Housing affordability: NSW and Victoria are sitting on a glut of 100,000 underused houses
Housing affordability: NSW and Victoria are sitting on a glut of 100,000 underused houses; Thousands of large homes occupied by one person in Sydney and Melbourne
Tweet Topic Started: 14 Aug 2017, 08:23 AM (868 Views)
NSW and Victoria are sitting on a glut of 100,000 underused houses, with more than 2000 six-bedroom homes across Sydney and Melbourne occupied by just one person, a Fairfax Media analysis has revealed.
In NSW, Canterbury-Bankstown, Northern Beaches and Blacktown local government areas each have between 1400 to 2000 four-bedroom homes with just one person living in them, while in Victoria, there are more than 1000 in Monash, Whitehorse and Frankston, data from the census figures shows.
"Your analysis shows there are over 100,000 underused properties in NSW and Victoria where there is most stress on the housing system," said Hal Pawson, the director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Research Centre at UNSW.
"At the same time up to 40 per cent of families are paying rent up to their eyes because the supply of property is artificially constrained by people sitting on underused homes."
"These people are cruising through their senior years but they are sitting on a huge amount of unused real estate," Mr Pawson said.
Seniors are discouraged from downsizing by state government stamp duties that cost homebuyers tens of thousands of dollars, and inject billions into the NSW and Victorian budgets each year. Breaking News Alert
Mother-of-five Joanna Karalis spent up to 50 per cent of her income on rent in Hurstville for a decade while supporting several children with disabilities.
"It was just horrible. I was constantly depressed and getting at the kids, which was even harder because they hadn't done anything wrong," she said.
"It was so hard with one wage just to keep the electricity, gas and water on and buy school uniforms for the kids."
The figures show that in Ms Karalis' former local government area of Georges River there are now 664 four-bedroom homes, 169 five-bedroom homes, and 37 six-bedroom homes with only one person living in them, while one-in-six residents suffer from rental stress.
"A lot of people in their 60s can expect to live for another 30 years. Try telling younger Australians that they have to wait for that to happen to be able to afford a house that is close to their job."
"It's frustrating to know that there are so many empty rooms out there that people can sleep in and they are not being used,"
Yep. Millions of cars used only intermittently and even when they are used they have 3 or more vacant seats. They should be confiscated and given to the poor whining SMH journalists.
Yep. Millions of cars used only intermittently and even when they are used they have 3 or more vacant seats. They should be confiscated and given to the poor whining SMH journalists.
It is a stupid thought process, even as a bear I can't understand why anyone would raise this as an issue. Firstly, you can't get people working their entire life to get this 'holy graill' where a life of memories have been forged only to expect/demand they give it up when their alone. Secondly even if they did it won't translate to much more or maybe re affordable homes for FHB. They will be sold to those who can afford them, how many FHB can afford freestanding homes within 20km of Melb/Syd cbd's? How many will be able to afford them in 20-30yrs time?
It's a very hollow view point and besides, if someone owns a home with 10 bedrooms, lives alone and wants to die there then who the fark am I or anyone to dictate otherwise?
I think house prices in Australia are a form of social depravity but it can't be solved by demanding people sell the homes they have worked a lifetime for.
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