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
When it comes to homelessness, what we call ‘compassion fatigue’ is something else entirely
Timothy Martin The Conversation (No paywall)The 20th-century French philosopher Simone Weil once said that compassion was an impossibility. She said it is “a more astounding miracle than walking on water.” The word she used for meeting the needs of the sufferer is not love or charity, but justice. Today, there is plenty of research that points to a decline in compassion. Dealing with suffering, however, is part of the human experience, and as the American feminist philosopher Martha Nussbaum argued compassion is “an essential bridge to justice.”
https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-homelessness-what-w…
# Australia, .Where landlords have been able to put rents up most – and least
Elizabeth Redman The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Rents have soared faster than wages over the past five years in every jurisdiction except the one that caps rent increases – but experts agree that’s not the reason behind its modest growth. Instead, the ACT’s measured rent rises come as more new homes are on offer compared to NSW, Victoria or other states, giving tenants more choice and making it harder for landlords to increase rents. Rents in NSW have risen 40.9 per cent over the five years to September 2025, Cotality figures show, and 33.6 per cent in Victoria. The nation’s largest spike was WA, up 66 per cent, while Queensland also rose 50.4 per cent.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/where-landlords-have-been-a…
# Hot topic, Research alert Australia, .Enforcement is the issue on the decent homes standard
The Guardian (No paywall)While the anger at the timeline for enforcing the decent homes standard (DHS) in England might be expected, it is also arguable that enforcing decent home standards is not as difficult as campaigners make out (‘Absurd’: decent homes standard for England’s private renters will not be enforced until 2035, 28 January). Local authorities already have powers and duties to deal with threats to health and safety in both the private rented sector and the social rented sector.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/feb/03/enforcement-is-the…
# International, Security and safety.Immigrant advocates call for LA County Board of Supervisors to increase rent protections amid immigration crackdown
Julie Sharp CBS News (No paywall)Local immigrant advocates are asking for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to consider housing stability for immigrant community members ahead of Tuesday's meeting, as the board is scheduled to discuss an increase in the county's tenant eviction threshold. The motion under review notes that the county continues to face a "profound housing affordability crisis," with immigrant communities especially hard hit as they face the Trump administration's stepped-up federal immigration enforcement operation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/immigrant-advocates-la-c…
# Hot topic International, .‘We got lazy and complacent’: Swedish pensioners explain how abolishing the wealth tax changed their country
Miranda Sheild Johansson The Conversation (No paywall)For much of the 20th century, Sweden enjoyed a justifiable reputation as one of Europe’s most egalitarian countries. Yet over the past two decades, it has transformed into what journalist and author Andreas Cervenka calls a “paradise for the super-rich”. Today, Sweden has one of the world’s highest ratios of dollar billionaires, and is home to numerous “unicorn” startup companies worth at least US$1 billion (£742 million), including the payment platform Klarna and audio streaming service Spotify.
https://theconversation.com/we-got-lazy-and-complacent-swedish-p…
# International, .Temporary accommodation in England is ‘torture’ for neurodivergent children, report finds
Jessica Murray The Guardian (No paywall)Neurodivergent children living in temporary accommodation (TA) in England are subjected to conditions that amount to “torture”, and the harm it causes them is “psychologically excruciating” and a form of “child cruelty”, a report has found. The report by King’s College London through the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for households in temporary accommodation, found that while living in TA was damaging for any child, it had a particularly severe impact on neurodivergent children and those with special education needs and disabilities (Send).
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jan/27/temporary-accomm…
# International, Discrimination.‘Palaces’ for the people in Vienna are not so far fetched, but do Australians have the right values to create similar homes?
Steve Ford The Fifth Estate (No paywall)On my study tour of Europe, examining challenges and solutions for housing the population, it was clear that Vienna is in a class of its own. It didn’t happen overnight. It has taken an enormous strength of character to maintain, and it has had to overcome more challenges than most cities. The results are jaw dropping – a great demonstration of appropriate long term policy settings, investment and adherence to the principle that housing is a right (not a privilege).
https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/palaces-for-the-p…
# International, .'My rent almost doubled, it was a harrowing experience'
Eden McLeod BBC (No paywall)When Chris Cullen's landlord wanted to almost double the rent on his Edinburgh flat last year, the 34-year-old says he faced an extremely depressing situation. "It was a really harrowing experience to think to yourself, 'do I need to actually go home to live with my mum in a two up, two down?'," he told the BBC. In the end, after a long search, Chris and his partner had to move to a place much further out of the city centre, which led to him also changing jobs. "It's just a complete upheaval," he says. "It's like moving to a different city. "Socially it was bad as well. We had loads of friends in the area, we were just part of the community there."
# NSW, Eviction, Rent.