Secure Occupancy in Rental Housing: Conceptual Foundations And
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Secure occupancy in rental housing: conceptual foundations and comparative perspectives authored by Kath Hulse, Vivienne Milligan and Hazel Easthope for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Swinburne-Monash Research Centre UNSW-UWS Research Centre July 2011 AHURI Final Report No. 170 ISSN: 1834-7223 ISBN: 978-1-921610-76-9 Authors Hulse, Kath Swinburne University of Technology Milligan, Vivienne University of New South Wales Easthope, Hazel University of New South Wales Title Secure occupancy in rental housing: conceptual foundations and comparative perspectives ISBN 978-1-921610-76-9 Format PDF Key words Secure, occupancy, rental, housing, conceptual, foundation, comparative, perspective Editor Jim Davison AHURI National Office Publisher Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Melbourne, Australia Series AHURI Final Report; no. 170 ISSN 1834-7223 Preferred citation Hulse, K. et al. (2011) Secure occupancy in rental housing: conceptual foundations and comparative perspectives, AHURI Final Report No.170. Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This material was produced with funding from the Australian Government and the Australian states and territory governments. AHURI Limited gratefully acknowledges the financial and other support it has received from these governments, without which this work would not have been possible. AHURI comprises a network of universities clustered into Research Centres across Australia. Research Centre contributions, both financial and in-kind, have made the completion of this report possible. The authors would like to acknowledge, and thank, the international researchers who contributed the jurisdiction case studies that enabled the comparative analysis and without whom this project would not have been possible: Æ Dr Julie Lawson, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands Æ Dr Marietta Haffner, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands Æ Professor John Gilderbloom, Chuyan Hu, Zachary Kenitzer, Tinka Newson, Maggie Stone and Lin Ye, University of Louisville, Kentucky, US Æ Mr Steve Pomeroy, Focus Consulting, Ontario, Canada Æ Professor Hal Pawson, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland Æ Dr Michelle Norris, University College Dublin, Ireland. The authors would also like to acknowledge and thank: Æ Key informants in NSW and Victoria who agreed to be interviewed for this project. Æ Mary Tomlinson, Swinburne University of Technology, for assistance with the research. Æ Liss Ralston, Swinburne University of Technology, for assistance with data analysis. Æ Håkan Arvidsson, University of New South Wales, and David Hudson, Swinburne University of Technology, for editing this Final Report. Æ Two anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments on an earlier draft of this Final Report. DISCLAIMER AHURI Limited is an independent, non-political body which has supported this project as part of its programme of research into housing and urban development, which it hopes will be of value to policy-makers, researchers, industry and communities. The opinions in this publication reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of AHURI Limited, its Board or its funding organisations. No responsibility is accepted by AHURI Limited or its Board or its funders for the accuracy or omission of any statement, opinion, advice or information in this publication. AHURI FINAL REPORT SERIES AHURI Final Reports is a refereed series presenting the results of original research to a diverse readership of policy makers, researchers and practitioners. ii PEER REVIEW STATEMENT An objective assessment of all reports published in the AHURI Final Report Series by carefully selected experts in the field ensures that material of the highest quality is published. The AHURI Final Report Series employs a double-blind peer review of the full Final Report—where anonymity is strictly observed between authors and referees. iii CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... VII LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ IX ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................... X EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 1 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 12 1.1 Background ......................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Approach ............................................................................................................. 13 1.2.1 Why secure occupancy? ............................................................................ 13 1.2.2 Why rental housing? ................................................................................... 14 1.2.3 Why comparative research? ....................................................................... 16 1.3 Research aim and objective ................................................................................ 17 1.4 Outline of the Final Report ................................................................................... 18 2 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK, RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 20 2.1 Conceptualising secure occupancy in rental housing .......................................... 20 2.1.1 Lenses for viewing secure occupancy in rental housing ............................ 20 2.1.2 A more comprehensive public policy perspective on secure occupancy in rental housing ............................................................................................. 25 2.2 Research design and methods ............................................................................ 26 2.2.1 From conceptual framework to research methods ..................................... 26 2.2.2 Review of provisions for secure occupancy in Australia............................. 29 2.2.3 Comparative research: case studies of the framework for secure occupancy in eight other jurisdictions ......................................................... 30 2.2.4 Comparative analysis, thematic analysis and reporting ............................. 33 3 MARKET, POLICY AND LEGAL CONTEXTS FOR SECURE OCCUPANCY IN AUSTRALIAN RENTAL HOUSING .................................................................... 35 3.1 Market context for secure occupancy in rental housing ....................................... 35 3.1.1 Size and composition of the rental sector by sub-sector ............................ 35 3.1.2 Demand for rental housing ......................................................................... 36 3.1.3 Supply and availability of rental housing .................................................... 39 3.2 Policy context: different policy domains ............................................................... 40 3.3 Legislative context for secure occupancy ............................................................ 43 3.3.1 Key provisions in Australian residential tenancies legislation relevant to secure occupancy ...................................................................................... 43 3.3.2 Review and reform of residential tenancies legislation ............................... 45 3.4 Linking the market, policy and legal contexts ...................................................... 47 3.4.1 Connecting social policies and residential tenancies legislation at a federal government level ........................................................................................ 47 3.4.2 Connecting residential tenancies legislation and social policies at a state/territory government level .................................................................. 48 3.4.3 Potential for cooperation across levels of government and portfolio areas 49 3.5 Summary ............................................................................................................. 50 iv 4 SECURE OCCUPANCY IN AUSTRALIAN RENTAL HOUSING: PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES ............................................................... 52 4.1 Scoping the nature and extent of secure occupancy in rental housing in Australia ............................................................................................................... 52 4.1.1 Type and length of lease ............................................................................ 52 4.1.2 Length of time in current dwelling ............................................................... 53 4.1.3 Mobility ....................................................................................................... 55 4.1.4 Length of time in the rental sector .............................................................. 55 4.1.5 Interconnection between rental sectors ...................................................... 56 4.2 The New South Wales and Victoria cases: perspectives on secure occupancy . 57 4.2.1 The market context: access and affordability ............................................. 57 4.2.2 Legislative framework (landlord-tenant relations) ....................................... 64 4.2.3 Living in rental housing ............................................................................... 69 4.2.4 Specific provisions to support lower-income and vulnerable households .. 73 4.3 Summary ............................................................................................................