Life inside a tiny home... purgatory or the final destination? | Short Documentary | SBS The Feed 

He said less than $400.00 A WEEK? $1,720.00 per month for rent? Sorry, that’s outrageous. It’s even more outrageous that this lady has put $40,000 into an 8x10 box with no bathroom facilities. Society is regressing so quickly, we’ll be back in the dark ages before you can say Jack Robinson.

I view the tiny house movement as a symptom of the disappearance of the middle class.

This is my young family. We have a tiny transportable dwelling on our own property. The council said they will demolish it and fine us if we don't remove it, but where will we go? There are no rentals and we can't get finance for a builder right now. I'm due to give birth soon. There's too much red tape in this country. Houses are HOMES not INVESTMENTS.

$514 for a home pemit for 18 months? How can this make sense. These people just keep squeezing money out of people who already don't have money. Its like taking human rights away.

Rich get richer the rest of us get to live in dog boxes called tiny homes.

The guy saying they could burn in a fire , wouldn't a normal house burn also , same with the flood idea , the difference is a tiny house has wheels and can be moved if there is a chance of fire or flood, can't do that with a normal house.

I'm not australian and I can tell you this a global crisis. Rent has gone up astronomical as well as lot prices. Bulding materials. Owning a house for most people is nearly impossible. Renting, when possible, means not being able to save. The rich get richer and middle and lower class get poorer. Can't count the number of nights I've spent awake worrying about my future.

Imagine if governments actually helped people instead of helping themselves and their mates to people's wealth.

Here in America, we're pricing people out of housing, and the government is trying to criminalize homelessness on top of it. It's disgusting.

They call it tiny houses, in the Philippines, we just call it a house. These are even luxury houses complete with amenities only many Filipinos can dream of.

Housing problem is all over the world, no one talks about the real problem, investement funds are manipulating the housing market.

I have no problem with some form of rules regarding tiny homes but why hit those with limited resources to pay for permits to live on land that the owner already pays council rates on ? Government at all levels have slowly got out of control and it’s time people pushed back

Do Australians really rent by the week? My god, the cheapest rental is A$ 400 PER WEEK? How can pensioners afford to rent? This woman works full time & can’t afford to rent. I’m shocked by the problem in Australia.

My favorite thing about tiny homes is how they're already skyrocketing in price because they're trendy.

Affordable housing is a worldwide problem. It needs to be addressed quickly before everyone is homeless and living on the streets

This is what happens when people and corporations are using housing as investment instead of a basic right.

A million Airbnb's there lies your problem with no accommodation....... in Australia...........and else where...who is making the big money......

"You will own nothing and you will be happy"

In the U.S. there's millions of vacancies, and rentals are astronomical. Most local governments ban tiny homes. But you can have a tent or sidewalk. Or live in vehicles. Harassment of homeless is rampant. So we have millions of homeless, and millions of those fall into despair and addiction. This sounds a lot better than whats here. Be thankful.

AMERICA: I was one of 200 disabled single seniors without family who were pushed out of our rentals so the owner could double and triple the rent. I tried EVERYTHING but at age 63 I spent 3 seasons living on the street in my wheelchair. I eventually moved into a newly built complex owned by a slumlord and in 5 short years it is a ghetto in every way. I'll be moving again just before my 69th b-day into another new build owned by the same slumlord AND the group that made me homeless, there are no other options. In moving it will be at least back to my old quiet neighborhood and I'll have no bars blasting thumping bass into my home 4 to 7 days every single week. And who was it that threw out 200 disabled seniors who had nowhere to go? The state I live in owns and property manages the rentals...beyond sad and straight to evil! To be honest I'm tired of living and spend my days isolated with depression; there is no chance of better and I'm done living with false hope.😢

These "councils" don't seem to have to have much empathy for those families hanging on by a thread. They lack vision and problem solving skills. They only are interested in collecting permit and fine monies. Pathetic.

I've seen this movement of praising tiny home living and videos of people being 'creative' with miniscule apartments - But the truth is, it's a sad reflection on society when people are forced to live in a little box.

It's gross that state governments and local councils make ridiculous rules that make it very hard to have tiny homes in aus.

As someone who lives in a tiny house made of wood in Gippsland I disagree with the assertion that my home will just burn or be flooded. I have the option of moving my tiny house if the river floods, every other home on the river flat is vulnerable.

You'll own nothing and you'll be happy.............. Don't forget their plan.

Criminal that in such a big country with not a huge population people have to leave in a box or homeless!!

Disgusting that council claims right to what people do on their own land .

The first woman had $40,000 and a job, if that is not enough to even get a mortgage for a 1 bedroom then we are all screwed over. Second lady didn't tell the cost of her home, and I bet it wasn't cheap, went over the $100,000 marker.

I live in the USA so I had to do math to compare your weekly rent with our monthly rent. I saved up and just got into a good deal for a small single bedroom apartment and I am paying 47% of my take home pay on rent. It's a much better area than my last slum room was in but I still drive past tent encampments on my way to work. My plan to escape the escalatingly bad situation in our cities is to spend every spare penny over the next 5 years to buy a van and convert it so me and my cat could live out of it when I file for early retirement at 62 (while working remote and/or seasonal jobs). The lack of housing and the billionaires and mega corporations sucking the wealth out of the working class isn't just in Australia, it's happening everywhere.

20+ years off grid in a 200 sqft cabin I built for $2,000. I have more room than I need and perfect for me and the 2 dogs. No house payments, no utility bills and freedom!

I live in a yurt, 20' diameter with a wood stove. No running water but a tap is close by. I have jugs. I produce my own electricity with a portable solar system. I have a two burner stove. Toilet is composting bucket system outside. I have a shed for a workshop and a garden. I do my own trash service. Outdoor shower and bath tub. Jocoola hot water system. Been living this way for 5 years. Storage of your stuff and keeping organized is a bit challenging. I have scaled way down from a regular house. Total cost? About $20K. My rent is 0 because I work on the land for exchange. Wish that towns and cities would offer land and tap water and a compound setting for safety and a training program of how to live this way. Its good living and folks can save money if managed correctly. Yurts can be taken apart and moved.

I live in a tiny house and believe me, it's NOT glamorous. NOT AT ALL. No bathroom, no real kitchen. Yes, I have electricity, HVAC, fridge and a microwave. A tiny porch. There's absolutely no built-in storage space. It is NOT on wheels, it was once a derelict pool house. The floor is unlevel. It does have a glass lanai that's about 5'x7' attached to a larger room that's about 8'x19'. I'd be homeless without my tiny house so I'm thankful. But think very carefully because it's not for everyone. 💙💙

In my council, they want a building approval for a canvas tent on a platform! Why? Because they deem it to be a “permanent structure”. The madness continues.

Councils should have no say in what happens on private land. Disgusting.

Fire and floods. Tiny homes on wheels can move. Fixed dwellings cannot.

Any house no matter the size can catch on fire with a few sparks and flood easily (depending on where they are). Tiny houses are an affordable option for many people but it is local governments like the Sunshine Coast Council that are short-sighted and are failing to see that. As someone who lives on the Sunshine Coast, the council here is more interested in their own pet projects (e.g. the new council palace/building in Maroochydore) than solving the housing problem here.

I downsized to 909 sq. Ft from 2180 sq ft. Glad I did because everything has quadrupled. No yard to do in 105 plus degree heat in Arizona. Miss my home, my yard with pool. I’m blessed. I feel everyone’s pain. I’m 74 and work 12 hours a week just to eat. Groceries are ridiculous.

It is just disgusting that we have this housing crisis in Australia. We have so much empty land here. So much for the “lucky” country. 😢

It’s pathetic that affluent countries don’t have available and affordable housing.

Blessings to these women doing all they can to provide for their children. Good job, moms!

In the US there's a huge housing crisis. Currently our little town is get bought up by investors who want to flip the buildings.. jack the rent way up. I live in an unfinished shead I paid for and someone let me put it on their property. I have no running water. If I didn't have this I would be living out of my car. The office I work out of sold and he is going to raise the rent "considerably " and cut our space in half. But so far there's no place else to go. Things have to change.

One of the problems I noticed here in the UK years ago is that there's always somebody willing to pay far too much to buy a house or flat they desperately want. It's often motivated by snobbery and wanting to live in a so-called good area. There's always an idiot willing to pay a ridiculous amount. Also, if absolutely nobody (and I include companies in that) was willing to pay £5,000 a week to rent a small flat, then prices would start to drop.

Tiny homes were inexpensive before they became popular. Built by the owner with min materials. With popularity came the ever increasing standards and of course professionally built. Now almost the same cost as a standard house because cramming all the features into a tiny space is more expensive. Same thing happened with van conversions in the 1970's and shipping containers. Yeah used shipping containers were cheap when they were heading to the scrapyard, but expensive once a line of people formed to buy them. Today a container structure has a premium cost just to have the hip factor. Same for tiny houses. Kind of amazing to me that most people don't realize the cost of a "house" isn't most the "house", it's the land the house sit on...or water it floats on. The structure is a commodity. What zooms up in value is the land when talking about popular areas. Plenty of super cheap, almost free land, but no one wants to live there.

In America, zoning is often the main stumbling block for plopping down tiny homes. Zoning for most homes are designated as "single family" homes, which forbids tiny homes, mobile homes or other small structures for living space. Some people have "garden sheds" or "workshops" that are stealthily converted to living space for family or others, on the sly. But this leaves the homeowner open to fines, inspections and intrusions into the property. Some people are "forced" to make the necessary changes to appease the city, then when the dust settles, they go back to renting out the space. If neighbors do not complain, the city doesn't usually come snooping around, but when they do it can be very upsetting, especially if no one else is being affected. If zoning were changed to allow homeowners to have a tiny house or RV on the property for living purposes, many homeless would have a safe place to be, at least temporarily. Additionally, the homeowner may benefit from some rent coming in to help with the mortgage.

No matter what country you live in, local government always steps in and regulates people out of coming up with affordable solutions to combat being homeless. And if you become homeless you are then truly screwed

In a nutshell, the know-how to rapidly construct comfortable, dignified, affordable homes exists right now. But OF COURSE no level of government will budge in the slightest to make this more easily accessible because house prices. When Jason Clare (ALP) was the shadow housing minister he said "I don't think anyone is proposing to cut the price of housing" when asked about how to make housing more affordable. Way too many vested interests stacked in favour of keeping hyper-inflated prices and basically everyone who isn't on the ladder or the gravy train can go to hell. Australia, 2023.

People are evacuated from their homes due to bushfire/ flood threat. Tiny homes dwellers can be evacuated in their tiny home. Ok, They can't move themselves but a tractor or truck can move them. Part of your evacuation plan would include access to tractor or truck. If a tiny home burns, the cost to rebuild is less than a large home which can burn just as easily.

I live in a flat in the UK and it is frustrating because of the lack of space - trying to keep it clean and tidy is a constant struggle, especially in winter because because I can't seem to tidy up - just move stuff around, but we at least have a separate bedroom, toilet and showering facilities and a small kitchen with space for a proper cooker, a washing machine and fridge freezer. We also have a bit of a garden, too. This lady must be really stressed living like that because I know that I'm stressed, living in the home that I have. It's not a home, it's a garden shed.

I watch this with a sense of hopelessness. The old barns and studios, the extra storage and run down homes we could use to build businesses and projects in have been plundered. Governments and developers love these things because they can stick more of them on a block and get more government subsidy. It is the ruin of our quality of life

I lived in an RV for a year after getting divorced and selling my beautiful house. It was a transformative experience, and I traveled to Florida for the winter before it went nuts. It was considerably bigger than these tiny homes, and I was mobile.

Somewhat taken aback by the town planner's concern about the impact of bush fires or floods on Tiny Houses. Not only can they be moved ahead of time if conditions look dangerous, but at the worse, less is lost compared to traditional homes. Hopefully, Council planners across Australia will eventually look to the success of planned Tiny House communities in the USA, where landowners provide plumbing and power to small lots, in addition to common community facilites such as laundry, cooking and social spaces.

I grew up in a shed. I now photograph homes for a living and I'm regularly in multi-million dollar homes and that shed is still easily my favourite place on Earth and I would gladly live in something like that and I'm more than happy with less and simple. We also did caravan living for a tougher period in the 90's and we handled it just fine I would be living in a tiny home/caravan style home if not for the question marks over the obscene regulations on them. It may have made sense once but the BS regs need to go. It's quite clear the government doesn't care to do anything about it aside from jam on the accelerator and ship in 700,000 new people to house. They will do anything except let house prices fall because it's the ponzi our economy is predicated on. They could do a lot to alleviate it but are completely silent on it.

As a tiny home dweller with a family of 3 in Texas, I can say there are definitely many challenges, hurdles, and mountains to climb. After nearly 7 years, Im ready to move out for something more durable. However, our purchaseable land prices have sky rocketed. 1 acre in the area used to be 10k-15k usd. Now, it ranges from 80k-100k per acre! Astronomical!

Just to be mean : how many rooms do the houses of the superrich have? Every single house ? When will we see what is happening around the world ? And stand up , united , to fight this ?

We are humans. The planet is vast and abundant. We shouldn’t have to pay to have our human needs met. Makes no sense when the planet is the provider. So yes to people getting paid to do the work. No to massive profits off peoples backs. There’s no reason why a single mom, single dad, or family should struggle when the world with so many billionaires.

Bit rude that councils want to slap a tax on the most disadvantaged people!

Bush Fires are now more common then ever... saying that, trim the trees back, cut the area around your home short and several meters away from the home. Get a separate large water storage tank, Gas power water pump, hook up to 2-3 water sprinklers on the roof ... also during a dry spell, water the lawn and trees near you home at night. Several years ago when the fires hit Canberra, my buddy put a lawn chair on his roof, had a gas powered water pump drawing water out of his swimming pool and wearing a spray painter's mask kept hosing down his house and gutters... the fire passed and he was fine. Life can be much more simple than some people think.

Since governments have ignored affordable housing infrastructure then they need to take their heads out of their bums and be creative, compassionate and definitely committed to helping the homeless men, women and children acquire safe , warm homes! However big or tiny these dwellings may be!

A TINY home is not the problem. You need land to put it somewhere.

Fires, floods and storms happen to regular houses too. I consider a tiny house like a small stand alone apartment

I thought I would be 2 years into buying a house . Man I was so so wrong I now know I probably will never own my own home . It’s hard to even go to work when everything seems so hopeless .. my heart breaks for these women who the only plus I can think about is that their kids and enjoy a lot of land to run around . My rent is ridiculous I don’t have a backyard my front yard is a driveway . And recently the beautiful house next to me got demolished and turned into 16 two story units .. so I have those then got houses either side of me then the back of the house backs of to 3 places .. i feel so boxed in .. honestly thinking my future might be brighter in another country. I couldn’t imagine having to spend 40 grand on a 4x2 metre box no toilet . 😢😮 Seen a video last night the project is calling it Generation rent …. How sad is that . My pop actually owns lots of land his not allowed to have houses on there but recently they have built so many houses around him they are practically on his front door and to make it worse his rates keep going on it was at 11 grand the last night I asked him at Xmas time . My opinion someone wants his land …

There is a home crisis but politicians refuse to utility different options like tiny homes because there is no money in it for them

400 a week?? Jeez 15 years ago you could get a large studio in downtown Denver for 400 a month. It's obnoxious

Tiny houses aren't much smaller than old miners cottages that are considered full size houses and don't get me started on the 25m squared apartments that have one small room and a kitchenette that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Someone should point out to the governments that by not making any real effort to address the growing housing crisis they are effectively accountable for going against the Geneva Convention. "International human rights law recognizes everyone’s right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing. Adequate housing was recognized as part of the right to an adequate standard of living in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Other international human rights treaties have since recognized or referred to the right to adequate housing or some elements of it, such as the protection of one’s home and privacy."

I own my block of land and still aren’t allowed to put a tiny on it. I keep getting told I can apply for a temporary dwelling for 12 months only while my REAL house is built. So I guess I’ll build a shed and live in that, hoping they won’t notice.

Ridiculous comment about bushfire and floods in regards to tiny homes. All those other 'normal' houses also burn down and get flooded!!!

People should be able to do whatever they want on their land. Government wants too much control. People need help and all the those at the top just want money.

The government can do something but it chooses not to , very sad that such a huge problem is swept under the carpet

if there is a fire you lose your home...umm wouldn't that happen with a permanent house to? at least these could be moved if they own a truck

The word COUNCIL seems to figure prominently, as a barrier to homeless people trying to make necessary changes to how and where they live!😔

For people in North America: the mentioned rent prices are per week.

Council needs to stop being a hindrance to people and start being part of the solution. There are also lots of people living long term in holiday parks. It would make far more sense to intentionally design tiny house villages to meet occupants needs.

It's almost as if local councils are covertly influenced 💲 by the rental market to resist lower cost alternatives. I can understand about tiny homes that are little more than shacks, but modern design tiny homes are far better built.

I totally get insurance issues with an un approved property but it's pretty cruel to make people have to get approval for a mobile home considering the alternative is homelessness. What a total joke. Who gives a shit if you have a cabin or whatever built on a block of land away from the metro area. Your not even allowed to live in a caravan on a block of land. WTF! Why?

It's about time the authorities woke up to the plight of good ordinary people. Tiny homes are becoming the rescue raft of growing numbers of Australians, so the stressful rulings need to be revised/relaxed to accommodate the growing demand. In fact, get rid of the mandatory mobile ruling, so tiny homes can be more affordable. To most families, it's their home, not an adventure project. Sure, monitor/ensure sanitation levels of land used for tiny homes, but most use composting toilets, which use zero water which eases the burden on our existing sewage infrastructure. A huge advantage of tiny communities is the united bond to make them succeed & mingle. Something that needs to be improved in our extended/demanding working hours. Overseas they have classes where students or potential owners build tiny homes & learn trade skills. The barrier, of course, are the revenue-hungry councils that need to keep the money flowing in their direction.

Same housing crisis in New Zealand 🇳🇿 Rent is outrageous! More and more people living in cars, sleeping rough, Caravans etc. And wages can't cover rent, food, fuel etc. I have been living in a tiny Caravan for 2 years..no way will I ever afford to rent again. Let alone purchase. It's tough..but it could be worse. Especially when families in Auckland live in their cars..with their kids, and their Parents are working full-time!!

You need a permit to live...WTF is wrong with OZ?

I live in a tiny condo room at 370 sqft but the floor plan is perfect. I have a small kitchen, a jacuzzi tub, a tiny living room corner and a function bedroom. Let alone a big balcony that can store the picnic stove to the mountain view. If people build the tiny house with an apartment floor plan in mind your life will be easier.

The ALP once promised to set rent at no more than a third of weekly income. That's never been honoured.

I lived on sailboats for twenty five years after being a student living in a VW bus, tiny homes are luxurious to me. At least you don’t sink and drown when they spring a plank.

I love that there is a "housing crisis" and it's the country's #1 issue. I live in my car, and happily park outside Macca's or the Servo, or a park somewhere and convert my car into a backseat bed. Doing that for 15 months now, saved $15,000 and have no idea what to do with the money. Maybe I'll just keep going!

Tiny houses are a practical solution , rather than homeless like in USA . Councils need to help people

The government needs to buy up parcels of land, add the hookups then allow people to -- at bare minimum -- rent a spot for their tiny homes, akin to a caravan park but with the added security of being owned by the government, thus their spots won't be sold underneath them, which private entities can do with relatively little warning. After all, tiny homes are often no less of a home to people. They just need the security of being able to place it somewhere.

Hard to find a decent spot to legally put a tiny home on

Raschel's place is not a tiny house, it is a shelter. Big difference there. The International Code Council adopted an appendix for tiny houses some time ago. Ultimately to be considered tiny house. You need to have som sort of space even if complact for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitization (Im probably missing some other requirements).

The problem is the government. The solution is tiny houses. People need to have housing - it's a basic need. The government needs to work it out - for the people not for the money.

Noooo! I refuse to believe this! A tiny home has always been my dream. Just me, myself and I. 😢😢

This breaks my heart. I live on Long Island, which is approximately 55 miles out of New York City’s metropolitan area. The rental crisis is similar here. I am married, and we were lucky enough to buy into the housing market when it was somewhat affordable. The rental market here has shifted it’s focus to luxury 55 plus communities that run upwards of 3 grand a month. The state is trying to plan affordable rental communities, but they are few and far between. I am losing hope that things will ever get better for our working class.

It’s wild that economics at play are leading people to living in smaller and smaller spaces despite countries being richer than ever before

You're doing a great job momma ..don't feel bad ..you're doing it ..for you daughter and pups

Rochelle is a real fighter, working, paying rent & utilities, and doing all she can to house her teenage daughter. I am so glad she has those two beautiful little dogs, at least they help you cope mentally. Often, my Animals were the only reason l got up or chose to live. Angela has made a perfectly beautiful home for Seb & Milian. Only thing l saw missing was a dog or cat or both, for the sweet boys!😉 Incredible how far mothers are willing to go when it is the housing & safety at stake of their children. Mine are now 37 to 43 and l am thankful with gratefulness that they were never homeless growing up. Of course now in 2023 with Ottawa rents COMPLETELY out-of-control where a studio/bachelor is &1,300 to $1,400 monthly. If you find a 1-bed apt. for same price, it's likely due to the cockroaches or bedbugs. Some of these dumps are within easy walking to Parliament Hill, yes Justin's office where life is unrecognizable to those of us under the poverty line. Best of luck to these Incredible Mums.💖🍀🐾🌈☮️🇨🇦

This has become a worldwide problem. As a human race we are in trouble.

The issue is always building restrictions. Why?

I live in the US & we keep hearing how there’s a housing crisis in Australia… after doing currency conversions based on the info on this video and elsewhere online, Australia homes in pricey areas would actually be considered affordable housing here in the US, and completely unheard of in places like California, New York and Hawai’i where rents would be double to triple what you’re paying. I then looked up the average annual salary in Australia and it’s comparable to the US average. If you earn the same as here in the US, yet pay half to 1/3 the housing costs (depending on location) as in the US, your healthcare is free or low cost versus in America where we have to pay on average what would be $520 AUD a month for health insurance _(we still pay on average $3700 AUD per each ER visit if we have paid for health insurance and around $15,000 AUD per each ER visit if we don’t have health insurance and we have copayments for basic checkups, doctors visits, exams, medications, etc)_ … what’s the other contributing factors that’s causing the housing crisis? Is your utilities expensive? In America the average cost of basics (internet, electricity and water only) is $545 AUD a month, twice that in places like Hawai’i. Is there no jobs? Do they over tax you? I know there’s import prices there, but we have a high rate of imports in the US too and Hawai’i pays import fees x2 because of the Jones Act. Can someone help me understand what’s going on there?

we are 2 people in a 500 Sq ft apartment and it feels like we are on top of each other constantly, couldn't imagine a tiny home 😭

With housing crisis in US, Australia and England...tiny home approval need to be fast tracked.

council prohibits it in WA. it could deflate house prices and rent, so no way.

As a woman living in a travel trailer in my son's backyard, I can certainly identify with this woman's story. For years, I lived with my elderly parents, and then they passed. After paying funeral expenses and splitting the money from the sale of their home with my three siblings, I was left with less than $35 thousand and nowhere to live. I'm very thankful that I was able to buy my trailer, but I can't imagine living here with a husband and children. Corporate greed is out of hand, apparently globally, as I live in FL, USA. I was told recently that travel trailers older than 5 years won't be accepted in trailer parks any longer, so if not for my son, I'd be homeless in a year, even living in a 'tiny home'. 😮😢

These councils need to adjust their policies to the reality that many live in caravans, mobile homes, and even vehicles permanently, not short term. Too many people are in precariousness of being evicted just out of affordability. Anyone off the grid need a means to access utilities like water, grey water and black water dump, laundry, and even showers. The guy is talking about ‘what if it burns down or is flooded?’ Umm, that’s with any house though.