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
Adam's hand-built throne shows life in social housing can be 'awesome', but finding a home still problematic
Dominic Cansdale ABC (No paywall)They say your home is your castle, but Adam Pippos may be the only social housing tenant in Australia to sit on a throne. ... After a serious back injury forced Mr Pippos onto a disability pension, he floated between temporary accommodation for two years. While there are around 3,100 applications for social housing on the Gold Coast, Mr Pippos managed to secure a home with enough space for his woodcarving passion. ... But he's one of the lucky ones, with housing advocates concerned that even people with full-time work are being forced to move into caravan parks or pitch tents in backyards.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-10/how-one-gold-coast-man-se…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Housing market.Policy changes to boost housing diversity
NSW Department of Planning and Environment (No paywall)The Government is making it easier to build more affordable and diverse housing across NSW. Deputy Secretary of Planning Policy at the Department of Planning and Environment, Brett Whitworth, said changes had been made to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 to encourage more affordable rental housing in the regions, build-to-rent, aboriginal social housing and seniors’ independent living units.
https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/News/2022/Policy-changes-to-boos…
# New policy announcement NSW, Aboriginal renters, Rent, Affordable housing, Older people, Planning and development.NSW announces funding boost for social housing as rental crisis continues
Hamish Cole ABC (No paywall)The New South Wales government has committed an extra $7.8 million to keep families in social housing as rents soar in regional areas. The Community Housing Rent Program assists providers to supply subsidised rental accommodation to people on low incomes.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-08/nsw-announces-funding-boo…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Housing market, Regional NSW, State Government.Timeline: the 20 housing ministers since 1997
IH Reporters Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The transience of housing ministers continues. As Stuart Andrew resigns after just 148 days in the role, Inside Housing looks back at all 20 housing ministers since 1997.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/timeline-the-20-…
# International, Federal Government.More help for those seeking to buy their first home
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The federal government is ramping up efforts to enable more young families, couples and singles to get a foot on the property ladder. The new financial year sees a whopping 35,000 new places released under the government’s First Home Guarantee (FHBG), up 250 per cent from 2021-22.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/more-help-for-those-seeki…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership.Why falling house prices aren’t the good news that first home buyers think
Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Home owners are rushing to refinance as mortgage rates rise, but their chances of getting a better deal could shrink as property prices fall. Home buyers who purchased close to the property market peak could find themselves in “mortgage prison” as values decline, experts say, because reduced home equity and rising interest rates hit their ability to refinance.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/why-falling-house-prices-ar…
# Australia, Housing market.I’m struggling under rising prices and I’m not alone – some can’t even afford to eat
Chris Hanigan The Guardian (No paywall)Fresh vegetables became a bit of a treat – now at their current prices they aren’t really an option.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/09/im-struggl…
# Australia, Families, Work, employment.Fix for holiday lets and affordability
Jummy Thompson (No paywall)But foreign tourists are soon going to start trickling, then flooding back and our governments have done nothing to tackle the crisis in housing caused by rental accommodation being given over to holiday lets.
# NSW, Strata, Housing affordability, Housing market, Short-term holiday letting.