Housing News

Housing is a right: Edmonton rally Special

The Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH) organized a rally on November 21 to proclaim housing as a right.

Londoners fear house prices will force them out of the capital

London - According to the Chartered Institute of Housing, 34 percent of people living in Greater London agreed that they might have to leave their local area in the future because of the high cost of housing.

Metro Detroit real estate prices surge as many residents move to suburbs Commissioned

Detroit - The city of Detroit, Michigan, and its nearby and even far-flung suburbs share a unique real estate relationship. For many years, there has been a tremendous give-and-take relationship between the city and suburbs.

Boris Johnson at heart of London affordable housing controversy

In a move that is already creating controversy, London mayor Boris Johnson has approved plans for affordable flats in central London that stretches the definition of affordable.

Construction spending down in June, but better than last year

In June, construction spending in the U.S. had its largest decrease in over three years, affecting the government, housing and non-housing sectors.

Police arrest 21 in Hong Kong new town protest

Hong Kong - Police used pepper spray to scatter protesters at Hong Kong's government headquarters in an angry rally against plans for a new town development, with 21 arrested, officials said on Saturday.

Homeless memorial honours lives lost in Edmonton Special

Edmonton - An estimated forty men and women died in Edmonton in 2013 as a direct or indirect result of not having adequate shelter.

Jewel asks Americans why housing matters to inspire her new song

Grammy-nominated star Jewel is taking time from recording her next album to write a special song about the true meaning of home.

Clashes at mass eviction in Rome as crisis bites

Rome - Riot police dragged away some 350 squatter families from abandoned offices in Rome amid violent clashes on Wednesday -- the latest in a rising tide of forced evictions in Italy fuelled by the economic crisis.

U.S. housing effort in Haiti falls short

Washington - A U.S. project to provide badly-needed housing for hundreds of thousands of Haitians left homeless by a 2010 earthquake has failed to live up to its promise and went over budget, a government audit said Tuesday.

Activists block entrances to branches of Spanish bank

Barcelona - Anti-eviction activists blocked Wednesday the entrance to 12 branches of Spain's Banco Popular bank, which they accuse of not doing enough to prevent struggling mortgage holders from losing their homes.

NYC mayor shifts from pre-k funding to affordable housing

New York - A sweeping liberal agenda tops Mayor Bill de Blasio’s task list following consensus and closure on the budget deal to fund prekindergarten in New York City.

Paris man awarded 12,000 euros for renting 'broom closet'

Paris - A Paris court on Monday ordered nearly 12,000 euros ($16,500) in compensation to be paid to a man who rented a "broom closet" for 15 years.The court in Paris's 11th district said the owner of the tiny flat and its property manager had violated city byl...

Ada Colau: Hardened fighter for Spain evictees

Barcelona - Enemies have branded her a "terrorist" and sent her death threats, but 40-year-old mother Ada Colau keeps on fighting for thousands of families facing eviction in Spain's economic crisis.As spokeswoman of the PAH, a grassroots movement campaigning to p...

US housing starts fall in February

Washington - New US home construction fell slightly in February from January, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday, as the market continued to suffer from harsh winter storms.New home starts took place at an annual pace of 907,000 units, compared to a 909,000 u...

U.S. home builder sentiment ticks up in March, still sour

U.S. homebuilder sentiment edged up in March but sentiment remained mostly poor as concerns linger, the National Association of Home Builders said on Monday.

Canadian home sales rise in February, forecast trimmed

Sales of existing homes in Canada edged higher in February from January, the first monthly increase after five straight declines, the Canadian Real Estate Association said on Monday, but it trimmed its...

Canada January new house prices post biggest rise in 20 months

Canadian housing prices rose by 0.3 percent in January, the biggest jump for 20 months, on strong gains in the western Prairie region, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.

Fannie, Freddie bill leaves status of private shareholders to courts

A draft bill to wind down government-run mortgage financiers Fannie Mae <FNMA.OB> and Freddie Mac <FMCC.OB>, released by two leading U.S.

Patience running out among Japan's disaster refugees

Ishinomaki - The Takeyamas have tried to move on and forget the enormous waves that swept away relatives, their home and the lives they once had.But the couple, both in their seventies, still spend countless nights staring at the ceiling of their tiny makeshift hou...

Canadian housing starts pick up again in Feb: CMHC

Canadian housing starts rose more than expected in February, data released on Monday showed, but the modest increase did not sway economists' expectations that the country's housing market will cool this...

Canada housing agency hikes premiums to reduce risk

Canada's national housing agency announced on Friday it will increase its mortgage loan insurance premiums from May 1 to shore up its capital and reduce taxpayers' exposure to the housing market, which has been a big worry for the go...

A surge in the U.S. housing market brings economic hope

With a nation eagerly waiting for any indication of an upturn in the economy, critics are hailing a recent upsurge in home sales as a promising sign of hope.

Freddie Mac reimburses US bailout on huge profit jump

New York - Freddie Mac Thursday said its payments to the US Treasury have exceeded its 2008 US bailout funds as the US mortgage-finance giant notched a huge jump in earnings.But Freddie signaled that its meteoric earnings growth, a more than four-fold increase an...