Queensland to allow granny flats to be rented as urgent fix for housing crisis

A alteration to readying rules to let Queenslanders to rent retired their granny flats volition summation affordable lodging stocks, the authorities authorities says.

Restrictions connected who tin unrecorded successful granny flats volition beryllium removed truthful secondary dwellings tin beryllium rented connected the unfastened market, the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, announced connected Friday.

“I cognize the rental marketplace is pugnacious and, close now, homeowners can’t rent secondary dwellings to anyone different than contiguous family,” Palaszczuk said successful a Facebook post.

“Changing this volition mean galore cheaper properties volition participate the rental market, helping thousands of radical crossed our state.”

As it stands, successful astir section authorities areas lone relatives tin unrecorded successful granny flats, the readying minister, Steven Miles, said.

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“Increasing lodging diverseness means much affordable lodging options passim the state,” helium said.

“That’s wherefore we’re allowing homeowners to rent spare rooms and granny flats.”

The alteration was a proposition retired of the lodging circular array hosted by the authorities past week up of a acme connected 20 October.

Q Shelter’s enforcement director, Fiona Caniglia, welcomed the reform, calling it “an contiguous thought that volition make immoderate lodging options”.

“This attack volition besides supply a greater absorption for galore enterprises moving connected modular, tiny dwellings which are speedy to physique and which tin beryllium sited wrong existing properties,” she said.

“It volition beryllium important to guarantee standards for these dwellings truthful that radical are safe. There volition beryllium immoderate things to enactment done but Q Shelter is assured that this measurement volition assistance lodging supply.”

Other changes up for treatment astatine the lodging acme see minimum requirements for affordable lodging successful caller developments, portion stakeholders accidental determination needs to beryllium important increases successful societal lodging levels.

At slightest 5,000 caller societal lodging dwellings request to beryllium built each twelvemonth for the adjacent decennary to lick the crisis, the Queensland Council of Social Service has said.

“Right now, we person astir 50,000 radical waiting connected the societal lodging registry and a increasing fig of Queenslanders presenting to assemblage services desperately needing assistance with housing,” the council’s main executive, Aimee McVeigh, said past week.