Renters' Digest

Oct 18

1. New Tenancy Laws Introduced to Victorian Parliament
2. Essential Workers Unable to Afford Rental Housing in Western Australia, Study Reveals
3. Calls for Clarified Boarding Rules as Experts Seek Solutions to Housing Pressures
4. First Home Scheme Heats Up Market, Experts Push for More Housing

Oct 10

1. ACT Makes Housing a Human Right
2. Agent Suspended for Buying Home From Man With Alzheimer’s $500K Below Market Value
3. SA Inquiry Backs Registration, Fees for Short-Stay Rentals
4. Evicted Without Cause, Ziggy Fought to Reclaim His Bond – and Won
5. Snow Town Locals Priced Out as Short-Term Rentals Surge

Sep 12

1. Friends Turn to Shared Ownership in Wollongong Housing Market
2. Renter urges landlords for more financial transparency after evictions
3. Mental health worker on brink of homelessness as housing crisis pushes out locals
4. WA Housing Crisis Worsens Remote Teacher Shortage

Sep 5

1. Melbourne 'Affordable' Housing Rents Jump 17%
2. Broken Promises: NSW Premier Backs Landlords Twice, Betraying 2.3 Million Renters
3. Short-Stay Negative Gearing Costs Australia Up to $556 Million Annually, Report Finds
4. Rental Crisis Drives Australian Mum to Move 42 Times in 37 Years

Aug 29

1. Hobart Deploys AI Technology to Tackle Illegal Short-Stay Rentals
2. Tiny Home Program Offers Life-Changing Opportunity for Women
3. New Housing Initiative Connects Victim-Survivors with Secure Homes Through Unique Collaboration
4. NSW Tribunal Backs Tenant in First Major Test of New Pet Legislation

Aug 24

1. Economists suggest taxing home owner occupancy
2. Cool Change: Air Conditioning to Be Mandatory in Victorian Rentals from 2027
3. 7 in 10 Renters Afraid to Ask for Repairs Over Rent Rise Fears
4. Real Estate Agency in Mildura Breaches Law Protecting Renters from Bidding Wars

Aug 8

1. Survey finds that the rising costs of living lead to Australians skipping hygiene essentials
2. Exploring the lack of understanding around homelessness in Pilbara
3. Bass Coast residents camping in the bush due to lack of social housing and cost of living
4. Interstate investors drive out local buyers in NT

June 14

1. Tasmania Declares End-of-Lease Carpet Cleaning Requirement Invalid
2. WA Households Struggling With Housing Costs Nearly Double in Two Years: Report
3. Oxfam: Billionaires' Wealth Could Solve Housing for 680,000 Aussies

May 30

1. WA Landlord Penalised for Breaking Tenancy Laws
2. Real Estate Company Offers Week Worth of Free Rent in Exchange for 5 Star Review
3. Couple Finds Their Home on Airbnb After Being Evicted
4. NSW Couple Face Homelessness After Order to Demolish Tiny Home

May 23

1. South Australia Launches New Rent-to-Buy Scheme.
2. NSW has Introduced Sweeping Rental Reforms.
3. Landlord Fined $7,684 for Intimidating Mullumbimby Renter, Tribunal Rules
4. Queenslanders Hit Hardest by Rental Scams, Some Left Homeless

May 16

1. Investor sell-off sees 24,000 rental homes lost—but no rent surge as first-homebuyers exit rental market.
2. Renters Are Giving Up Their Right to Pets in Order to Secure Homes.
3. New Rental Laws in Effect in QLD from 1 May.
4. Sunshine Coast residents displaced as affordable housing approval is revoked.

May 10

1. WA Renter Experiencing Domestic Violence Faces Challenges When Trying to Move Out
2. Unwanted Garden Weeds in Renter’s Bedroom Sparks Outrage
3. The Australian Electorates that Face the Most Rental Stress
4. No Ground Eviction Protections come into place May 19th in NSW

May 2

1. Chemo and an Eviction Notice: Tracy’s Fight in Australia’s Housing Crisis
2. Advocates Demand Action on Co-op Housing Election Vow
3. Greens Warn Housing Prices could Rise by 100k Post-Election
4. Anglicare Report: Not a Single Affordable WA Rental for People on Support
5. From Trees to Tenants: How the Greens Became the Renters’ Party

April 18

1. Rents Surge Nationwide in Early 2025, New Data Shows
2. CAV Cracks Down: 70 Landlords Fined $620,000
3. ‘Astonishing’ Rent Hikes Push Perth Locals Out of the Market
4. Rapid Turnover: Half of Rentals Sold Within 2 Years, AHURI Finds

April 14

1. Kooyong Liberal Candidate positions herself as a renter, while owning 2 investment properties
2. Aussie Renters Hit Breaking Point: Worst Crisis Since the GFC
3. 50% Gone: ABC Names The Aussie Postcodes Crushing Renters
4. Nationwide Protests Sweep Spain Amid Housing Crunch

April 4 2025

1. Tenants anxious about a rise in ‘no- grounds evictions’ ahead of NSW law changes
2. Anglicare Australia reveals heat maps reflecting least affordable electorates to rent in
3. Rents Hit All-time High in all Aus Capital Cities
4. Australian Federal Election set for May 3rd, with Cost of Living Pressures Dominating the Campaign

March 28 2025

1. Why ‘Forever Renter’s’ are such a hot topic in the housing debate
2. Renters gain $50K in Refunds as Property Managers Face Prosecution for Illegally Pocketing Fees
3. NSW Unveils New Laws to End No-Grounds Evictions and Let Renters Keep Pets
4. Real Estate Agents Slammed as 'Culpable' for Discouraging Long-Term Leases in Housing Crisis

March 22 2025

1. Everybody’s Home Report Finds That Australians Need a 6 Figure Income to Afford Average Rental
2. Renters Given 6 Hours to Move out of Apartment after Cyclone Damage
3. ACT Government to Introduce Short-Term Rental Levy
4. No link between International Students and Rising Rental Costs

March 15 2025

1. Pet Owners Still Struggle to Find Rentals Despite Law Reform
2. Melbourne Landlord Fined for Entering Rental 29 Times
3. Victoria found to be the best state to rent in; NSW the worst
4. Perth Renter threatened with fine for using the elevator to move out during the weekend

March 7 2025

1. Canberra Recognized as Best for Renters' Rights, Sparking Discontent Among Landlords
2. QLD Renters Warned: Landlords May Not Cover All Repairs After Cyclone Alfred
3. Australia’s Hidden Homeless Seek Shelter Beyond the System

March 1 2025

1. Landlords Under Scrutiny for Quarterly Charges on Renters
2. Too Hot in Summer, Too Cold in Winter’: Urgent Call to Protect Aussie Renters
3. ABC news highlights the quick fixes and long-term solutions to Australia’s rental prices
4. Sydney Landlord Sparks Outrage with $190-a-Week Listing for ‘Three Boys’ in CBD

February 21 2025

1. RBA’s interest rate cuts are unlikely to lower rental prices
2. WA Boosts Rental Supply with New Build-to-Rent Incentives
3. Real estate agent asks prospective tenants to provide a virtual tour of their current home
4. Picking Tenants by 'Vibes': How Agents Exploit Personal Data

February 14 2025

1. Calls for Rent Assistance Boost as Older Aussies Struggle in Poverty
2. NSW Rental Taskforce Launches to Tackle Fairness in Rental Market
3. Cheaper Rent & Better Balance: Young Professionals Flock to the Outback

February 7 2025

1. Perth rental market forces single mother to live in her child’s hospital room
2. More Australians turning to sharehouses to cope with rising rental costs
3. Housing crisis forcing domestic violence survivors back to abusers

January 31 2025

1. FOI Docs: Watchdog Flagged Issues in Govt Housing Block Before Sale
2. ATO Cracks Down on Dodgy Landlords to Reclaim $1B+
3. Adelaide’s median rental price surpasses Melbourne’s for first time

January 24th 2025

1. McKell Institute recommends introducing a ‘once in a lifetime’ bond payment
2. Landlord cashes in on airspace, while denying tenants rent relief
3. You can now sign the Queensland petition to tax properties 100% for non-residential use
4. One in Four Renters Resort to Extreme Tactics to Secure Housing

January 17th 2025

1. NT holds up renter’s rights to clean drinking water
2. Tiny homes are being built in Adelaide to support teenagers exiting the protection system
3. NT upholds no-fault evictions, leaving renters at risk of homelessness
4. Canberra enters a slower than usual peak season in the rental market
   

December 13th 2024

1. 2024 was the worst year yet for renters - 2025 may not be better
2. Guardian wrote an insightful piece on the generation of ‘forever renters’
3. Landlords faced little to no consequences for keeping their homes in poor conditions - per Anika’s new report
4. A resident of a Tasmanian caravan park was facing eviction - his case is now being heard in the Supreme Court

December 6 2024

1. Nelson Alexander has allegedly had potentially sensitive tenant information stolen from their offices
2. Sydney tenant hit with $1000 fee due to rental payment surcharges
3. New Sydney plan helps to protect renters from extreme heat
4. ‘Hot bedding’ creating safety risks in Sydney

December 2 2024

1. Allan government announces crackdown on excessive rental increases
2. Brisbane real estate agent sends inappropriate email enquiring about relationship status
3. 1 in 5 Aussie renters are living without essentials
4. Perth is now the most expensive capital city to rent in

November 22 2024

1. Victoria introduces smoke alarm reform mandating yearly checks on properties
2. Melbourne’s rental vacancy rate increases to 1.64% as rents increase by $40 per week
3. 3 million Aussies are projected to be at risk of homelessness
4. Australians need more of their income than ever to pay their rent and mortgages

November 15th 2024:

1. Real estate agency LJ Hooker generated a real estate listing with non-existent schools
2. NSW Housing Minister suggest 2-bed rental in Sydney costs $200 per week in radio interview
3. Real Estate agent doxxed NSW tenant in breach of privacy laws
4. Landlords sharply hiking rents created more ‘forever renters’

November 8th 2024:

1. No Australian city meets theInternational benchmark of the 15 minute city
2. Elderly boarding house residents face eviction due to developers planning luxury buildings in NSW
3. Victorian government announces 50 higher density housing zones
4. Tenants Victoria offer financial counselling

November 1st 2024:

1. Victorian government propose sweeping rental reforms including ban on no-fault evictions

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-30/renters-rights-victoria-premier-jacinta-allan-housing-reforms/104532870

1. Consumer Affairs hand out almost $450,000 in fines in past 6 months for dodgy rental properties

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/almost-450-000-of-fines-handed-out-for-dodgy-rentals-since-march-20241026-p5klhy.htm

1. NSW Parliament passed a Bill ending ‘no grounds’ eviction and other rental reforms in NSW

https://www.tenants.org.au/resource/law-change

1. Inner Melbourne Community Legal will return to court in December to pursue their class action trial against Homes Victoria

https://imcl.org.au/class-action/

October 18th 2024:

An agent from Ray White Oakleigh will face federal court over 11 cases of alleged underquoting.

https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/latest-news/ray-white-oakleigh-faces-court-action-for-alleged-misleading-practices

1. ABC has combed through the register of interest and found that of 227 sitting MPs, only 12 are not home owners.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-16/how-many-properties-do-australian-federal-politicians-own/104476596

1. A new report shows that homelessness is higher in areas where there is a lack of affordable private rental housing.

https://www.theage.com.au/property/news/the-surprising-number-of-people-who-are-homeless-in-your-suburb-20241010-p5khcb.html

1. The Guardian wants to hear from renters and landlords about their experience navigating the housing crisis.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/16/australia-housing-affordability-crisis-rent-reader-callout

1. A real estate agent has allegedly fled the country after being accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/real-estate-agent-debra-lawry-accused-of-stealing-hundreds-of-thousands-from-clients-and-employees/29121a3e-546c-44fe-8dff-70253c14a8b0

October 11th 2024:

1. VCAT has ruled that a landlord could not evict her tenant to move a family member into the house. https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/a-landlord-wanted-april-out-to-move-in-a-family-member-vcat-said-no-20240917-p5kbbn.html
2. Everybody’s Home released a report on affordable rents for individuals with lower incomes https://everybodyshome.com.au/resources/priced-out-an-index-of-affordable-rentals-for-people-on-the-lowest-incomes/
3. An army reshuffle could put stress on NT rental market https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/army-reshuffle-could-tip-rental-market-into-desperation-territory/news-story/56962970b38356332a24e61d7ab0f002
4. South Australian house prices are rising as Victorian investors are avoiding tax increases https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-02/sa-home-prices-up-as-victorian-investors-seek-to-avoid-tax/104417640
5. Tenants Victoria share their reflections a year on from the housing statement https://tenantsvic.org.au/news/housing-statement-2024/

September 27th 2024:

1. NSW renters could no longer be charged fees on ‘rent-tech’ platforms https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-tenants-would-not-be-charged-fees-for-paying-rent-under-proposed-laws-20240922-p5kcje.html
2. Sydney Real estate agents posts personal information of critics online https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-22/sydney-real-estate-agency-personal-information-critics/104373684?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link
3. NSW proposes legislation to require landlords to allow ‘reasonable’ pet requests https://www.9news.com.au/national/rental-rules-for-pets-change-nsw/e6e52ef7-c03d-445a-8e6b-d477f5413a7c
4. New online tool, ‘Rent Check’ allows you to compare your rent to houses in your area https://www.9news.com.au/national/rent-check-new-tool-to-check-if-tenants-are-paying-too-much-nsw/5d4b5bea-f655-48a9-be16-3bacc08dc3f0

September 20th 2024:

1. ‘Rent tech’ platforms have renters paying a fee to pay their rent https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/18/renttech-real-estate-ailo-snug-ignite-renters-ntwnfb
2. RMIT releases a new report on improving renting conditions https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/a-better-deal-the-new-plan-to-improve-conditions-for-renters/xxeg636fb
3. NSW will ban needing renters to pay for their own background checks https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-will-make-asking-renters-to-pay-for-background-checks-illegal/2a39824d-12c4-40a9-baf7-e5d3196349bd
4. Outback QLD council builds new homes to boost population amid housing crisis https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-11/cloncurry-council-builds-new-houses-to-grow-population/104332106

September 13th 2024:

1. Nelson Alexander apologised after soliciting a bidding war https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/real-estate-agency-says-it-was-trying-to-help-landlord-in-rent-bidding-war-apology/q4ygavtuf
2. NCAT denied a case for a mould infestation because they cannot make binding decisions if the landlord lives interstate https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-09/nsw-interstate-landlord-rental-loophole-mould-ncat/104318934
3. Victorian government has made changes to short stay levy bill, affecting companies like Airbnb https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-27/housing-policy-airbnb-regulations-victoria/104273174
4. Major Australian Housing Report states ‘social housing’ will end housing crisis https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/key-takeaways-from-major-australian-housing-report/rkqesxrye
5. Tenants Victoria releases new renter factsheets https://tenantsvic.org.au/news/new-renter-factsheets/

September 6th 2024:

1. Greens announced plans for a national renters protection authority. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/sep/02/greens-appeal-to-renters-with-regulator-that-could-fine-real-estate-agencies
2. Victorian Socialists target renter’s votes in the upcoming election https://brunswickvoice.com.au/socialists-target-renters-votes/
3. National Housing Supply and Affordability Council chair Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz calls for more protection for renters. https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8753452/calls-to-come-under-one-roof-to-tackle-housing-crisis/
4. Suburbtrends’ September Rental Pain Index reveals that 68% of Australian suburbs are in extreme rental stress. https://newshub.medianet.com.au/2024/09/suburbtrends-rental-pain-index-september-2024-the-housing-crisis-persists/65245/

August 30th 2024:

1. Jordan van den Lamb (@purplepingers) is running for Parliament with the Victorian Socialists. https://www.instagram.com/p/C_Hr2tWT-IN/?hl=en
   
2. FOI documents reveal that the Victorian Government is leaving thousands of public housing dwellings empty. https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/joal-s-landlord-is-leaving-her-old-home-empty-she-can-t-understand-why-20240822-p5k4dh.html
   
3. Better Renters has released a report on renter’s energy challenges. https://www.betterrenting.org.au/joule_thieves_renter_energy_survey_report
   
4. A North Melbourne car park has won out over an affordable housing project. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/28/melbourne-curzon-street-car-park-affordable-housing-project

August 23rd 2024:

1. The People's Commission into Australia's Housing Crisis have released their final report. https://everybodyshome.com.au/peoples-commission/final-report/
   
2. A homeless man has reoffended days after asking a judge to extend his sentence for two years, due to a lack of housing and support services. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-20/geraldton-wa-homeless-man-asks-for-two-years-jail/104242950
   
3. Residents of Gillarong, a remote Indigenous community in Western Australia, have filed a class action law suit against the Housing Authority and the State of WA due to the government's failure to repair state-owned houses. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-22/wa-indigenous-public-housing-class-action-launched/104189272
   
4. Lord Mayor Nick Reece has announced plans to redevelop CBD offices into apartments. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/irresistible-for-developers-the-lord-mayor-s-plan-to-turn-offices-into-apartments-20240820-p5k3qr.html
   
5. Community Legal Centres all around Australia are calling for the federal government to guarantee ongoing funding by December 2024. https://www.savecommunitylegalcentres.com/take-action