Samantha Bett’s Post

PowerHousing featured on the front page of the The Australian Financial Review Property section today with insight into the outstanding response of its CHP Members to the once-in-a-decade investment in housing- the #HAFF. Since the HAFF / Accord policy took shape in 2022-23, PowerHousing applauded Minister Julie Collins and the Federal Government on this bold and prudent initiative. We continue to affirm the landmark policy and call for its longevity. Further to that, we must address the acute nature of the housing supply shortfall and therefore front-load the approval of projects. PowerHousing Members have responded to the call from the Commonwealth in outstanding fashion, and applied for funding for an estimated 22,600 new dwellings in the first funding round. In partnership with Government, we can make inroads in the short-medium term on the supply and cost of social and affordable housing. Matt King Michelle Gegenhuber Housing Australia Tetris Capital Stockland JLL Michael Bleby #housing #affordablehousing #socialandaffordablehousing #investment #leadership #affordability

Australia has a housing supply crisis and we need all levels of government to make moves that will unlock more homes. On Thursday, the Business Council of Australia hosted a roundtable with The Australian Financial Review to discuss the issues driving the housing shortage. BCA Chief Executive Bran Black, Lendlease CEO Tony Lombardo, Stockland CEO Tarun Gupta and Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn were all in attendance. Participants agreed that costs have spiralled post-COVID and unless there are significant changes, housing affordability challenges will continue. It is critical to solve these material and labour supply challenges if we are to meet the Commonwealth's goal of building 1.2 million homes in the next five years. The BCA’s ‘It’s time to say yes to housing’ report provides 29 recommendations to create more housing supply at all levels of government. Business stands ready to assist governments in making housing more affordable in Australia.  Read more in the coverage from the AFR below:

Housing chiefs have said that Scotland is in the invidious position of tackling a lack of homes while the country has been rendered 'almost uninvestable' for investors. A bid by the Scottish Government to clarify aspects of planned rent controls under its new Housing (Scotland) Bill instead prompted housing companies to call for more clarity. While rent controls are seen as a critical tool to help tackle the country’s housing crisis, housing industry figures have pointed to billions of pounds worth of housing investment being stalled amid uncertainty around returns. It comes as the Scottish capital's first build-to-rent launch of the year took place this week. My Business Week column: https://lnkd.in/e-CgQ2sh #rentcontrols #housingbill #housingemergency

In the Courier Mail this week: Property investment expert James Fitzgerald of Custodian said investors seeking property over winter may have an advantage. “Winter is traditionally a softer buying/selling season with spring and summer the most robust, but the truth is you can generally find better opportunities when there are less buyers active,” he said. Those who were still keen on Perth should consider the city’s north, Mr Fitzgerald said. “The new rail and road extensions in the north of Perth have opened areas like Eglinton and Yanchep which are forecast to see their populations grow from 40,000 to nearly 120,000 and triple inside of the next 10 years,” he said. “This is a significant amount of demand that will be generated for housing in and around those areas. “To the south of Perth, you have got Bertram and Wellard which have seen a significant amount of growth in recent times but are also set to see their populations nearly double in the next 10 years, benefiting from significant infrastructure investment from the West Australian Government.” For the full story: https://lnkd.in/ecaqZDWn Want to hear more from James: https://lnkd.in/eE3c4him #bulletproofinvesting #financialcontrol #moneymatters #moneymanagement #budget101 #jamesfitzgerald #financialstress #moneywise #yourmoney #gaincontrol #getthebook #inspiringbook #lifechanging #education #finances #money #financialliteracy #personalfinance

An excellent 'Decarbonising the UK's housing stock' webinar earlier today from Centre for Cities. With the UK currently off-track when it comes to decarbonising the housing stock, and with housing generating 1/5th of carbon emissions in rural areas and 1/3rd in cities, a change in the approach is clearly crucial. A positive message from Shadow Minister for Energy, Alan Whitehead MP, who is clearly keen for a Labour government to work directly with local authorities and take a localised approach to upgrading and retrofitting housing stock across the country. Some valuable insights on what industry and government needs to do to ensure a greener housing stock and reach #netzero, from Professor in Practice for Sustainable finance Nick Robins and Low Carbon Housing Director at Octopus Energy Emma Fletcher MRICS alongside Alan Whitehead. The upcoming local elections and general election will show us whether such cooperation will be possible and whether the new government will prioritise achieving its targets.

ABS data out today revealed that national dwelling commencements fell a concerning 6.4% in the December 2023 quarter when compared with the same quarter last year, in seasonally adjusted terms. This outcome was driven by a massive drop-off in new private sector houses built – 14.9% December 2023 quarter on December 2022 quarter. Today’s result showed that December 2023 quarter dwelling commencements were at their second lowest level since mid-2012, following the low of the September 2023 quarter. Dwelling completions for 2024 are currently projected at approximately 150,000, which is approximately 90,000 dwellings short of the Government’s target of 240,000 per year (2024-2029). A real positive is that the Federal Government and Housing Australia have moved exceptionally quickly to implement the first round of the $10b Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF)- in fact 38 days following the finalised Investment Mandate. A noble feat, indeed. Now it's incumbent on both sides of the political isle to support the: 1) front-loading of project financing approvals following the deadline of the first funding round on 22 March, and 2) continuity of the HAFF/National Housing Accord program to provide building pipeline certainty. Michelle Gegenhuber Matt King #housing #housingaffordability #newhomes #building #residentialbuilding #leadership #solutions

Some thoughts in the article below on the draft NPPF and consultation document was published last week. It's one of a series of articles corresponding to the three pillars (stability, investment and reform) that the consultation refers to as being key catalysts for the growth the Labour administration is seeking to deliver through the planning system. My colleagues Will Thomas (stability) and Karen Howe (reform) have prepared the other articles in the series and all three can be accessed below: https://lnkd.in/eueBvnRs https://lnkd.in/eGNZTCrT https://lnkd.in/eBPAdrxa #NPPF #Planning #Living #EnergyandInfrastructure

I've long argued that housing targets are an essential part of getting more homes built in the UK, so delighted to see the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves sticking to her manifesto commitment to bring them back. Everyone knows we don't have the people to build the 300,000 homes p.a. cited, so what we will also need is an industrial strategy, which encourages business to invest in developing the solutions the country needs. Unsurprisingly, I strongly believe that MMC has to be one part of any industrial strategy, to increase productivity and improve sustainability across UK construction. We have an opportunity here for UK construction to become the global leader in MMC adoption. #sustainablehomes #mmc Ibstock Plc Ibstock Futures https://lnkd.in/eM9TixZN

The decarbonisation of the UK’s social housing stock, which includes more than 4.5 million homes in England alone, is a significant part of the UK Government’s strategy to reach net zero by 2050. However, the cost of upgrading these homes is enormous.    According to this report by JLL, if a £35,000 bill is applied to just half of the 4.5 million homes owned by local authorities and housing associations across England, it equates to almost £79bn. This figure represents nearly two-thirds of the social housing sector's entire committed debt (£123bn).   Given these significant costs, what are your views on the role private finance initiatives have to play in bridging or even covering the costs?   #decarbonisation #constructionindustry   https://lnkd.in/eXU7andP 

In the Courier Mail this week: Property investment expert James Fitzgerald of Custodian said investors seeking property over winter may have an advantage. “Winter is traditionally a softer buying/selling season with spring and summer the most robust, but the truth is you can generally find better opportunities when there are less buyers active,” he said. Those who were still keen on Perth should consider the city’s north, Mr Fitzgerald said. “The new rail and road extensions in the north of Perth have opened areas like Eglinton and Yanchep which are forecast to see their populations grow from 40,000 to nearly 120,000 and triple inside of the next 10 years,” he said. “This is a significant amount of demand that will be generated for housing in and around those areas. “To the south of Perth, you have got Bertram and Wellard which have seen a significant amount of growth in recent times but are also set to see their populations nearly double in the next 10 years, benefiting from significant infrastructure investment from the West Australian Government.” For the full story: https://lnkd.in/ezcykgms Want to hear more from James: https://lnkd.in/ezxEFs3V #bulletproofinvesting #financialcontrol #moneymatters #moneymanagement #budget101 #jamesfitzgerald #financialstress #moneywise #yourmoney #gaincontrol #getthebook #inspiringbook #lifechanging #education #finances #money #financialliteracy #personalfinance