-in-last-ditch-att…
# NSW, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.Adelaide single mum forced to eat from bins documents life on the edge of homelessness
ABC (No paywall)An Adelaide mother who documented her descent into poverty says she had to resort to eating out of bins as she struggled to pay her bills.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-02/adelaide-mum-facing-homel…
# Australia, Rent, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Women.First-home buyers will struggle to get into the market without help from family already in the market, experts warn
Melissa Heagney Domain (No paywall)Soaring house prices are heading to a point where the only way young people will be able to get into the market is with financial help from their family, experts say.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/first-home-buyers-will-struggle-t…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market, Young people.‘Grandparents need the backyard’: Boomers deepen housing crisis by staying in empty nests
Matt Wade and Tawar Razaghi The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)As the population ages and lifespans lengthen, older couples and singles are staying put in spacious dwellings for longer. That means fewer family homes in well-located neighbourhoods become available to those they were designed for: couples with young children. As a result, an army of prime-age workers and their kids must settle a long distance from the city’s most dynamic job hubs, such as the central business district. Others opt for a small home closer in, or resign themselves to forever renting close to work. Also, check out the Sydney Morning Herald's Editorial at: [https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/retirees-need-to-make-room-for-younger-families-in-inner-sydney-20210604-p57y9g.html]
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/grandparents-need-th…
# NSW, Home ownership, Housing market, Older people, Planning and development, Young people.