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
Key workers to be offered pod housing in Byron shire amid social housing builds
Emma Rennie and Bruce MacKenzie ABC (No paywall)Teachers, police and other "key workers" looking to move into the Byron Shire will be offered accommodation in pod-style cabins originally built to house survivors of the 2022 floods. Byron Mayor Sarah Ndiaye said securing the pods at Brunswick Heads as homes for key workers and others in housing stress was "fantastic" news. "We really do need houses as soon as possible … everything just takes too long and when we have many people, as we do, that are homeless or in extreme housing stress, we need to be able to deliver as soon as possible," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-31/northern-rivers-social-ho…
# Hot topic NSW, Disasters, Public and community housing.New eviction laws criticised by renters’ advocates
Francisco Silva Law Society Journal (No paywall)Five weeks after ending no-grounds evictions in New South Wales, the state government amended the Residential Tenancy Act 2010 to remove additional evidence requirements in evictions due to repairs or renovations. Over two dozen tenants’ rights advocates, including Community Legal Centres NSW and the Aboriginal Legal Service, voiced their criticism of the decision. Previously, landlords who needed to evict tenants to complete significant repairs or renovations in their properties were required to provide written statements and detailed evidence of the planned work, such as quotes from licensed builders or receipts from purchasing building materials. However, without further consultation, the NSW Government removed the additional evidence requirements. Landlords are now only required to provide a written statement.
https://lsj.com.au/articles/new-eviction-laws-criticised-by-rent…
# Must read NSW, Eviction.Get rid of greedy housing investors
Coast Community News (No paywall)In the 1960s the Housing Commission built tens of thousands of homes. Who can forget Green Valley, Dundas Valley and Ermington, in Sydney alone? Housing was not considered an investment; it was for families to live in. Sure, the values rose but as a consequence of living in the house for decades. We now have short-term rentals at exorbitant rents pricing the needy out of the market. We have a greedy State Government with a vested interest in high-value property sales because they reap the stamp duty on each sale. We have a Federal Government not willing to remove the negative gearing and tax benefits afforded to property investors.
https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/central-coast/news/2025/07/get…
# Hot topic NSW, .Ku-ring-gai “electrify everything” rebates to help residents make the jump from gas to electric
Huw Bradshaw North Shore Lorikeet (No paywall)Under Ku-ring-gai council’s new “Electrify Everything” scheme, residents of the local government area will be able to claim up to $3000 in rebates when fitting out their house with electric energy. Starting from the 28th of July, new rebates can be claimed on the purchase and installation of solar panels, batteries, hot water systems, and induction cooktops. Electrifying does not always mean installing new power systems, however; the scheme also includes improvements to the existing energy efficiency of homes. As such, upgrades to the insulation and windows of houses are also able to be claimed, helping residents keep their homes warm in the winter, and cool in the summer, while using less power.
https://www.northshorelorikeet.com.au/p/ku-ring-gai-electrify-ev…
# NSW, .Meet the Mosman accountant fighting the state’s housing reforms in court
David Barwell The Sydney Morning Herald (Soft Paywall)Fearing the prospect of new unit blocks “decimating” the character of Sydney’s suburban streetscapes, a Mosman resident is launching a landmark legal challenge against the NSW government’s housing reforms. Judith Pearson is believed to be the first private citizen in NSW to launch court action against the NSW government’s low- and mid-rise housing reforms amid fears increased density will impose unacceptable impacts on some of Sydney’s most sought-after suburbs.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/meet-the-mosman-accountant-f…
# NSW, .Push to crack down on controversial property practices as $650 rental slammed over Bondi Beach 'views'
Stewart Perrie Yahoo News (No paywall)A view of Sydney's Bondi Beach out the window of a rental 14 kilometres from the coast has cast light on frustrations being felt by Australians gripped in a nationwide housing crisis. A listing of a $650 two-bedroom apartment in Leichhardt attracted backlash after being posted online last Wednesday. On first glance, it appears the kitchen boasts a view of the iconic beach; however, it is in fact a vinyl mural that the landlord plastered on the wall outside to give tenants a better view than the concrete wall behind it.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/push-to-crackdown-on-controver…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Starting a tenancy.International students have not driven rents and inflation higher, RBA says
Gareth Hutchens ABC (No paywall)The rapid growth in international student numbers post-pandemic has not been a major driver of higher rents and inflation, the Reserve Bank says. The RBA's latest quarterly Bulletin was published on Thursday, with a special section on International Students and the Australian Economy. It looks at the big shifts in foreign student numbers in recent years. The analysis covers the period when the students left Australia en masse during 2020 and 2021, and then returned after borders reopened in late 2021.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-24/international-students-di…
# Hot topic Australia, .Rental crisis drives surge in inspection outsourcing demand
Kaylee Cranley realestate.com.au (No paywall)There has been growing demand in outsourcing rental inspections with prospective tenants hoping to combat the strain of Australia’s rental crisis. As more tenants are feeling the pressure to secure a home, they are turning to alternative methods to assist with the process. One platform tenants have been turning to is Airtasker, where requests for rental inspection tasks in June rose by 166 per cent annually. Airtasker CEO Tim Fung said the rise may be the result of more tenants struggling to find places to live.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/rental-crisis-drives-surge-in…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media Australia, Starting a tenancy.