Housing

‘Applying for a home felt harder than applying for a job’: NZ private rentals won’t solve need for emergency housing

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Established in 2016, the emergency housing programme – short-term housing for people with nowhere to stay – was meant to be a stop-gap measure.

Key Points: 
  • Established in 2016, the emergency housing programme – short-term housing for people with nowhere to stay – was meant to be a stop-gap measure.
  • People seeking access to emergency housing will need to prove they have made “a reasonable effort” to secure a home in the private rental sector.
  • Our research on the factors that shape people’s housing outcomes, experiences and journeys shows the private rental sector can often exacerbate housing precarity.

Housing discrimination is widespread

  • Our survey of 800 residents across seven neighbourhoods in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch revealed experiences of housing discrimination are widespread in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Nearly half of all renters reported directly experiencing discrimination when trying to rent a home.
  • Read more:
    As NZ struggles to resolve its long-running housing crisis, investors should be taxed for keeping homes empty

    When asked for examples to illustrate their experiences of discrimination, renters and owners alike provided stories of struggling to secure private rental housing at some point in their lives.

The instability of renting

  • This situation is made worse by the instability of rental housing.
  • Our survey results show a mere 12% of private rental tenants have lived in only one home over the past ten years.
  • This stands in stark contrast to 47% of owner-occupiers but also 39% of public housing tenants.
  • It takes time and effort to secure a home, especially one that is affordable and suitable for a household’s needs.

Private rental sector is not a solution

  • Recent research in Aotearoa and the United Kingdom has shown private renting adversely affects renters’ health and wellbeing.
  • Moreover, a Western Australian initiative to require public housing applicants to prove they had tried to get a private rental was dismantled following a 2004 inquiry.
  • Responding to the emergency housing crisis with greater reliance on the private rental sector amounts to fighting fire with fire.


Jessica Terruhn receives funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for the WERO research programme. She is affiliated with Renters United. Francis L Collins receives funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. He has previously received other funding from Te Apārangi Royal Society of New Zealand.

A beginner’s guide to the taxes you’ll hear about this election season

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

If you’ve recently entered the workforce or the housing market, you may still be wrapping your mind around all of these terms.

Key Points: 
  • If you’ve recently entered the workforce or the housing market, you may still be wrapping your mind around all of these terms.
  • Here is what you need to know about the different types of taxes and how they affect you.
  • When you earn money If you are an employee or own a business, taxes are deducted from your salary or profits you make.
  • If you are self-employed, you will have to pay your taxes via an annual tax return assessment.
  • The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.
  • The government collects taxes from all sources and sets its spending plans accordingly, borrowing to make up any difference between the two.

Income tax

  • The amount of income tax you pay is determined by where your income sits in a series of “bands” set by the government.
  • Almost everyone is entitled to a “personal allowance”, currently £12,570, which you can earn without needing to pay any income tax.
  • You then pay 20% in tax on each pound of income you earn (across all sources) from £12,570-£50,270.

National insurance

  • National insurance contributions (NICs) are a second “tax” you pay on your income – or to be precise, on your earned income (your salary).
  • While Jeremy Hunt, the current chancellor of the exchequer, didn’t adjust income tax meaningfully in this year’s budget, he did announce a cut to NICs.
  • This was a surprise to many, as we had already seen rates fall from 12% to 10% on incomes higher than £242/week in January.

Other taxes

  • Wealth taxes may be in line for a change.
  • In the budget, the chancellor reduced capital gains taxes on sales of assets such as second properties (from 28% to 24%).
  • There are calls from many quarters though to look again at these types of taxes.


Andy Lymer and his colleagues at the Centre for Personal Financial Wellbeing at Aston University currently or have recently received funding for their research work from a variety of funding bodies including the UK's Money and Pension Service, the Aviva Foundation, Fair4All Finance, NEST Insight, the Gambling Commission, Vivid Housing and the ESRC, amongst others.

What can we expect from six more years of Vladimir Putin? An increasingly weak and dysfunctional Russia

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The only real question is whether he will receive more than 75% of the vote.

Key Points: 
  • The only real question is whether he will receive more than 75% of the vote.
  • It could be tempting to see these results as a sign of the strength of the Russian system.
  • It is also increasingly dysfunctional, trapped in a cycle of poor quality and weak governance that cannot be solved by one man, no matter how much power he has.

The constitutional dark arts

  • This centralisation is the product of an increasingly common logic that I call the “constitutional dark arts”.
  • This logic generally holds that democracy and rights protection are best guaranteed in a constitutional system that centralises authority in one elected leader.
  • This line of thinking is present in many populist, authoritarian countries, such as Hungary and Turkey.
  • Thirty years later, however, we can see how this use of the “constitutional dark arts” backfired spectacularly.

Poor quality governance in Russia

  • Although this centralised system has allowed Putin to dominate politics, it fosters weak and poor governance, particularly outside Moscow.
  • First, centralised decision-making in Russia is often made using incomplete or false information.
  • It was based on intelligence that the operation would be over quickly and Ukrainians would likely welcome Russian forces.
  • In his February 29 address to parliament, Putin tacitly acknowledged these problems, promising new national projects to improve infrastructure, support families and enhance the quality of life.

An increasingly dysfunctional Russia

  • Externally, this centralisation is likely to produce an increasingly unpredictable Russia, led by a man making decisions on the basis of an increasingly paranoid world view and incorrect or manipulated information.
  • It will likely foster harsher repression of any dissenting voices inside Russia, as well.
  • We are also likely to see an increasingly dysfunctional Russia, one in which roads, housing, schools, health care and other infrastructure will continue to deteriorate, particularly outside of Moscow.


William Partlett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

EQS-News: Strong earnings power allows for active risk management in 2023 – consolidated operating profit expected to rise to between €300 million and €350 million in 2024

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Consolidated operating profit is projected to rise to between €300 million and €350 million in 2024, even though the Bank anticipates continued above-average risk provisions.

Key Points: 
  • Consolidated operating profit is projected to rise to between €300 million and €350 million in 2024, even though the Bank anticipates continued above-average risk provisions.
  • Aareal Bank Group closed the 2023 financial year with consolidated operating profit of €149 million (2022: €239 million).
  • Thanks to its strong earnings power, the Group nonetheless anticipates consolidated operating profit between €300 million and €350 million.
  • The Bank is expected to achieve operating profit of €250 million to €300 million, despite risk provisions projected to remain at above-average levels.

EQS-News: 2G Energy AG increases 2023 net sales to around EUR 365 million according to preliminary figures (previous year: EUR 312.6 million, +17 %)

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The 2G Energy AG Group is an internationally leading manufacturer and system provider of decentralized energy supply systems.

Key Points: 
  • The 2G Energy AG Group is an internationally leading manufacturer and system provider of decentralized energy supply systems.
  • The company develops, produces and installs comprehensive solutions in the growing market for highly efficient CHPs and large heat pumps.
  • Digital grid integration and plant control for both types of energy generators, as well as service and maintenance, are further decisive performance criteria.
  • The company is active in more than 50 countries and generated net sales of EUR 312.6 million in the 2022 financial year.

EQS-News: wienerberger successfully closes acquisition of Terreal

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

wienerberger expects the acquisition to generate additional annual revenues of approximately € 725 million.

Key Points: 
  • wienerberger expects the acquisition to generate additional annual revenues of approximately € 725 million.
  • The combined pitched-roof business is projected to add up to a total roof surface of about 75 million square meters covered per year.
  • With the acquisition of Terreal, wienerberger positions itself as the European pitched-roof expert capable of integrating solar, rainwater, and additional solutions, including accessories and insulation material, and thus establishes a strong platform for further growth”, says Heimo Scheuch, CEO of Wienerberger AG.
  • By acquiring Meridian Brick, wienerberger further strengthened its position as a leading supplier of facade products in North America.

EQS-News: FY 2023 preliminary financial results in line with guidance: EBITDA of EUR 54.1m - PATRIZIA proposes sixth consecutive increase in dividends and signals cautious optimism for FY 2024

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

FY 2023 preliminary financial results in line with guidance: EBITDA of EUR 54.1m - PATRIZIA proposes sixth consecutive increase in dividends and signals cautious optimism for FY 2024

Key Points: 
  • FY 2023 preliminary financial results in line with guidance: EBITDA of EUR 54.1m - PATRIZIA proposes sixth consecutive increase in dividends and signals cautious optimism for FY 2024
    The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
  • PATRIZIA remained an active net buyer in the market with investments signed for clients more than offsetting disposals and redemptions.
  • The investment activity for domestic and international clients supported the successful geographical and product diversification of PATRIZIA during FY 2023.
  • Additionally, a market driven impairment on consolidated seed investing/ warehousing inventory real estate of EUR 16.9m burdened FY 2023 results.

PROPORTION OF DISTRESSED COMPANIES IN EUROPE RISES TO RECORD LEVEL – SWISS COMPANIES SHOW RESILIENCE SO FAR

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Across Europe, just under 10% of the companies surveyed are therefore affected by serious problems that require restructuring in the narrower sense.

Key Points: 
  • Across Europe, just under 10% of the companies surveyed are therefore affected by serious problems that require restructuring in the narrower sense.
  • The number of companies with weak balance sheets has increased further year-on-year and, at 31.3%, accounts for almost a third of all European companies.
  • At the same time, the proportion of companies lacking capacity rose from 12.3% in 2022 to 14.8%, also the highest level since 2020.
  • Fashion companies' performance and balance sheets have also deteriorated in 2023, with 16.1% of companies in difficulty, up from 13.5% in 2022.

Helvetica Swiss Living Fund experiences rising tenant demand in financial year 2023: suburban locations reduce rent default rate

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Zurich, 5 March 2024 – The Helvetica Swiss Living Fund (HSL Fund) has closed financial year 2023 with a stable result compared to the previous year.

Key Points: 
  • Zurich, 5 March 2024 – The Helvetica Swiss Living Fund (HSL Fund) has closed financial year 2023 with a stable result compared to the previous year.
  • The rent default rate was reduced to 5.3%, partly thanks to the negotiating skills of Helvetica’s Asset Management team.
  • The increasing attractiveness of the suburban locations due to the high demand for housing, coupled with a decline in construction activity, supports the fund’s investment strategy.
  • For more details, facts and figures, see the 2023 Annual Report of the HSL Fund: https://www.helvetica.com/en/products/download-center

STANNEL HOME Successfully Completes MVP Launch for Global Real Estate and Design Community Networking Platform

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

Key Points: 
  • To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
    "Completing the MVP launch of our global social networking platform marks a significant milestone for STANNEL HOME," said Ifat Moor Levit, Co-Founder and CEO of STANNEL HOME.
  • STANNEL HOME's MVP launch heralds a new era of connectivity and collaboration within the real estate and design sectors.
  • Key features of STANNEL HOME's MVP include:
    Seamless networking opportunities for builders, renovators, real estate agents, designers, architects, and home design brands.
  • STANNEL HOME's MVP launch underscores the company's commitment to driving innovation and efficiency in the digital transformation of the real estate and design sectors.