The Speculative Vacancies campaign aims to reform housing vacancy data to reflect the state of the entire housing market, not just the rental market. The vacancy data reported by mainstream media is submitted on a voluntary basis by real estate agents and released to the media in a sporadic fashion (Melbourne, Australia). The danger of property lobby friendly data can be seen in the economic carnage evident in the post-GFC ghost towns of Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Detroit, Cleveland, Stoke-on-Trent and China.

• Speculative Vacancies 10 – A Persistent Puzzle
• Speculative Vacancies 10 – multimedia page
• Speculative Vacancies 10 – media release
• Speculative Vacancies 9 – Impeding the Market
• Spec Vac 9 – multimedia
• Speculative Vacancies 8 – It’s Not Vacant, It’s Just Earning Money
• Speculative Vacancies 2014 – The Empty Homes Ignored by Statistics
• Empty Investment Homes Hurt Affordability – press release
• Speculative Vacancies 2012 report
• 2012 Press Release – Housing Affordability Policy Crisis
• Speculative Vacancies 2011
• 2011-12 Press Release
• Speculative Vacancies 2010
• 2010 Press Release
• 2010 Graphics
• Speculators locking up empty dwellings that could be homes
• Speculative Vacancies 2009
• 2009 Press Release
• 2008 I Want to Live Here report
• Agents Accused of Hyping Up Rental Crisis – 2008 media
• I Want to Live Here 2007
• Room for Many More close to the city (The Age p3)

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Please note, we changed the name of the report to Speculative Vacancies in 2010. Our first year’s survey was done by bike/ foot. Tohm Curtis developed the water utilities proxy methodology in 2008.

We have also developed a number of campaign projects to assist in the promotion of housing affordability and the forces that deny so many the right to affordable housing. Many people have a blinkered understanding to the limitations that high rents place on their own individual freedoms.

Whether you are in the north or south, the problems are worldwide. The Global Financial Crisis sees a predominance with bailout economics, bailing out the wealth gap and entrapping renters into paying 40% plus of their income on the supposed basic human right – a roof over our head and a piece of land on which to stand.

In the past we have run campaigns such as:

• Speed Renting – events held over 2008 – 09 to assist share householders create a better living environment by helping them filter out the dorks. Those who had a spare room interviewed those looking for one, in a neutral venue.
• The I Want to Live Here film competition tuning youngsters into the bigger picture. Here is the 2008 winning video.
• the Earthsharing Challenge – aimed to educate young people about the wider principles of sharing nature’s bounty. Here is the 2008 video.