A report from the Globe and Mail in Canada. "Starting Thursday, Toronto homeowners must register with the city if they want to fill their units for any period less than 28 days. The new registration process is one of a slew of rules that may potentially tamp down the short-term rental market in the city at a time when it is already under pressure. Julia Metus, a saleswoman at Realty Executives Plus Limited Brokerage, said she has seen the decline in condo prices and rental rates."

"'Prices have softened a little bit in some condos. The obvious hot ones – the buildings that people are always trying to get into – a good agent is going to price it well. But in some buildings there are a lot for sale. Is there a lot for sale because a lot of them used to be rental units? I’d say so, yeah,' Metus said."

From Bloomberg on the UK. "British mortgage lenders are beginning to batten down the hatches for an oncoming spike in unemployment. HSBC Holdings Plc, Barclays Plc and Natwest Group Plc have tightened restrictions on home loans for risky borrowers as officials unwind pandemic-support efforts. 'Life could get very difficult,' said Mick McAteer, a former board member of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and now a housing advocate. 'I’m not sure people fully understand that we are just coming to the end of the ‘emergency’ phase of the Covid crisis.'"

"Regulators, meanwhile, say they don’t know how much was loaned to those most at risk of losing their jobs in the downturn: the workers in the booming gig economy. 'Do they really know how much people borrow and to what extent this is risky? The answer is no, they don’t,' said Alla Koblyakova, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University who studies the mortgage market. She was surprised to find that some borrowers spend 55% of their household income on home-loan repayments."

From 9 News in Australia. "Investors should be wary of three Sydney suburbs and two Melbourne inner-city neighbourhoods because of looming rental apartment over-supply, a new report has warned. The just-released study from RiskWise Property Research detailed what it claimed are Australia's 10 postcodes most at risk of new units flooding an already weakened rental market."

"Pete Wargent, co-founder of Buyers Buyers, said rental markets have been weak for inner-city apartments due to the absence of international students and tourists. Uncertainty in the economy has been heightened in 2020, he said. 'The unit oversupply issue has been with us for some years now,' Mr Wargent said."

From News.com.au in Australia. "Gary Davies and his partner were paying $950 in rent per week for their run-down flat – but they’ve slashed $300 off that hefty bill by taking part in the nation’s COVID exodus. The couple realised rents had been falling across the city as a result of the coronavirus crisis, and decided to move out of their ground floor Potts Point apartment and into a brand new one in Zetland. Their new home is on the 15th floor with 'amazing views,' lifestyle amenities and a modern kitchen – and not only is it $300 a week cheaper at $650, they also managed to score two weeks of free rent as landlords scramble to entice apartment tenants in particular."

"'Where we were living before was quite expensive and it wasn’t bad, but it was old and needed a bit of a renovation with mould on the roof and that kind of stuff – there was no light at all,' Mr Davies told news.com.au. 'Some mates were moving to Zetland so we looked around and found a brand new apartment on the 15th floor with a pool and sauna that’s so much cheaper, so it has been a good decision. It’s got a marble kitchen and it is basically a big upgrade – for $300 less a week than before.'"

"The 28-year-old said he had decided to look into moving house as it was now a renter’s market. 'I heard through the grapevine that because of COVID-19 people can’t rent out apartments – I actually heard of one place offering four weeks of free rent (to lure renters),' he said. 'Our new place was on the market for $800 before we got it for $650 after they dropped the price. Thank you COVID – it’s one of the only good things to come out of it.'"

The South China Morning Post. "Veteran investors in Hong Kong property, anticipating a deeper correction in prices amid dwindling buying activity, the coronavirus pandemic and worsening US-China relations, are rapidly cashing out of their holdings. 'Their moves can be seen as a kind of risk management,' said Joseph Tsang, chairman of JLL Hong Kong, attributing the sales to practically closed borders between Hong Kong and China, coronavirus pandemic and rising US-China tensions that have badly affected the city's economy."

"'Ten out of 10 investors do not want to make a decision to buy unless owners are willing to give massive discounts,' Tsang said."

From Asia One. "We all say we want a running start to our home values; but we don’t mean a running start off a cliff. Sometimes though, that’s exactly what happens: The price looks like it’s going to hike up all the surrounding properties, then falls flat when the market turns up its nose. In this article, we look at some Singapore new condos that have seen their prices fall shortly after completion; and some commentary into what could possibly have gone wrong."

"We should note that The Siena has only 54 units. A prevalent problem with small developments is the limited number of transactions; even a handful of units selling low can quickly drag down the pricing. So it doesn’t help that between 2019 to this year, we saw three unprofitable transactions at The Siena: Transaction on September 9, 2019 at $1,745 psf (purchased at $2,311 psf, for an overall loss of $451,000). Transaction on March 19, 2020 at $1,765 psf (purchased at $1,979 psf, for an overall loss of $115,140. Transaction on April 27 at $1,629 psf (purchased at $1,717 psf, for an overall loss of $69,456)."