Bay Area Apartment Association’s Post

Thousands of First Nations tenants living in substandard public housing in remote Western Australia have joined a class action led by one of the country's most prominent law firms. Slater and Gordon filed the lawsuit in the Federal Court claiming the Housing Authority and the WA government breached multiple residential tenancy and consumer protection laws over a 14-year period from July 2010 until August 2024. The firm alleges in some cases, First Nations people were forced to use bottled water for drinking and cooking because tap water contained "nasty contaminants". The statement of claim alleges as landlord, the Housing Authority and State failed to adequately maintain, repair and carry out structural and other improvements to public housing rental properties, and/or to do so within a reasonable time; provide public housing that was reasonably secure; provide public housing that was reasonably comfortable; and ensure that public housing rental properties complied with basic health and safety laws. The law firm has also accused the Housing Authority and State of taking advantage of Aboriginal tenants living in the East Kimberley, West Kimberley, Pilbara, Wheatbelt, Mid West, Gascoyne, and Goldfields-Esperance by slugging them with high rent for poorly maintained properties. The class action alleges the substandard housing meant many First Nations tenants' lives were at risk because large cattle and venomous snakes could enter the rundown properties. Via National Indigenous Times

What's Happening in #Tampa / #StPete: If you are invested or thinking of investing in multifamily in the Tampa bay area, this information is important for you! Proposed changes to Florida’s Live Local Act could send shockwaves through Tampa Bay’s development community. Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R, Miami-Dade) and Rep. Vicki Lopez (R, Miami-Dade) last week each filed a bill containing several proposed amendments to Live Local that, if passed and signed into law, would impact the density of affordable housing projects and where they could be built. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Live Local Act went into effect July 1, 2023, and provided $711 million to fund affordable housing initiatives. The law removed many local zoning, building height and density restrictions and aims to streamline the process for the development of affordable housing. https://lnkd.in/epuvg-Bu Jacob T. Cremer Mack Feldman Bowen Arnold #multifamily #apartment #florida #realestate #development #redevelopment #townhomes #tamparealestate #stpeterealestate Tampa Bay Business Journal

At the Connecticut Apartment Association - CTAA, we are actively advocating for many of the initiatives highlighted in this discussion. Acknowledging the housing crisis in our state requires bold action to address restrictive zoning laws, streamline pre-approved housing plans, expedite and modernize the permitting process across the state, increase housing density in areas with the infrastructure to handle it, and recalibrate outdated parking requirements. These steps are crucial to moving Connecticut forward. Other states are making progress getting more affordable housing built—WHY NOT US??

As of March 31, 2024, rooming houses will be legal citywide, marking a significant step towards addressing affordable housing needs. Learn more about the impact of this milestone in our latest article. #TorontoRealEstate #AffordableHousing #InvestmentOpportunity https://rb.gy/eppcs5

As more municipalities are choosing to opt into Good Cause Eviction and rent control, the measure has been very divisive among upstate property owners. Many have launched legal challenges, usually challenging the vacancy study that empowered a municipality to opt in to the Emergency Tenant Protection Act in the first place. City & State #housing #rentcontrol #etpa #goodcauseeviction

San Jose is paving the way for innovative housing solutions. Recently, it became the first city to implement AB 1033, a groundbreaking law that empowers property owners to sell their Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) separately from the main home. This could be a significant step toward other cities implementing solutions to alleviate California’s housing crisis. Curious about how this new rule could impact the future of housing in the Golden State? Click below to learn more. #BuildingWealthierLives #wealthmanagement #wellbeing

As rising costs continue to strain middle-income families’ wallets, lawmakers are beginning to take notice. While NMHC has advocated for housing solutions to better serve the “missing middle” for years, we’re heartened to see real solutions in action. Check out this article from CoStar News that details how developers are collaborating with municipalities to address the shortage of middle-income housing by creating more affordable and diverse housing options. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eP8cggpm 

It’s often (correctly) pointed out that regions such as the Bay Area are experiencing an even worse self-induced housing crisis than the rest of the country. But most commentators miss half of the equation. Do the zoning rules and other regulations make it legally impossible to build housing there, on the scale needed? Of course. But that would be true anywhere in the US, if faced with similar demand. The other side to the challenge is: the part of the Bay Area which is best at creating employment - Silicon Valley - is regulated to always stay low density. It should have been a boom town for decades, yet it hasn’t. And in the end, that’s created a system that isn’t really optimal for anyone, except perhaps some long-time homeowners. One very outside-the-box perspective: if a community boasts strong employment, but isn’t prepared to allow enough housing to be built, why should it incentivize new economic activity? Becoming even more of a job hub without having new residents will mainly create new headaches. Why induce economic growth, if you’re not actually prepared to grow? Who really benefits?

Albany has finally passed a new budget which finally includes measures to address housing issues throughout the state. But neither tenant nor landlord advocates are particularly happy with the outcome. Tenants got "good cause" eviction but there's many exemptions, leaving it up in the air how many tenants will actually have these new protections. And landlords got adjustments to improvement caps for rent stabilized units but believe they simply aren't enough to keep up with rising costs. City Limits breaks down the deal in more details. https://lnkd.in/eeNrS5gT

Fifty five years after the adoption of Chapter 40B, compliance with the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Statute evades most of the Commonwealth. Few communities comply. Fewer have built the creation of affordable housing into their zoning. And, even in communities that have adopted affordable housing zoning, the backlash to such projects slow permitting and construction to a crawl. I have said it before, Massachusetts needs a court case, State Attorney General or privately, to force compliance. The basic goal of Chapter 40B was to get communities to eliminate roadblocks to housing affordable to the residents of the state. The lack of permitting processes, similar to Section 4.9 of the Dennis Zoning Bylaw is a shame. More streamlined processes (if state law can be modified) to remove the discretionary Special Permit would be better. The new Massachusetts Housing Act and The MBTA Communities Act are a good start.More is needed legislatively. BUT A STICK IS NEEDED. Cities and towns, all 351 need proactive housing programs. The courts need to make the appeal bond mandatory and enforce forfeiture to offset the delay litigation creates.