Room to Move: Desperate renters forced into backyard boxes
Victorian tenants have taken desperate measures in their hunt for a home in the midst of a housing crisis, turning to portable rooms set up in their parent’s driveways and backyards.
The portables - described as ‘stand-alone separate rooms’ - have been seen across Facebook Marketplace for up to $180 per week, in a time when Melbourne’s median rent has reached $460 each week.
The company behind the Room to Move initiative have advertised a 7.2sq m room for $150 per week, and for those seeking a little more wiggle room, a 10.1sq m room is available for $180.
However, a minimum hire period of six months applies to both, as well as a bond of $500, and a one-month written notice to end the lease. And for anyone just outside of Melbourne who might be interested, the rooms can be delivered within a three-to-four hour drive from the city - for a fee of $250.
The spaces don’t come with bathrooms, but do feature weatherproof electrical sockets that power two double power points, two internal downlights, and a reverse cycle air conditioner.
“There’s plenty of demand for people looking for a short term solution for accommodation,” Room to Move co-founder Nick Nottle said of the decision to launch the spaces. “Typically people place [the rooms] in their backyard or on their driveway back off the street a bit.”
He noted that the spaces attracted the most attention from renters who were moving back in with family in a bid to save enough for their own house deposit, and that he and business partner Mike Rose launched Room to Move when they noticed a gap in the market, and saw an opportunity for portables that weren’t an eyesore in a residential environment.
“Neighbours don’t really complain because people like the look of it,” he said, “it doesn’t look like you’ve just dropped a big shipping container in your backyard.”
Beyond desperate renters, however, Nick believes the ‘properties’ also appeal to parents who want something self-contained to get their teenagers out of their hair, as well as having somewhere to house visitors coming from a long way away.
And last but not least, according to Nick, “the other group is people using them as an office to work from home, or for studio-type businesses like a lash salon, tattoo parlour or hairdresser - things you can do from home rather than renting a space elsewhere.”
Images: Facebook, realestate.com.au