Homes for all – NSW Socialists

Housing inequality in New South Wales is getting worse. More and more working-class households can’t afford a home, while landlords, developers, and banks are making billions. Over the past 5 years, rents in New South Wales have increased by 50 percent, house prices by 35 percent; there are over 70,000 people on the social housing waiting list and more than 35,000 who are homeless.

This crisis is not being caused by migration or a lack of homes. Property construction has outpaced the growth in new households, and there are thousands of empty homes in Greater Sydney (excluding holiday homes), even as thousands of people go without one.

It’s the result of political choices and a housing market that put profits before people. Rents and mortgage repayments keep going up; public land has been sold off to developers; empty properties are hoarded while investors wait for prices to rise; public housing is being demolished. Everyone should have a right to an affordable, safe and secure home. Instead, wealthy landlords, developers, and banks hold access to housing hostage for profit.

NSW Socialists stand for renters, for households struggling with mortgages, and for everyone experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

We’ll fight for

Renters

35 percent rent cut for all residential tenancies followed by a rent freeze for five years, to reduce one of the key financial pressures on working class households.
After 5 years, create Rental Inspectorate New South Wales, which will be empowered to:
- Investigate complaints against landlords and agents and enforce penalties.
- Introduce rent control where rents can only increase annually by either half of CPI or WPI, whichever is lower.
- Enforce minimum standards (safety, quality and thermal comfort), including by conducting spot inspections of advertised rental properties and issuing enforceable improvement notices to landlords.

Working-class homeowners

A state bank offering low interest rates to working-class households.

Public housing

A publicly owned and run construction firm to build energy- efficient public housing — 150,000 units in ten years.
End the demolition and sell-off of public housing.
Stop the privatisation of public housing by ending and reversing the transfer of ownership and management to non-government organisations.

Crack down on property speculators and property hoarders

Seize empty homes – properties found to have been left empty for 12 months without a valid reason will be seized and allocated to people rough sleeping or on the public housing waiting list
Developers who breach planning laws or who become insolvent should be banned from future developments and their assets seized and put into public ownership.