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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
New Mexico flash flooding kills at least 3, including 2 young children; video shows floodwaters carrying away house
Kiki Intarasuwan, Brian Dakss and Alex Sundby CBS News (No paywall)Flash flooding from torrential rain hit Ruidoso, New Mexico, killing at least three people and prompting dozens of rescues, officials said. A house was seen being carried downstream Tuesday by the fast-moving water a year after the same area was devastated by two wildfires. Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said during a news conference Wednesday the victims were a 4-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy and an unidentified man who was approximately 40-50 years old. Crawford didn't release the children's identities, saying it was out of respect for their families.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-mexico-ruidoso-lincoln-flooding…
# Hot topic International, Disasters.Madrid family win case against tourist flats after ‘illicit and unsanitary’ acts
Sam Jones The Guardian (No paywall)A judge in Madrid has ordered the closure of 10 tourist flats in a single building in the city centre after a landmark ruling that said “the illicit and unsanitary activities” taking place in them had inflicted psychological damage on a neighbouring family and violated their fundamental right to privacy. The family, who have two children and who have not been named, said they had suffered stress, anxiety and sleep deprivation because of the loud, drunken, destructive and lewd behaviour of guests, which included vandalism, vomiting and having sex in the block’s communal areas.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jul/08/madrid-judge-shuts-…
# International, Rent.Young people are disporportionately affected by the EU's housing crisis
Maria Psara & Nikos Michos Euro News (No paywall)In 2023, EU households on average spent 19.7% of their disposable income on housing. Eurostat data shows that in the same time period, young people make up a significant share of those who spend at least 40% of their income. The severity of the European Union's housing crisis has made it harder for citizens to find a home, as a combination of housing supply shortages and high rents continues to be a major issue. According to Eurostat, house prices went up by 48% and rents went up by 22% in 2023. Meanwhile, inflation drove overall prices up by 36%. And the burden has largely affected younger people the most.
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06/13/young-people-are-d…
# Hot topic International, .Ministers ditch pet insurance rules for renters
Paul Seddon BBC (No paywall)The government has shelved plans to allow landlords in England to require their tenants to take out special insurance if they own pets. The measure was proposed alongside stronger legal rights for tenants to keep animals in the Renters' Rights Bill announced last autumn. But Labour ministers have now ditched the idea, arguing that appropriate insurance products may not become widely available quickly enough. The change was confirmed on Monday night, with the government amending its own legislation in the House of Lords. It prompted Tory peers to back a plan to make tenants pay an extra 'pet deposit' instead - setting up a fresh battle for when the bill returns to the Commons.
# International, Pets, Rent.Council reports progress on housing failings
Patrick Hughes BBC (No paywall)A council has reported making progress with its housing services following a highly critical report last year. Southampton City Council had been criticised by the social housing regulator after finding about half of the authority's 18,000 properties did not meet government standards. At its first ever housing scrutiny meeting, held last week, council officers said new windows were now being installed in 25 homes per week as part of a wider effort to improve conditions. Other improvements cited included a fall in the number of empty council properties, as well as more repairs being completed on the first visit.
# International, Public and community housing.First look at hundreds of new homes for essential workers
NSW Government (No paywall)The Minns Labor Government is today revealing the concept designs and plans for how the former WestConnex dive site in Annandale will transform surplus government land into around 577 new homes, including 220 dedicated to build to rent housing close to the city for essential workers. This marks an increase on the number of homes first announced in February after further housing potential was unlocked on the site, increasing the number of build-to-rent homes for essential workers from the original 200 to 220. The newly unveiled project will offer quality apartments across the site, in a range of sizes and styles to suit different people's needs.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/homes-nsw/news/f…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Ten years on, Sydney's Honeycomb terraces sit empty after being built on contaminated land
Anton Rose ABC (No paywall)As Sydney's housing crisis intensifies, this row of 18 terraces has sat empty for six years because the developer knowingly built on toxic land. It's a prized piece of real estate in the city fringe, but almost a decade after they were first approved, the Erskineville homes are vacant shells. The land was formerly occupied until 1973 by the Metters factory — a manufacturing company and the source of the toxic heavy metals found below the surface. The plan for this modern housing development, where the median house price is $1.95 million, was approved in 2015.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-04/erskineville-contaminated…
# NSW, .Resident in affluent Aussie suburb found living for years with dire mould problem in public housing
Sophie Coghill Yahoo News (No paywall)Shocking images show the "unliveable conditions" an elderly resident had been enduring for more than seven years in public housing, with black mould spreading across the walls and carpet in the home situated in one of the country's most sought-after suburbs. The 73-year-old resident, who asked Yahoo News to remain anonymous, had been living in the Coogee home in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs since 2016 after he suffered a stroke. Within a year, the resident started to complain about the mould to his friend and carer, Grace Thomas, who then started chasing the housing authority for assistance.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/resident-in-affluent-aussie-suburb-fou…
# NSW, Rent.