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
My family and I are homeless in Australia, trapped in a vicious cycle of seeking help where none is available
Stephanie Valla The Guardian (No paywall)I am a single mother of three children ages seven, nine and 17. We are currently homeless and living in a caravan in a friend’s front yard in the south-east suburbs of Melbourne. We had 30 days to leave our rental house after I, with help of a legal aide, sought for the property’s minimum standards be upheld. I was hoping this would lead to repairs being made at the house. Instead, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal – Vcat – deemed the property “uninhabitable” due to a water leak causing structural issues, as well as mould and mushrooms growing from the walls, posing a threat to our health.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/article…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.Knock knock: it’s the rental inspectorate here about renewing your landlord licence
First Dog on the Moon The Guardian (No paywall)Do you ever come over to the property unannounced and do ‘gardening’ with your shirt off? It is 2027 - Toto the Cavoodle is Prime Minister of the minority Labor/Greens government, Max Chandler-Mather is minister for annoying the media and also housing.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2024/sep/04/kn…
# Must read Australia, Rent.Australian Housing Crisis Is a Human Rights Disaster, Expert Says
Bloomberg (No paywall)Australia is in the grips of a housing crisis, as home prices continue to climb with demand still outstripping supply. Kevin Bell, Adjunct Professor at Monash University and author of "Housing: The Great Australian Right," says the the government needs to rethink its policies because the crisis has turned into a human rights disaster. Bell also says the "housing anxiety" has turned the "Great Australian Dream" into the "Great Australian Nightmare".
# Video Australia, Rent.Woman's $5,000 triumph after landlord's 'ridiculous' reason for not giving bond back
Nick Whigham Yahoo News (No paywall)After suffering through months of living in a flooded rental property with algae growing on the verandah and mould growing in the bedrooms, all Charisse wanted was her bond back. But the landlord refused. The audacious denial sparked a near two year battle to secure the bond as well as further compensation from the homeowner. In the end, she was "vindicated" with the judge awarding her the $2,800 bond as well as four weeks worth of rent in extra compensation.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/womans-5000-triumph-after-landlords-ri…
# Hot topic Australia, Bond, Tribunal NCAT.ATO reveals common rental property errors from data-matching program
Imogen Wilson Accountants Daily (No paywall)The ATO has extended the property management data-matching protocol for 2025–26, with recent results from the program identifying some of the common errors being made. The data-matching program was established to help the Tax Office protect public revenue and maintain community confidence in the integrity of the tax and super systems. The ATO first began collecting this type of data from 2018–19 and will continue to do so for the 2023–24 to 2025–26 financial years.
https://www.accountantsdaily.com.au/tax-compliance/20365-ato-to-…
# Hot topic Australia, .ACCC chair calls for ban on strata insurance commissions as insurance giant Steadfast Group caught misleading clients
Mayeta Clark & Linton Besser ABC (No paywall)Australia's largest strata insurance broker has been caught misleading its clients, burying an offer of cheaper insurance from a rival company, and instead recommending a more expensive policy from its own wholly owned firm. The revelation — described as "of concern" by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission — lifts the veil on the growing power of Steadfast Group, a $7 billion publicly traded insurance giant. The company presently brokers 40 per cent, and writes 55 per cent, of Australia's strata policies.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-09/accc-chair-calls-for-ban-…
# Hot topic Australia, Strata.Homes seized from landlord after complaints ignored
Harrison Galliven BBC (No paywall)A private landlord who ignored tenants' complaints has had their properties seized by a local authority. Merton Council took action after the landlord failed to provide adequate services to residents in its 18 private properties for more than a year. This is the first time the local authority has used powers under the Housing Act 2004 and is among the first in the country to do so. The law means that the rents will be diverted to pay for the repairs with the remaining money handed over to the landlord.
# Hot topic International, Rent, Repairs.To end chronic homelessness, we must stop evictions
Leah Connor The Conversation (No paywall)Homelessness, a crisis that affects about 11 per cent of Canadians in their lifetime, often begins with eviction. Once a person or family is evicted, they are set on a trajectory that can lead to chronic homelessness as they try to find affordable housing in an increasingly competitive market. For example, consider a long-term tenant in Kitchener paying $1,300 for a two-bedroom apartment. If evicted — whether due to a landlord’s decision to move in a family member, demolish the building or sell it — the tenant will be thrust into a housing market where the average rent for a similar unit is $2,327.
https://theconversation.com/to-end-chronic-homelessness-we-must-…
# Hot topic International, Eviction.