A single person should not have to pay for a family-sized home just to get a clean, safe place to live.
Some people want a house and a yard. Others want a compact studio, a small apartment or their own room and bathroom with good shared facilities. Making room for those choices should be part of the rental solution.
My view is that housing policy spends too much time arguing over who owns homes, and too little time on what we are allowed to build.
Here is a practical place to start. Give suitable small projects a clear approval path: duplexes, small townhouse groups, compact apartments and well-run rooming accommodation. Match the scale to the services, access and site. Keep fire safety, ventilation and proper living standards.
Brisbane already has a pathway for some rooming accommodation. Council's current guidance allows up to five guests in several residential zones, subject to the code. That is different from approving a row of fully self-contained studios. (Brisbane City Council)
That difference matters. If renters want more privacy and basic cooking facilities, governments should explain which housing category can legally provide them—and where that category is allowed. A label should not become an excuse to leave a useful kind of home without a workable pathway.
Smaller homes will not suit everyone. They can still let people choose less floor space rather than stretch their budget for rooms they do not need. Shared land and facilities can reduce the cost allocated to each place, although construction, services and management still have to be paid for.
The developer also needs a project that works financially. A project that cannot cover its costs and risk usually does not become housing. Making that point is not choosing investors over renters. The renter needs the home to exist.
The government test should be clear: how many safe, useful housing choices did the rules make possible, and how many were actually delivered?
We can support lower rental pressure and viable housing investment at the same time. More choice is part of how we do it.