Households make room as renters share living costs pain
More struggling, noodle-eating students are moving in together as rents soar in cities and pledges to fix the housing crisis dominate the federal election.
housing and urban planning
Election hits final stretch as major sweeteners pledged
Australians wanting to buy their first home and taxpayers looking for cost of living reprieve have become the centrepiece of the major parties' pitches.
Greens pushing Labor to scrap property tax breaks
Federal Labor has ruled out changes to property tax handouts, but the Greens will try to force the party to act on the issue if there's a hung parliament.
Some student debtors to be allowed bigger home loans
Home values have surged as the multi-trillion dollar market continues to grow, with banks adjusting student debt calculations to help borrowers keep up.
Soaring rents slow down as tenants pushed to the brink
Rents remain at record highs in every capital city despite a slowdown in price growth, says a report that finds low supply leaves landlords with the upper hand.
Brick by brick, parties build election housing pitches
Tackling housing instability is key to securing an election win, with Labor vouching for build-to-rent while the coalition says Australians should own a home.
Treasurer joins chorus in hosing down rate cut hopes
"Almost nobody" is expecting an interest cut, the treasurer says as the Reserve Bank's new rate-setting board meets with an election campaign in full swing.
Home owners reap windfall as buyers warned on new units
Home sellers notched a record profit in last three months of 2024 but not every property owner will be so lucky in the future, real estate researchers warn.
Plans to help more into ‘disaster’ housing market
Aspiring homeowners could secure a cheaper mortgage and lower deposit by letting the government take a stake, but Peter Dutton questions whether they want to.
Rental reforms to help keep young staff in pricey homes
The difficulty of businesses finding young labour has been highlighted as tenant-empowering reforms are due to hit Australia's least-affordable housing market.
First homebuyers, renters centrepiece of housing pledge
First homebuyers and renters struggling to find a home are being offered some hope in a budget that bakes in $33 billion in measures to improve affordability.
Doubling housing supply incentive could help renters
Australia is expected to fall hundreds of thousands of homes short of its housing target but reforms could bring it back up to speed and help renters.
Post-pandemic property price roller-coaster to flatten
There are signs the housing market in normalising five years after the COVID-19 pandemic sent home values soaring across Australia.
Super housing scheme could shave years off home wait
Australians raiding their super balances for housing could boost home ownership but may result in a jump in prices, economists say.
‘Short window’ as property prices rebound on rate cut
Two capital cities are leading the housing market higher as buyers look to get ahead of a wave of demand as interest rates finally fall.
Record high house prices as rate cut buoys sentiment
House prices have rebounded to record highs after the Reserve Bank's rate cut boosted sentiment and improved Australians' borrowing power.
Underlying inflation up but good news on housing, rents
Fresh inflation figures should help convince the Reserve Bank to cut rates again in May, despite a slight uptick in underlying price growth, economists say.
Global uncertainty played a role in rate cut: RBA
Slowing inflation helped convince the Reserve Bank to cut rates at its last meeting but uncertainty over tariffs was also a factor, the deputy governor says.
Struggle Street residents last to benefit from rate cut
Rate relief has been delivered to Australian mortgage holders, yet the Reserve Bank governor says renters may have to wait a while longer to gain any benefit.
New homes and land banking off-limits to foreign buyers
Established homes will be off-limits and foreign owners will be forced to develop vacant land under new measures announced to improve housing supply.
Dutton prays for rate cut as RBA enters conclave
Economists say a major reduction in mortgage rates this year is unlikely, even though the Reserve Bank board is widely tipped to deliver a cut on Tuesday.
Australia must build out of crisis amid shocking data
Red tape must be ripped down to boost productivity in a bid to fix the nation's housing crisis, with shocking new data showing the slowing rate of construction.
‘No-brainer’ home ownership boost for HECS debt Aussies
Australians saddled with student debt who want to enter the housing market will be given a helping hand, under changes to lending requirements.
Aussies opt for regional living, pushing up home prices
A continued shift of Australians moving to regional towns for lifestyle reasons has boosted property prices at the expense of capital city values.
Retiring renters face homelessness as ownership falls
As home ownership falls, rents grow and the cost of living continues to surge, older renters will need more help when they enter retirement, a report has found.
House prices expected to rise amid supply challenge
Housing will remain a key policy battlefield at the election with prices expected to continue increasing and efforts to boost supply lagging behind targets.
Long-term homelessness grows amid housing cost crunch
Calls are mounting for more funding for homelessness services as data shows the number of people without a home long-term jumped.
Home approvals bounce can’t keep a lid on prices
Home values held firm in January as a shallow and short-lived housing downturn nears its end, with new supply coming too slowly to solve unaffordability.
‘Year of the unit’: cost squeeze drives homebuyer shift
Rising unaffordability and changing lifestyles are driving an unusual turnaround in real estate dynamics as unit prices grow faster than houses in some areas.
Apprentice incentive not enough to meet housing targets
Despite the Albanese government's well-meaning rhetoric, its policies and results reveal a failure to fix housing affordability, a housing expert says.
Home construction rises but target remains out of reach
High costs, labour shortages and low productivity are limiting the sector's ability to build new homes as construction activity remains below required levels.