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Housing Affordability Crisis
ACTION TO ADDRESS THE HOUSING CRISIS IN THE NORTHERN RIVERS
There is hardly any affordable or secure housing available for people in our area to rent or buy. Many people have had to move out of the area, away from their friends, support networks, jobs, schools and community. Uprooting people is a symptom of a crisis not a cure for one.
We have seen unprecedented housing stress in the Northern rivers, brought about by: the rapid growth of an unregulated short-term holiday letting industry, increases of up to 30% in property values, almost no supply of rental properties for residents and urban buyers flocking to the area during Covid-19.
At any one time there are 2000-3000 houses in the Ballina electorate that have been booked through short-term holiday letting agencies. That’s an average of 6000 adults and 6000-10,000 children who reside in our community who could live in those homes if those properties were available as permanent rentals.
We must support people’s right to access secure, safe and affordable housing. Housing insecurity affects everybody in our community; the homeless, people in public and community housing, private renters, first home buyers, single parents, women, children and everyday working people.
To the NSW Premier and the State Government,
The housing crisis in the Northern Rivers is in desperate need of targeted solutions. To ensure people in our community have access to safe and secure housing options. We are asking you to:
- Support Byron Shire Council to Regulate short-term holiday letting in Byron
- End no-grounds evictions in NSW, and
- Amend the affordable housing SEPP to provide 30 year leases
Please sign the petition calling on the NSW State Government to take meaningful action to end the housing crisis in our region.
Showing 867 reactions
I DO strongly support planning limits on holiday letting (which would prevent these “no grounds” notices being used to change use of privately owned rental stock from local housing to holiday let).
I even more strongly support a return to proper funding of government owned social housing that is truly affordable for local workers and others (rents charged at 30% of actual household income). The move to privately developed “affordable housing” is a failed experiment that has only benefited greedy developers with sophisticated advice as to how to access the tax incentives without actually addressing local housing needs.
I do NOT support and end to “no grounds” evictions. As a land-lord who lets to local families and tries to keep rent fair and accessible I know from personal experience that a “no grounds” 3 month notice is the most cost effective way to get rid of a non-paying or problem tenant. Private land-lords have our own financial needs and pressures (and can experience real stress if tenants can’t or won’t pay). We do not have an obligation to provide social housing for people who can’t pay – only to pay appropriate tax on our income which should then be used for that purpose.