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
Mum and daughter evicted from Bondi apartment after 40 years
Emily McPherson 9 News (No paywall)When Deidre Hill and her mother Valerie Smith first moved into their Bondi unit in Sydney's east 40 years ago, they were paying just $80 a week in rent. Since then, the pair has seen the iconic Aussie suburb transform, with all of the older housing options on their street slowly disappearing to make way for new townhouses and luxury penthouses. By the time Deidre and Valerie were hit with an eviction notice in November last year, the pair was paying $900 a week for that same modest apartment.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/mum-and-daughter-evicted-from-…
# Must read NSW, Eviction.The fight over your backyard: Why NIMBY has become a ‘dirty word’
Gina Rushton ABC (No paywall)On a cold June night in Sydney’s eastern suburbs dozens of residents, most insulated by navy puffer coats and vests, have piled into the Double Bay Bowling Club to air their concerns at a housing forum. They’re not happy that apartments are going up in their suburbs — some of Sydney’s most affluent. They’re concerned more people will clog the roads and strain infrastructure, especially in an area without a “decent supermarket”. They’re nervous a six-storey “monstrosity” will block their sunlight. They’re anxious the “runoff from construction” into the harbour will impact their children who “enjoy sailing”. They want legal recourse.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-13/yimby-nimby-housing-crisi…
# Hot topic NSW, .Get rid of greedy housing investors
K. Bowman 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, .The sought-after NSW coastal town on par with parts of Sydney
Emily Power The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Byron’s unstoppable housing market has hit a fresh record, leaping to a typical rental price on par with some elite Sydney spots. The median weekly asking rent for a house in the Byron local government area jumped 15 per cent over the 12 months to June to hit its highest ever median of $1150 a week, the latest Domain Rent Report, released on Thursday, showed. The exclusive, in-demand coastal enclave is the only NSW regional LGA to command four figures for the median weekly house lease. The median weekly rent there was $1000 in the same period last year.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/the-sought-after-nsw-coasta…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Hayley quit her secure job as an accountant and ditched her rental for a life of music
Joel Ehsman Illawarra Mercury (Paywall)Lucy Mills and Hayley Neal have embraced the house sitting lifestyle which includes looking after pets like Rupert. Pictures supplied Would you be able to live without a permanent roof to call home? Two musicians decided to try it out, selling and donating their furniture, crockery and cutlery, arming themselves with a van and began a mission to house sit full time. Hayley Neal and Lucy Mills earn their income solely from their work as musicians and spend their weekends performing at pubs and clubs, then spend the week looking after the homes they are house sitting.
# Hot topic NSW, .AI photos in rental ads could soon require labels in NSW
Harry Sekulich The Daily Aus (Soft Paywall)NSW real estate agents could be forced to declare whether a photo on a listing is AI-generated, following concerns renters are being deceived. The State Government introduced a bill to Parliament last week that could see penalties of up to $22,000 for failing to disclose if a photo has been digitally altered. Advocates are pushing for the AI declaration to become a national standard. When a property is listed as a rental in NSW, real estate agents will typically upload photos on the landlord’s behalf.
https://thedailyaus.com.au/politics/ai-photos-in-rental-listings…
# NSW, Rent, Starting a tenancy.We need another housing option — between isolation and communes
Feng Xue The Fifth Estate (No paywall)Intermediate housing offers affordability, flexibility and connection – if we design for real lives, not just floor plans. As Australia falls behind on its target to build 1.2 million new homes within five years, we continue to cling to a housing ideal that no longer fits the times. The image of the detached house on a quarter acre block has long defined success, but in today’s economy, that dream is not only out of reach for many — it may also be making us lonelier, less healthy, and more disconnected from the people around us.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/we-need-another-h…
# Australia, .Multiple generations squeeze under one roof to combat housing, cost-of-living crisis
Julia André ABC (No paywall)It is hard to find a spare seat at the Sailes's dinner table, with four generations living under one roof. Australia's housing crisis has seen 44-year-old Clint Sailes steadily renovate his home to accommodate more family members. While it might seem unusual, it is a return to the past when double the number of Australians lived in standalone homes. Over the past two years, Mr Sailes has added extra bathrooms and kitchenettes to his Gold Coast hinterland property. The huge double-storey house backs onto bushland and has plenty of outdoor space to keep the peace between his 10 family members.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/homes-designed-to-squeeze…
# Hot topic Australia, .