A local real estate expert has come up with a new idea to ease the city’s homeless crisis
7NEWS Gold Cast, November 17, 2020
Inside one of our recent co-living conversions in Coomera QLD, we’ve divided a single family home into smart affordable micro-apartments, perfect for couples and singles. Watch my recent interview with 7NEWS Gold Coast to find out why homelessness experts and I believe this type of housing could help to solve the housing affordability and rental crisis.
With over 70% of tenants looking for rentals being singles and couples and 70% of available rentals being 3 or 4 bedroom family homes, this strategy just makes sense for owners and renters!
*Video no longer available*
Want more? Read the full interview below …
Reporter (00:00): This four bedroom home at Upper Coomera is actually four separate homes inside, micro units that can each be rented out individually.
Ian Ugarte (00:09): So each person has their own bathroom, their own sitting area, their own kitchenette and their own bedroom.
Reporter (00:15): Ian Ugarte is a housing expert, advising homeowners on how to diversify their properties. He believes micro units are a solution to the city’s growing rental crisis. They’re much cheaper and singles and couples won’t take up full-sized family homes.
Ian Ugarte (00:31): About 70% of the people that are looking for rentals are either singles or couples. And 70% of the stock available for them to rent is a three, four or five-bedroom house.
Reporter (00:39): It’s estimated 13 million spare bedrooms are unused across the country, while more than 100,000 people are homeless.
Ian Ugarte (00:47): We are walking past homeless people every day, and we don’t know they’re homeless.
Dianne Kozik (00:51): Well, the magic solution is public housing. We need more public housing.
Reporter (00:56): Dianne Kozik runs a homeless charity in Surfers Paradise. Demand for its services has surged by 15% per month since September.
Dianne Kozik (01:05): We’ve seen a lot of people that we’ve never seen before. So it’s been quite interesting. I don’t know where they’re coming from.
Reporter (01:11): Many of the new faces are elderly. The charity is encouraged to see landlords giving micro units a chance.
Dianne Kozik (01:18): Well, more housing, at the end of the day, is the answer.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Join my free Positive Cash Flow Webinar to find out how you can legally and with full council compliance, convert your spare room, or entire home into micro-apartments that earn 2-3 x typical residential rental returns HERE.
