Housing Shortage

[red750]

Of nearly two dozen homes built in our area over the last two years, only one is single storey. I have heard that to get a building permit approved it must be at least double storey. This is possibly because it has to have a smaller footprint so they can fit two dwellings on the one block. Many battleaxe blocks around. I also think the double garage thing is to prevent too many cars lining the streets. That's the problem with multi-storey unit blocks, where do the tenants park their cars?

 

5 hours ago, spenaroo said:

every new build now has to meet disability requirements

Not only for homes. We had to vacate our rented Men's Shed location in July 2022, and the local council offered us a disused council building on a 5 year lease while they built a new multi-purpose building which included provision for us. The problem is, the brick building has to be brought up to disability standards, but at our cost, because the council refuses to put 1 cent to the upgrade as the building will be redeveloped when we leave. It is situated in a corner of the local football ground behind the scoreboard.

 

There is a perfectly good toilet in the building, better than the premises we currently share with another Shed, but they insist it be replaced at a cost of $60,000, which we don't have. All work must be done by their contractors, we can't do it ourselves, or put out tenders. Also, they require wheelchair access (there is a single step at the front door), but this requires architect and engineering involvement. This doesn't include the heating, cooling, lighting and power requirements. It has now been two years, who knows how much longer, and there has been no action or discussion on the permanent building they plan. Doubt I will see it in my lifetime.

[spacesailor]

Those Old suburbs on the quarter acre block , are ripe

For putting four or six cramped boxes in the place of one with a lovely garden .

Even get a " highrise " block of 80 unit flats on that big block .

spacesailor

[spenaroo]

With some of the most housing troubled states, also being the ones with budget deficits,

surely it would be attractive for the government to develop housing - they have the most chance to profit and get things approved.

 

I think the fact that they consistently refuse to build anything themselves is very telling.

[red750]

[facthunter]

People who do work for the gov't seem to think the govt is an easy target for a rip off and cut corners. Like in many of the Russian factories of the Past. Look at the Belarus Tractors as an example.. (Ivan the Terrible).   Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

On 10/06/2024 at 6:53 AM, facthunter said:

It's mainly caused by the escalation of the prices of materials on fixed price contracts. INFLATION and supply issues Nev

That may have been the case in Covid, but are the building materials prices still increasing? My builder has said the prices have been falling (at least over here).Plastics should be steady at the moment;

 

Here is the historical lumber prices:

Feb 2022 was the last peak and while it is higer than pre-Covid, the builders have had a couple of years to adjust now.

 

Copper remains steady since Covid, buit histoprically, the price is not unusual:

 

Gypusm tells a different story, but it has been at these levels for over 2 years:

 

 

So, is it just prices? I am thinking there is more to it - what I have no idea. Possibly suppliers taking the p155

 

 

[old man emu]

It is said that employee wages can account for up to 80% of a business's costs. Starting with the person who provides the raw material for a product, through the person who manufactures it, ultimately to the end user, little wage increases become cumulative, raising the price to the consumer. It's called inflation. 

[facthunter]

IF a worker's wages don't keep pace with inflation their value is decreasing.   Managerials etc got an average of 14% The rich get richer and the Poor get Ef'd over.  Nev

[spacesailor]

The ' top ' CEO's are out of control . 

Macquarie bank payed $ 53 million pa . Then a " golden "

Handshake to see him off .

That equates to 900 employees . ( guesstimate ). 

spacesailor

 

[facthunter]

It's certainly BS space. without a doubt. I don't know how they could look themselves in the Mirror. They have NO shame..   Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

They're sociopaths.. 

[Jerry_Atrick]

7 hours ago, old man emu said:

It is said that employee wages can account for up to 80% of a business's costs. Starting with the person who provides the raw material for a product, through the person who manufactures it, ultimately to the end user, little wage increases become cumulative, raising the price to the consumer. It's called inflation. 

Yes.. I understand that; my point is we have been living with it for a while so businesses have had time to adjust.. yet they are still falling like flies it would seem.

 

We have a similar system here.. yet housebuilders seem to have survived... 

 

Also I doubt the salaries are 80% of costs all up these days.. And the price of Commodities has very little correlation to costs.

[facthunter]

Everywhere you look here there's a Sea of new houses .A lot are on Air B&B. In Qld they are looking at restricting that as the quality of life of adjourning owners is dreadful with wild parties etc going on, all the time.  Nev 

[spacesailor]

I worked for a ' super sized ' conglomerate company,

When I started it had 2,000 plus workers @ a couple of hundred ' office ' staff , after 15 plus years there were

' 2,000 ' office staff , & less than 200 factory floor workers . $ millions spent on automation .

To get rid of the " low " paid workers .

spacesailor

[Jerry_Atrick]

Wanna fix the housing crisis? Get ris of negative gearing.. period.

 

 

Worked here.

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

Wanna fix the housing crisis? Get ris of negative gearing.. period.

Bit hard when the pollies are some of the biggest benefitters of the system.

[spacesailor]

We're to put those new skyscrapers. 

In the footy ovals .

Big enough footprint for the biggest block of flats .

spacesailor

[red750]

Merri-bek City Council (formerly Moreland Council) is embarking on a plan to get rid of rental properties and landlords. They claim landlords are fueling the housing shortage and keeping prices high. By returning the rental properties to the housing market, they claim this will drive house prices down. They don't say what will happen to the renters of those properties who can't afford to buy a house. Guess they'll have to move to other suburbs, if they can find somewhere to rent.

[facthunter]

Red that sort of stuff is stupid. Just supply a lot of prefab homes that do the job and can be moved if the need be. It's the supply side where the issue is and you should have a low cost option if your  entire life isn't tied up with a house fit for a King.  Nev

[red750]

There was a guy from the council on Seven's afternoon news who just kept talking and talking. Mike Amore tried to interrupt and ask a question, but the guy ignored him and just kept going. He was sure this was the way to go.

[facthunter]

I certainly did NOT get the information from there (Ch 7) and very few Councils do anything to help. They are just interested in RATE income as their income is tied to that.  IF you have an expensive house and move often you lose a lot of money in taxes and costs when you sell, regardless of how much equity you have in it. . You might make a bit of capital gain (on Paper) but the next place you buy has gone up too. Your "Profit' has gone to just keep an equal house somewhere else.   Nev

[red750]

You're right. They intend to increase the rates on rental properties to drive the landlords out. Either that, or the landlords will increase rents, driving the renters out. Not sure how rate caps will affect that.

[facthunter]

Not all renters of houses fit the common bad concept of landlords. There is a need for houses to rent. It could also be a house they want to come back to. You can't tar all people with the one brush. I've met plenty of  people  travelling around Australia who have rented out their ONLY house for fairly extensive periods. AIR BnB is a problem in the scheme of things but in say Snow country long rental periods don't often happen.  Nev

[old man emu]

I've rented virtually all my life. It has left me a financially constrained retirement, and during my working life I had little free money to indulge in travel or other pursuits. I'm not bitching. It is what it is. However, I always lived in fear of being informed that the owner was selling the place and that I would have to find some other rental. Luckily because of my career, and good references, I usually walked into any place I chose. But the thought of suddenly have to meet the added expense of moving is always in the back of your mind.

 

Now one might think that being given a place to live by my sister, and only having to contribute to the electricity, I'd be calm. But my sister is approaching her 80s. Her daughter may want to sell up. After all the work and expense I have put into the hovel, what have I got to enable me to move?

[facthunter]

NO Thing is forever. You have a roof and hot running water in a safe part of the world. You are in the top 2%.  Nev