Rent-seekers targeted in background-check fee ban
Prospective tenants are pressured to pay for checks on legally dubious databases as technology is installed between tenants and owners in a bid for profits.
real estate
Housing ‘defining issue’ for economy, says treasurer
Rents remain a lingering source of inflation weighing heavily on household budgets, with the federal government keen to see more homes built to ease pressures.
Room with a view comes at high price on tourist strip
High-rise apartment owners at a popular Australian tourist spot have been slugged with a "view tax" sending council rates to new heights.
Rent squeeze adds extra juice for first-home buyers
Renters across the nation face increasing rent hikes despite varied rental conditions, which is leading to some buying a home.
Average Australian house price hits almost $800,000
Soaring house prices might please home owners but for those trying to enter the market the odds are stacked against them as chronic housing shortages persist.
Housing lending falls after three months of growth
Both owner-occupier and investor lending slid in May after three months of growth, based on official Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
Home lending slips but still well ahead over the year
Both owner-occupier and investor lending slid in May after three months of growth, yet the total value of loans is holding up as property prices rise.
Family claims $1.4m loan ‘blighted’ 89yo woman’s life
Pepper Money has been sued over an "unjust" $1.4 million home loan which allegedly threw an elderly woman and her family into financial and emotional distress.
Chilly residents wonder why Australian homes so cold
As more residents take to social media complaining about cold homes, experts warn chilly interiors can impact people's health and wellbeing even if they rug up.
Stubborn economic challenges hang over RBA rates call
A June interest rate meeting comes as the federal government defends its budget management in an economy facing slow growth and persistent inflation.
‘We have a plan’: state reacts to housing crisis outcry
A real estate body has called on authorities to provide an accountable delivery plan, describing the Queensland's housing crisis as "woeful".
Treasury boss backs the young to navigate housing mess
The ever-increasing cost of housing is one of the big challenges facing young people but their future is not bleak, the Treasury secretary says.
economy, business and finance
homelessness
house building
housing and urban planning
politics
real estate
Supply shortfalls set to exacerbate housing crisis
Housing affordability has worsened in Australia and could be set to deteriorate further but there is no easy fix on the horizon.
Property profits up as prices keep ticking higher
Australia's real estate resilience has kept on keeping on despite higher interest rates and gloomy consumer sentiment.
Fraudster Melissa Caddick’s penthouse finally sells
A luxury penthouse apartment formerly owned by Sydney conwoman Melissa Caddick, 49, has been sold for an undisclosed sum with settlement expected next month.
Scammer jailed for stealing close to $400k from cousin
Angela Liberatore, 50, has been sentenced after she was found guilty by a jury of 33 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.
Court backs $2.7 million payout to couple hit by fraud
A couple who lost their newly purchased home are "incredibly relieved" to again be able to claim $2.7 million in damages from the Queensland government.
Home prices climb and rate cuts could fuel more growth
The Australian market is stuck between the competing forces of poor affordability and a supply demand mismatch.
Accused crepe assailant’s real estate licence revoked
Legal troubles have continued for a woman accused of assaulting the former Northern Territory chief minister, now having her real estate licence revoked.
‘A simple life’: the reincarnation of rural churches
Rural churches are getting second lives as music studios, luxury homes and cosy BnBs after the COVID-19 pandemic, which left many in search of a quiet life.
Lendlease Group hit with first strike after $232m loss
Lendlease has joined Qantas, Woolworths, Treasury Wine Estates, Magellan Financial and Whitehaven Coal in being slapped with a "first strike" on executive pay.
Australia’s rental market woes go from bad to worse
Regional areas in the Sunshine State are now the most unaffordable places for renters to live, as affordable housing concerns spread beyond capital cities.
Call to build homes to defy climate, save $4b a year
As floods, cyclones and bushfires become more ferocious, costs to home-owners could double by 2050 without changes to the construction code, an analysis shows.
Housing recovery entrenched but pace of growth eases
Home values continue to rise but growth has slowed amid more advertisements for stock and the toll of higher interest rates and cost of living pressures.
More than 10,000 take up regional first home scheme
More than 10,000 home buyers have taken advantage of a federal scheme to buy their first property in regional areas in the first year of the program.
Spring auction rates heating up, just like the weather
There have been more homes sold at auction around the country this weekend as the traditional heating up of the spring housing market gets under way nationwide.
Perth rents rise fastest as housing supply dwindles
Rental prices are skyrocketing in Perth as home vacancy rates plummet amid chronic housing supply shortages and unprecedented demand for homelessness services.
construction and property
economy, business and finance
environmental issue
insurance
politics
real estate
Insurers demand action on risks to stay above water
The financial hit from catastrophes may have dropped over the past 12 months but insurance premiums keep rising, an industry report shows.
Property market blooms on first weekend of spring
The weather is hotting up and so is the property market, with a surge in the number of auctions set to be held over the first weekend of spring.
Investors flock to Brisbane but other cities subdued
Investor lending has jumped in Queensland but fallen in most other key states, with strong property price growth also reported in the state's capital.
Housing recovery gains momentum as supply tightens
Home values have risen for the sixth month in a row, with CoreLogic's latest index showing a 0.8 per cent lift in August.