REIWA Welcomes WA Planning Minister's Residential Code Reforms Granting Renters Access to Granny Flats
Perth, WA (PRWEB) July 08, 2013 -- The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) recently released a real estate news post lauding the announcement by Western Australia's Planning Minister John Day of reforms to the state's residential design code (or R-Codes) which effectively open up granny flats to renters. The Minister's statement makes good on a previous election pledge that the matter of granny flats would be included in planned R-Code reforms.
Granny flats refer to self-contained sections of multi-generational homes designed to enable elderly members of the family to live independently while remaining safe and secure in close proximity to their relatives. Currently, this type of property could only be leased out to relatives of the main homeowners. The reforms, to be gazetted in July, now express that starting in August, granny flats (as well as "Fonzie flats" built above garages) can now be rented by anyone.
The reform also states that the allowed floor space for granny flats would be increased from the previously stipulated 60 square metres to 70 square metres.
According to Mr Day, these changes are expected to introduce up to 30,000 extra property for renters in Western Australian public over the next 10 years. “We have a target of 20,000 new affordable homes by 2020. Already more than 7,000 affordable homes have been provided since 2010 and this initiative will make it very likely that we will exceed this target,” he said in a news report published on Abc.net.au.
Granny flats will serve as low-cost accommodation options for all types of residents in Western Australia. Aside from elderly Australians, a number of other people will benefit from the initiative, including renovators (who will need to move to another place while their properties are being rebuilt) local students, and young individuals or couples seeking to take steps towards first home ownership.
David Airey, President of the property portal REIWA, stated that the reform would "help alleviate the tight rental market, provide more opportunities for low-income earners to live in established suburbs, and may provide property managers with additional work."
Retirees and other Australians with the extra space in their backyards can use the reform to their advantage and earn additional income from opening their homes up to renters.
Mr Airey said, “While I suspect most owners will be likely to manage these granny flats themselves because they’re in their backyards, there will be opportunities for property managers to provide a service to owners by advertising vacancies, checking references and helping select suitable applicants.”
For more news on real estate developments and to access valuable information on the Western Australian property market, visit REIWA’s website today.
Brian Greig, Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, http://reiwa.com.au, (08) 9380 8274, [email protected]
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