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
RBA increases to interest rates mean home buyers who bought at the peak are facing rapidly rising mortgage repayments
Lily Thomson ABC (No paywall)While some Australians may rejoice at the idea of a drop in house prices, interest rate rises mean home owners face the prospect of their asset dropping in value at the same time their mortgage repayments steadily increase. And those who bought recently, at the peak of the market, are more likely to have the most left to pay off on their loans, meaning interest rate rises will cause them the most pain.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-02/rba-rate-rise-puts-pressu…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Why buyers are dropping out of the running before auction day
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Rapidly rising interest rates, reduced borrowing power and a fear of overpaying are shaking the confidence of home buyers and prompting more house hunters to delay purchases. Industry figures say they are seeing more buyers bow out of the market amid signs of further price falls while others are pulling out of auctions at the last minute because of changes to their financing.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/why-buyers-are-dropping-out…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.My living room is shaking and the noise is driving me up the wall – yes, developers have moved in next door
Arwa Mahdawi The Guardian (No paywall)I was feeling smug about fleeing New York for more space in Philadelphia – until I found out about their construction laws. ... A little sleuthing revealed that the house [next door] was owned by a property developer (he describes himself online as a “maverick”) who had a permit to turn it into apartments. That meant demolishing the interior of the original house and adding a three-storey addition in the back garden. Nice for him, I suppose. Not so nice for my toddler’s nap schedule or, since I work from home, my sanity. I mentioned these concerns when the developer showed up at our door a few weeks ago to tell us that demolition was about to start. “Ah, it won’t be so bad,” he said. “This project is bringing up the neighbourhood!” He then hopped in his car and fled the neighbourhood.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/02/living-roo…
# International, Landlords and agents, Planning and development.'I'm poor but it doesn't mean I deserve to be cold,' Berkeley woman says
Loise Negline Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)Aeryn Brown has been living in a Housing NSW unit, in Berkeley, for more than a decade but says it’s not insulated and she is freezing. “I wear socks and have to wrap myself up in a blanket to stay warm. “I sleep in a hoodie, under a quilt, with three extra blankets so I don’t freeze to death,” she said.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7839605/im-poor-but-it…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Minimum habitability standards, Regional NSW.Sole parents like myself are facing homelessness. It’s time our PM realised this is not the Australia he grew up in
Anonymous The Guardian (No paywall)Anthony Albanese may speak proudly of being raised by a single mum in public housing, but life has become a lot harsher for those with less. I am a sole parent mum with a young son who is in primary school. In April this year, the home I grew up in and lived in for decades was sold by my father who lives interstate, and I only found out after the settlement. My son and I are now facing imminent homelessness. ... I have tried to contact the prime minister before and after he was elected to put forward viable options to help sole parent families in my situation, but I have only ever received a stock-standard email reply and never any follow-up.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/01/sole-paren…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Homelessness, Women.Welsh minister reveals £65m plan to bring more than 1,000 additional homes into use
Stephen Delahunty Inside Housing (Paywall)The Welsh government will refurbish and reconfigure a number of buildings as part of a £65m plan to create 1,000 new homes for those living in temporary accommodation. ... It is hoped it will bring more than 1,000 additional homes into use over the next 18 months. According to the government, almost half will be long-term or permanent homes, with the others offering good-quality homes suitable for use by individuals and families for a number of years.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/welsh-minister-reveals…
# International, Public and community housing, Homelessness.Homelessness rises 11% in first three months of year
Tim Clark Inside Housing (Paywall)Over 74,000 households in England became homeless or were deemed at imminent risk of becoming homeless between January and March 2022. This included 25,610 families with children. According to Shelter, the homelessness charity, the figures show an 11% rise in only three months, and a 5% rise on the same period in 2021. The figures reveal the number of households that were struggling to keep a roof over their heads even before the impact of soaring bills, which are expected to put more families into debt.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/homelessness-rises-11-…
# International, Homelessness.President Biden Announces New Actions to Ease the Burden of Housing Costs
(No paywall)Today, President Biden is releasing a Housing Supply Action Plan to ease the burden of housing costs over time, by boosting the supply of quality housing in every community. His plan includes legislative and administrative actions that will help close America’s housing supply shortfall in 5 years, starting with the creation and preservation of hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units in the next three years. When aligned with other policies to reduce housing costs and ensure affordability, such as rental assistance and downpayment assistance, closing the gap will mean more affordable rents and more attainable homeownership for Americans in every community. This is the most comprehensive all of government effort to close the housing supply shortfall in history. (The White House Briefing Room)
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/202…
# International, Rent, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Home ownership, Homelessness, Housing market, Planning and development, Tax, Work, employment.