Renters in Australia continue to face inconsistent tenancy laws and an ongoing lack of protection, says a new report out today from the National Association of Renters’ Organisations (NARO) and National Shelter. Full report and media release here: tinyurl.com/56jxykf2

If the government achieves its goal of 1.2m new dwellings over the next 5 years (unlikely) we'll shift in this chart from about 407 to 414 (to Ireland) dwellings per 1000 persons. Not nothing but also not much.

Renters in this story are passing out, sleeping in offices, losing relationships, & finding themselves at "'wits' end'" as they try to cool their rental homes in QLD. Only 7% of QLD renters in our survey were "almost never" too hot at home in summer. buff.ly/4cO1DJp

Hello! I am looking to speak to people who are currently receiving rent assistance about how much of their rent/living costs it covers & what dent the extra 10% will make. If you are happy to chat - and possibly be photographed - DM me.

Don't wait to submit to the Better Renting Photo Book: we're showing how frequently landlords neglect repairs, maintenance, & your right to a safe place to live by printing a book of your photos & hand-delivering it to MPs in Nov. Link is threaded below, submissions close 13/9!

The form to submit your photos is here: buff.ly/3LZmEpM

I spend a lot of time discussing apartment design standards, and we spend an awful lot of time discussing how large an apartment we should mandate, and none discussing how to design apartments so that they aren't systematically ridden with black mould. abc.net.au/news/2021-07-2…

Poverty in Australia looks like living an hour out of Melbourne with no modern amenities. It’s camping with walls, but the walls are asbestos. I spent a day with Alice, her family and friends. This is their story: theguardian.com/australia-news…

To survive on welfare Australians must now live in a share house for their whole lives, get into public housing or be forced into homelessness, the report found: theguardian.com/australia-news…

Strong supply has led to a 6.7% fall in median house prices in the ACT since mid-2022 record highs. Median asking rents have fallen by 1.2% ($7 a week for detached homes and $5 a week for units and apartments). A reprieve, however, >50% of low income renters are in housing stress

irishtimes.com/life-style/202…

It's always striking that repossession is presented as at bank's last resort, and financial hardship an understandable circumstance, while rent arrears are presented as an almost moral failing for which a tenant ought lose their home in a matter of weeks. theguardian.com/australia-news…

Excellent news that Victoria will abolish 'no-grounds' termination notices for all tenancies. Note, however, that they evidently mean 'no-grounds', not 'no-fault' evictions. For example, grounds will include LL moving in - which is no fault of tenant. premier.vic.gov.au/more-rights-me…

The only jurisdiction in the country with (moderate) rent control also has the most affordable rents 🤔

Across the last ten years, 160 children under the age of 14 have died in homelessness in Australia. From me and Christopher Knaus: theguardian.com/society/2024/n…

Ben, a former Better Renting Renter Researcher, spoke to the SMH about the hidden costs of moving to what, at a glance, look like more affordable rental homes:

When we only look at rent costs, "housing can appear affordable even though it can cost households in other ways, spanning location, transport costs, energy costs, home size and build quality." A healthy housing system would allow renters to live the lives they want to live.

Read more from Ben, our ED Joel, and Tenants' Union NSW's Leo Patterson Ross in the full article here: buff.ly/41f6wt6

The #HousingCrisis is getting worse - more people, including workers, are turning to homelessness services, and many are stuck in homelessness for longer. We need a plan to end Australia's social housing shortfall. #BuildSocialHousing! theguardian.com/society/2024/d…

The ATO is going after landlords who aren't paying their taxes after finding that 9 out of 10 landlords "haven’t declared rental income or over- or under-estimate their earnings." That adds up to $1.2 billion in unpaid taxes.