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
Public housing tower works delayed as activists block tradies from site
Rachael Dexter The Age (No paywall)Activists and a Greens MP have blocked construction workers from accessing public housing towers in Melbourne’s inner north, vowing to continue obstructing them and their machinery all week to prevent the state government’s demolition plan. About 40 people on Monday rallied outside 33 Alfred Street, North Melbourne – one of the first towers slated for demolition under the state’s high-rise redevelopment program – after residents received notice on Sunday that work to assess concrete in empty apartments would begin this week.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/public-housing-tower…
# Australia, Public and community housing.Our rent increased by $300 a week. It feels like it should be illegal – but it’s not
Holly Thompson WA Today (No paywall)The “Great Australian Dream” is dead – that’s a statement repeated often enough in Western Australia (and nationally) as house prices continue to climb. The reality is that now, you can’t even rent that dream. I rented my first property on my own at 21, earning minimum wage in my first journalism gig. But seven years later, renting anywhere in WA on your own seems almost impossible, unless you’re earning well above the minimum – or even the average – full-time wage. Even with two to pay the bills, renting is a challenge.
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/our-rent-i…
# Australia, Rent.He was evicted. Then he saw his home on Airbnb
Jim Malo The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Victoria’s renting taskforce has issued fewer than 80 fines to dodgy landlords and agents since its launch in March 2024, which rental advocates say barely scratches the surface of illegal practices in the rental market. Consumer Affairs says the fines total more than $620,000, but refuses to release a breakdown of the offences. Anika Legal chief executive Noel Lim called on the agency to publish its figures to show how effectively the taskforce had improved conditions for renters in the 14 months since its inception.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/he-was-evicted-then-he-saw-…
# Australia, Eviction.Brisbane landlord says micro apartments help investors and tenants in housing crisis
Kenji Sato ABC (No paywall)A Brisbane real estate tycoon says he is helping landlords profit off the housing crisis using micro apartments. On Friday, Future Housing Taskforce chairman Kevin Doodney opened Brisbane's first "resi-rental", where a house is subdivided into five micro apartments with an onsite landlord. Each micro apartment in the outer northern suburb of Deagon is a self-contained unit with a bathroom and kitchenette, rented out for upwards of $400 per week. Mr Doodney said he had no ethical concerns about helping "eager investors to maximise off the Brisbane housing crisis".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-29/micro-apartment-block-lau…
# Hot topic Australia, .Promoting social inclusion through pet companionship
Renata Roma and Christine Yvette Tardif-Williams The Conversation (No paywall)The benefits of pet companionship have been widely researched and celebrated.
Pets can improve our mood and immune system. They can also encourage staying active and fit, offer emotional comfort and companionship, and foster social connections. Pets can even increase life expectancy. Unfortunately, pet companionship is not always easily accessible to everyone. Several groups face hurdles when it comes to sharing time or living with a pet. Some of the hurdles that people can face when accessing pets include the lack of pet-friendly housing and financial resources to afford pet food and veterinary care. There can also be more concrete barriers to pet companionship, such as no-pet clauses in rental agreements or no-pet policies in retirement homes.
https://theconversation.com/promoting-social-inclusion-through-p…
# Hot topic Australia, Pets.Landlord fined for breaching WA tenancy laws amid Perth housing crisis
Andrew Hanlon ABC (No paywall)A landlord who demanded more than $32,000 from a tenant before they had even moved in, then threatened to kick them out if they didn't agree to a huge rent hike, has been fined for a string of breaches of WA's tenancy laws. The case has laid bare the desperation of renters who are often willing to hand over large sums of money to secure a property in Perth's tight rental market. The woman was handed a spent conviction and fined $8,500 in the Perth Magistrates Court on May 16 for violations relating to her handling of rent and bond payments for the property in the southern suburb of Ardross.
# Australia, Bond.Real estate agent sorry for competition offering free rent for five-star Google reviews
Aaron Kelly and Jessica Clifford ABC (No paywall)A Queensland real estate agency has backtracked on a promotional giveaway for its tenants, offering the chance to win free rent in exchange for a five-star review. Ray White Rockhampton emailed its tenants on Wednesday at about 3:40pm offering the opportunity to win one of three free rent prizes. A second email was sent at 4:45pm with an amended offer in which tenants only had to leave a Google review. However, it encouraged people to leave a five-star review "if you think we deserve it". Less than an hour later a third email was sent.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-29/real-estate-agent-promoti…
# Australia, .Queenslanders lose more in rental scams, some victims left homeless
Jay Carstens ABC (No paywall)As the weight of the housing crisis bears down on many Australians, some are not only losing the roof over their heads but also their money to brazen rental scams. Simon Alexander, 39, moved to the Sunshine Coast from the regional town of Goomeri, west of Gympie, to pursue a nursing career. He said his search for a home became desperate after he was forced out of his first rental property after only a fortnight because his housemate was found to be subletting without approval.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-19/sunshine-coast-rental-sca…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Starting a tenancy.