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.
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.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
Open Justice Review –Court and Tribunal information: access, disclosure and publication
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)This submission to the Law Reform Commission’s 'Open Justice Review – Court and tribunal information: access, disclosure and publication' focuses on two specific areas concerning open justice and civil matters, specifically matters relating to tenancy, social housing, and residential communities: (1) publication of reasons for decisions at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and (2) provision of statistical data relating to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
https://files.tenants.org.au/policy/20210216_TUNSW_Submission_Op…
# Legal significance NSW, Tribunal NCAT.Northern Ireland eviction protections extended until end of September
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)The Northern Ireland Executive has announced it is extending the legislation put in place to protect private renters from eviction until 30 September. ... Communities minister Deirdre Hargey announced an extension to the Private Tenancies (Coronavirus Modifications) Act, which requires landlords to give tenants 12 weeks’ notice before seeking a court order.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/northern-ireland-evict…
# Must read International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Stokes vows to break deadlock over major Waterloo housing revamp
Matt O'Sullivan and Megan Gorrey The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes is warning he will intervene within weeks if a stand-off between the City of Sydney and the state’s social housing agency over a revamped public housing estate is not resolved urgently. Mr Stokes said the proposal to redevelop the Waterloo public housing estate in inner Sydney was in limbo because of the disagreement between the council and the NSW Land and Housing Corporation over the scale of the development and funding for infrastructure.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/stokes-vows-to-break-deadloc…
# Hot topic NSW, Public and community housing, Estate renewal, Planning and development, State Government.Welsh renters given stronger protections against Section 21 evictions
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)In Wales ... From spring 2022, landlords in Wales must give tenants six months’ notice in the case of no-fault evictions, compared with the current two-month notice period. Landlords will only be able to serve notice six months after tenants have moved in, meaning tenants will have the security of a minimum 12-month contract as long as they do not breach the terms of their contract. ... Section 21 evictions have come under increased criticism in recent years, with many charities and campaign groups arguing that they are a leading cause of homelessness. The UK government has committed to abolishing section 21 evictions in England, however the housing minister has repeatedly said that legislation will not be introduced until after the pandemic is over.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/welsh-renters-given-st…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent.Mould infestations at Sydney social housing block leaves residents living in fear
Alison Xiao ABC (No paywall)Melissa Smith ended up in hospital after a mould infection took hold of her social housing unit in south-east Sydney. Black mould began to grow on the carpet of Ms Smith's apartment in Chifley in 2019 and it gradually spread to the ceiling and windows. Many of the 25-year-old's belongings have been ruined by the mould but the impacts on her health are more serious.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-23/mould-infestation-at-sydn…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Repairs, Health, Mould.Can I have a pet and be housed, too? It all depends…
Wendy Stone and others The Conversation (No paywall)Barriers to housing for people with pets around Australia are the focus of newly released national research by an interdisciplinary team. Why? Because laws are changing nationally but are highly inconsistent. A systematic national approach is needed to reduce the numbers of people who have to give up their pets to secure housing – especially as we return to post-COVID “normal”. The full report [at: https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/350?utm_source=website&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=slider] was reported in the 'Housing News Digest' on 18 February 2021.
https://theconversation.com/can-i-have-a-pet-and-be-housed-too-i…
# Research alert Australia, Land lease communities, Public and community housing, Rent, Strata, Homelessness, Older people.Church of England poised to make ‘widespread and generous’ use of land to tackle housing crisis
Martin Hilditch Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Report commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury says the Church should look at rejecting highest financial bids for land in order to deliver more “genuinely” affordable housing.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/church-of-england-pois…
# International, Public and community housing, Affordable housing.UK homeless deaths rise by more than a third in a year, study finds
Clea Skopeliti The Guardian (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Deaths among homeless people have risen by more than a third in a year, according to an analysis by a social justice group that found that almost 1,000 unhoused people had died across the UK in 2020.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/22/uk-homeless-deat…
# Hot topic International, Health, Homelessness.