Mapping the riskscape of using privately-owned short-term lets for specialist family violence crisis accommodation

Abstract

COVID-19 has generated many problems and some opportunities in the housing market. The potential role of privately-owned short-term lets meeting specialist family violence crisis accommodation demand is one such opportunity. This paper engages with an important and increasing practice in the Australian context, of the utilisation of private housing stock as a component part of a public housing crisis response system, in this case explored in relation to domestic and family violence. In seeking to gain insights into the feasibility of this practice, this article will first frame mixed public/private accommodation provision as potentially overlapping relations between a thin territory of insufficient crisis infrastructure and a thick territory of commodified short-term let infrastructure. Second, this paper situates the potential of this intersection of mixed private/public responses in terms of riskscapes by unpacking how risk is perceived within these contested territories. The findings highlight tensions between both real and perceived understandings of safety, housing, wellbeing, economic and political risks. While there was some support for utilising short-term lets for crisis accommodation, barriers were revealed to adding thickness to the crisis accommodation space. Given increasing homelessness in Australia, diversifying crisis models could offer increased violence-prevention infrastructure to support women.

KEYWORDS :

• Specialist family violence crisis accommodation
• vacancy
• short-term lets
• COVID-19
• Melbourne

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by seed funding from the Hallmark Research Initiative for Affordable Housing and the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne. The authors would like to thank Dr Ilan Wiesel, Dr Andrew Martel, Dr Kate Raynor, Alicia Yon and Holly Jones from the University of Melbourne who provided mentorship, insightful discussions and expertise that greatly assisted the research. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful feedback. Lastly, this research would not have been possible without the insights from those who agreed to participate in the research; many whose daily work saves women’s lives.

Disclosure Statement

There is no conflict of interest.

Notes

1 While no standard definition of short-term lets – often referred to as short-term rentals – currently exists, it is normally understood to be leasing of a furnished hosted or non-hosted residential dwelling for up to 90 days, usually to tourists; excluding hotels, motels, hostels, boarding houses, nursing homes, crisis accommodation, refuges, and moveable dwellings such as caravans (Furukawa & Onuki, 2019).

2 Unlike traditional tenancy agreements, property guardians receive licences to live in and maintain properties.

3 For example, a community housing organisation used nine vacant sites to house 57 temporary small houses (Launch Housing, 2021).

4 For example, commercial hotels used to house homeless youth; and Housing All Australians repurposed a vacant aged care facility to temporarily house up to 30 women at a time while it awaited its redevelopment process (Cockburn, 2017).

5 They must serve a 3 month notice to vacate as required by the Residential Tenancies Act.

6 Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal resolves tenancy disputes

7 The RTBA is the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority in Victoria which holds all tenancy bonds independent of the tenant and the landlord

8 The strategy has committed A$5.4 billion to a "Big Housing Build" to create over 12,000 homes over four years (Victorian Government, 2021).

9 TSR model can either charge or offer a rebate equal to lost/gained externalities resulting from use (Miller, 2014).

10 For example, Australia does not have a national housing policy.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by seed funding from the Hallmark Research Initiative for Affordable Housing and the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne.