Tiny house residents forced out by council’s building orders

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The housing crisis is causing many to reassess their options and get creative when it comes to finding affordable accommodation. One Victorian couple thought they'd found the perfect solution - a tiny house on wheels parked on private property. But after about two years in their home, they're moving on due to a dispute with their local council.

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00:00It's a humble abode in an idyllic location where every inch of space counts.

00:08You enter and you come into the kitchen, which we love.

00:12Evram Shen thought this tiny home on wheels would give her security amidst the housing

00:17crisis.

00:18We love that it's somewhere that we get to call our own, which is really special.

00:23But that feeling of security has been hard to come by lately.

00:27The council is demanding the tiny home be demolished unless it can be satisfied it complies

00:32with building regulations.

00:34It has been really devastating, really heartbreaking for us.

00:38The council argues the tiny house needs a building permit, but according to Evram her home is

00:43a roadworthy caravan, not a building.

00:46It's on a trailer, it's got a vehicle number, it's a tri-axle trailer with three wheels on

00:51both sides and it's a 4.5 ton weight class, so it's completely safe to tow on the road.

00:5815 minutes down the road in Monbolk, Dane Barkley is in a similar situation.

01:06He's fighting to stay in his off-grid tiny house on wheels.

01:10It felt like quite an aggressive notice of the demolition and all, like evacuating, I

01:15was like, just the whole energy was very, I guess, daunting.

01:19Nationwide, different councils take different views when it comes to tiny houses on wheels.

01:25Some have addressed the issue specifically.

01:28For example, Mount Alexandershire in central Victoria has removed the need for permits for

01:33tiny houses on wheels on certain private properties.

01:37We feel that there should be an overarching state legislation to address this policy.

01:42The council says under building regulations, if a tiny home on wheels is lived in, it's

01:47then classed as a residence and needs a building permit.

01:51It says it's advocating for clear rules and regulations at a state level.

01:55The state government didn't respond on the record to specific questions about Mrs Shen's

02:00case or tiny home regulations.

02:03As for Evram, the risk of a failed appeal is too much.

02:06She's chosen to move out of the area, forced to navigate a housing market in crisis.

02:11If there are greater regulations, the investors can be opposed to some of the founders of his

02:16target複数 told us that he's chosen to executable reasons.

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