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
Four tips for home care, from vacuuming your mattress to … cleaning your dishwasher?
Madeleine Aggeler The Guardian (No paywall)I am fairly tidy. I stay on top of vacuuming and laundry; I wipe down counters and sinks. But when it comes to appliances and structural issues at home, I don’t know a thing. If you told me my AC was run by a family of small penguins who blow cold air through the vents, I probably wouldn’t believe you, but nor would I have a better explanation. Enter: Kyshawn Lane, the man behind the wildly popular Instagram account Weekly Home Check. Every week, Lane posts videos about how to care for your home and the things in it. In a calm, encouraging voice, he demonstrates how to weather-strip your doors or label your electrical circuit breaker box.
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/may/30/four-tips-for-h…
# Hot topic International, Repairs, Starting a tenancy.The European village where rent hasn't been raised since 1520 - and it costs just 80p a year to live there
Esther Marshall Daily Mail (UK) (No paywall)Rents in the UK rose by nine per cent in 2024 with those living in London hardest hit by price rises. And the issue isn't unique to the UK. Rental prices hit a record high in Spain in May while rents in Ireland climbed by more than three per cent between January and March in 2025. So cash-strapped European renters might find it hard to believe that there's a housing complex on the continent where the rent hasn't gone up in 500 years. Located within the city of Augsburg, the Fuggerei housing complex was created in 1521 by a German merchant named Jakob Fugger.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-14802275/Europe-villa…
# Hot topic International, Rent.‘Nowhere Near Enough’: More Housing Needed for People Leaving Prison
Denham Sadler About Time (No paywall)The Rainbow Lodge is the oldest and largest provider of post-release housing in New South Wales. It only has room for eight people at a time. The organisation can provide its housing and programs to 32 people each year, while about 20,000 people are released from prison in the state each year. This shows the huge need for more housing for people leaving prison, a key factor in reducing reoffending and improving rehabilitation. “Generally for every person who comes here, four or five miss out,” The Rainbow Lodge manager Claude Robinson told About Time. “We just don’t get to work with enough people.” Located in Glebe in inner Sydney, the Rainbow Lodge provides three months of accommodation for men leaving prison in the state, along with case management, access to an on-site psychologist and group sessions.
https://www.abouttime.org.au/news-and-investigations/nowhere-nea…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Starting a tenancy.Queensland government to begin social housing rent reviews to free up spaces for those in 'most need'
Jack McKay ABC (No paywall)Social housing recipients in Queensland earning more than they should will soon be evicted from their homes to make way for new tenants. The state government claims there are some recipients earning well above the income limit that determines who is eligible for social housing. This includes a couple in Brisbane taking home more than $200,000 a year while paying less than $200 a week to live in their social housing unit. The government says another family in Townsville is paying less than $190 per week in rent despite earning an annual income of more than $160,000.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-09/queensland-social-housing…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing.Housing Minister Clare O'Neil takes aim at Australia's regulation red tape
Patricia Karvelas ABC (No paywall)It's rare to hear a Labor minister rail against red tape — traditionally the domain of the conservative side of politics — but Housing Minister Clare O'Neil feels the weight of the country's housing crisis on her shoulders. She knows that if Labor isn't able to deliver on its housing promises, a generation of Australians will not only feel let down, they will have a right to feel angry that the system is stacked against them. Anger about housing wasn't a manufactured crisis at the last election — it was real and visceral but ultimately the opposition was never able to turn that anger into votes, particularly among younger voters where feelings on this are so intense.
# Hot topic Australia, .Tenants on high alert in the wake of ‘highly convincing’ rent scam
Jessica Brown realestate.com.au (No paywall)Real estate experts are warning tenants to be cautious of a “highly convincing” rental scam. It comes after one concerned tenant contacted their property manager to question a fake letter that urged them to send future payments to a new bank account following a change in their rental property’s ownership. The letter appeared to come from Turner Real Estate, the agency the tenant was renting through, even having its new logo printed at the top of the page. Turner Real Estate chief executive Emma Slape said the fraudulent letter appeared legitimate but the main giveaway was that it wasn’t addressed to the tenant by name.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/sa-tenants-on-high-alert-in-t…
# Must read Australia, Security and safety, Starting a tenancy.The housing disaster is a national emergency – good thing Australia is excellent at navigating emergencies
Sarah McKenzie Per Capita (No paywall)The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s State of the Housing System 2025 Report, published in May this year, paints a grim picture of the state of Australia’s housing system. It is more than a housing crisis, it has become a full-scale national disaster. It is chronic and worsening, and requires an emergency response. While the scale of the problem is immense, Australia has a strong track record of effectively navigating emergencies, and it is time to bring that mindset to the task of fixing the housing crisis. Framing Australia’s housing disaster as a national emergency does more than describe its scale, it creates the conditions for action. Emergencies cut through bureaucratic inertia, legitimise large-scale interventions, and generate the political will needed to respond at speed and scale. If we treat our nation’s housing problems as an emergency, we can mobilise the same urgency, coordination and investment that Australians expect in times of national disasters.
https://percapita.org.au/the-housing-disaster-is-a-national-emer…
# Hot topic, Research alert Australia, .Landlord's 'unreasonable' request after tenant has a baby: 'It changes things'
Alison and Jillian Barrett Yahoo News (No paywall)In Australia, tenancy agreements are governed by state-specific Residential Tenancies Acts, which outline the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants. Generally, these agreements specify the number of occupants allowed in the rental property. However, the birth of a child is typically not considered a breach of the lease agreement. Tenants are not legally required to inform landlords about changes in their family composition, such as having a baby. The Residential Tenancies Acts in various states do not mandate tenants disclose personal events like pregnancy or childbirth. This means that while the addition of a new family member may change the dynamics of the household, it does not necessarily violate the terms of the lease.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/landlords-unreasonable-request…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Starting a tenancy.