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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. 

Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.

See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.

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Archive

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Key topics

Making the rental market fairer

ABC Radio National
ABC (No paywall)

With more than 30 per cent of households across Australia renting their homes and the national rental vacancy rate sitting at 1.3 per cent, the rental market has become a hot button political issue. NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones has been given the task of looking at ways to make the rental market more fair and modern. She joined RN Breakfast to discuss.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/r…

# Hot topic, Audio Australia, Rent.
 

‘The bear at the door’: estate agents say they fear speaking out about realestate.com.au ‘price gouging’

Sarah Martin
The Guardian (No paywall)

Real estate agents have hit out at the market dominance of realestate.com.au, which is majority owned by the News Corp-controlled REA Group, saying the portal is “price gouging” as a result of its effective monopoly. Multiple agency directors, many of whom fear commercial retribution if they publicly criticise the $27bn behemoth, say the company’s tactics and pricing structures have become more aggressive in recent years because of its dominance in the Australian property market.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/19/the-bear-…

# Hot topic Australia, .
 

A closer look at Rent Assistance increases

Leo Patterson Ross
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)

The most notable announcement for renters in the 2024 Federal Budget was an increase in the maximum rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA). The federal government has trumpeted the increase in CRA as a cost-of-living relief, but what will this mean for people receiving CRA? Starting 20th September 2024, the maximum rate for rent assistance will increase by 10% and will come alongside the next indexation of the payment. However, eligibility criteria remain unchanged, leaving many renters without the support they need.

https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/closer-look-rent-assistance-incr…

# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent.
 

Rental advertisement for Sydney unit above childcare taken down after concerns raised about tenant access

Holly Tregenza and Joseph Hathaway Wilson
ABC (No paywall)

An ad for a three-bedroom unit a short drive from the iconic white sands of Bronte Beach has been pulled after it sparked outrage for its extensive list of conditions for prospective tenants. The only entry point to the "large, spacious unit" home, which was advertised at $950 a week, is through the childcare centre underneath. "Occupants are required not to come and go during kindergarten hours," the listing said, meaning they must not enter or leave for a 10-hour period most days.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-19/sydney-rental-rules-tenan…

# Must read, Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent, Security and safety.
 

Sydney real estate agency posts personal information of critics in response to online backlash over viral rental listing

Sam Nichols and Joseph Hathaway-Wilson
ABC (No paywall)

Alyssa Hardy doesn't enjoy leaving a negative review online. "But when they're deserved," she told the ABC, "I do." On Wednesday, the Sydney-based emergency health worker made the decision to leave a negative review of the real estate agency Wills Property. Not because she was a former client, but because of what she had seen on TikTok and Facebook. A rental listing for a three-bedroom apartment managed by Wills Property went viral on social media earlier this week due to its unusual conditions.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-22/sydney-real-estate-agency…

# Hot topic NSW, Rent.
 

NSW tenants would not be charged fees for paying rent under proposed laws

Megan Gorrey
The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)

Landlords would have to provide tenants with a free electronic method to pay their rent, under new laws the NSW government is proposing that could save some renters hundreds of dollars in fees. Tenants squeezed by rising rents and cost-of-living pressures have expressed growing frustration with real estate agents’ use of third-party apps that charge fees to make rental payments.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-tenants-would-not-be-cha…

# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Starting a tenancy.
 

NSW to change laws on pets in rentals

Brooke Fryer
ABC (No paywall)

A big issue for many renters is whether or not landlords will let them keep pets. The states and territories have different rules. In some jurisdictions, landlords can reject an application just because a prospective tenant has a pet. That is starting to change. New South Wales could be the next state making it easier for pet owners to find a rental property.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/pm/nsw-to-change-laws-on-…

# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media, New policy announcement, Audio NSW, Rent.
 

‘Only access is through kindergarten’: Unusual Sydney rental listing slammed for entry restrictions, cleaning requests

Amy Lees
Daily Telegraph (Paywall)

At $950 per week this three-bedroom property in Sydney’s east might seem a bargain in today’s rental crisis, but tenants beware – no “coming and going” during certain hours, no guests, and enter via the downstairs kindergarten. Properties in the sought-after area near Bondi Junction command a median price of $1450 so in exchange for the “lower rent” tenants are required to clean and garden. The NSW Tenant Union says the Queens Park unit listing is full of red flags as potential occupants are told it is “located above child care centre and only access is through kindergarten to unit”.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/only-access-is-throug…

# Must read, Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Rent.
 

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