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
Call for urgent rental reforms gets louder
Architecture AU (No paywall)The City of Sydney, in partnership with 13 community housing and advocacy groups, is urging the Minns Government to immediately overhaul state rental legislation, warning that renters across New South Wales are facing mounting financial and housing stress. Calling on the NSW Government to urgently address the housing crisis for those living in rental accommodation, Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore says housing supply alone will not make housing affordable. “In our local area alone, 20,000 households are spending more than 30% of their income on rent. The lack of affordable housing is also contributing to an increase in the number of people sleeping rough across Sydney.”
https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/editorial/industry-news…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Why tens of thousands of houses ready for construction can't proceed
Gavin Coote ABC (No paywall)When Adam and Caitlin Webster bought a block of land on Sydney's south-west fringe in 2021 they were eager to get building and start a family in their dream home. Four years on the plot is still vacant and there are still no plans to build because the housing development does not have a water or sewer connection. The couple has now been told to expect those services by 2028.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-26/new-homes-in-limbo-due-to…
# Hot topic NSW, .Aussie couple buy former rental home for $200, less than a week's worth of rent: 'It's pretty crazy'
Nick Whigham Yahoo News (No paywall)Jaya Roche and her partner Cory Lowe were forced out of their rental house in Northern NSW. But they've now purchased the house back for less than a week's worth of rent. The young couple, who have two little kids, are among dozens of people snapping up houses in the state for just a few hundred dollars or less, and in some cases even less than the price of a cup of coffee.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/aussie-couple-buy-former-renta…
# NSW, Eviction, Rent.Nowhere to rent: No affordable Illawarra postcodes left for locals
Joel Ehsman Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)In the Illawarra, there is no postcode where the average rental household was spending less than 30 per cent of its income on rent. Overall, regional NSW is no longer more affordable than Sydney according to the 11thannual National Shelter-SGS Economics and Planning Rental Affordability Index. The worst postcode was in the north of the Illawarra, with the 2515 (Thirroul to Clifton) receiving a rental affordability index (RAI) score of 67. Households that spend 30 per cent of their income on rent have a RAI score of 100, with lower scores indicating households are paying more.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/9116570/illawarra-rent…
# NSW, Rent.Youth homelessness crisis exacerbated by rental market and demand for public housing
Peta Doherty ABC (No paywall)Brayden Jones was just 15 years old when he found himself sleeping rough on the streets of Adelaide, after his mother kicked him out of home. He spent months battling to stay warm at night before he discovered there were services that could help him. "I was that sick, I guess it was my body just getting used to the cold weather at night," the now 26-year-old said. When Brayden eventually connected with youth services, he said staff provided warm food, drink and shelter and made him feel "included".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-25/youth-homelessness-servic…
# Australia, Rent.Rental affordability data shows 'dire' situation across Australia
Madi Chwasta, Jacinta Counihan and Jonathon Kendall ABC (No paywall)Amanda Mentiplay has seen firsthand how rents have risen in regional Australia. The 53-year-old and her two children live in Norlane, a northern suburb of Victoria's regional city Geelong, in a four-bedroom house with two bathrooms. While it is the ideal size for her family, it has some problems, including poor insulation, peeling paint and broken windows.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-24/sgs-economics-rental-affo…
# Australia, Rent, Repairs.'Phenomenal' rates of violence against Indigenous women
Keira Jenkins National Indigenous Times (No paywall)It's well known that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience domestic and family violence at disproportionate rates. But the harrowing statistics never cease to shock Tanya Frazer, the manager at Integrated and Family Youth Services on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. "First Nations women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised for domestic and family violence ... and are ten times more likely to die due to an assault - that's phenomenal," she said. "Yet they're also less likely to report the violence, with a deep mistrust of police and child protection systems ... fearing reporting will lead to child removal or criminalisation of family members."
https://nit.com.au/26-11-2025/21481/phenomenal-rates-of-violence…
# Must read Australia, Aboriginal renters, Domestic violence, Rent.Real estate agent’s 'pathetic' demand highlights ongoing battle for Aussie renters
Sophie Coghill Yahoo News (No paywall)
A "pathetic" request from a real estate agent during a routine rental inspection has revealed the increasingly unreasonable demands that tenants face just trying to stay afloat in the rental market. The mum-of-two told Yahoo News she feels like realtors "don't have any consideration for humans living inside the home" after receiving the feedback. Maddi Strandring admitted that it was difficult to find the four-bedroom rental in Perth where she has lived with her husband and young children for several years.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/real-estate-agents-pathetic-demand-hig…
# Australia, Repairs.