“Right now, most homeowners can’t rent secondary dwellings, such as granny flats, to anyone other than their immediate family.
“At the same time some Queenslanders are sleeping in their cars or in tents.
“It just makes sense to allow existing accommodation to be occupied by someone other than a relative to provide more affordable accommodation for Queenslanders.”
The rental vacancy rate in south-east Queensland is about 1 per cent, meaning there is high demand for units and homes.
Caniglia said as long as housing construction standards were not relaxed, and safety restrictions were maintained, the idea was valuable.
“It will provide a greater focus for many enterprises working on modular, small dwellings which are quick to build and which can be sited within existing properties,” she said.
Q Shelter called for an expert building and land supply unit to be created to provide advice on affordable housing.
Suburban congestion and flood access are issues to be addressed as the Queensland Government reviews legislation to allow granny flats to be rented.Credit:Nine News.
“We are hearing from people with suggestions about properties but there needs to be a systematic way for those properties to be identified and appraised,” she said.
“It is great to see churches and other community members suggesting opportunities.
“But this requires a team of experts to help assess the suitability of those properties and then bring them to market as quickly as possible.”
A Brisbane City Council spokesman said the council requested that community feedback be part of any review.
“There are still 500 units sitting idle at the Pinkenba quarantine facility and we implore the state and federal governments to do whatever is necessary to make them immediately available as emergency accommodation.”
Miles said homeowners earning rent from granny flats would have to declare it to the tax office.
Planning Institute of Australia Queensland division president Shannon Batch said the changes would help address housing challenges.
“The Planning Institute of Australia support more housing diversity, and this change will help deliver additional housing types that can meet Queenslanders’ needs.”
