At times when many struggle to get onto the property ladder, Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs) offer a more affordable way to buy your own home.
One of the reasons tiny homes are often much more affordable than traditional ones is that you don’t have to own the land you live on – you can simply lease land from someone else.
While we often talk about houses being unaffordable in New Zealand, most of the time, it’s actually the cost of land that makes housing so expensive. Obviously, the cost of building materials also plays a part in high house prices, but most of the time, the land a house stands on is worth more than the building.
The good news is, if you own a THOW, you don’t need to buy land. More and more landowners are discovering the benefits of leasing a section of their otherwise unused land to tiny homeowners. As a result, it’s now easier than ever to find a spot for your tiny. However, you need to know where to look – and how much to budget for.
"The good news is, if you own a THOW, you don’t need to buy land."
Finding Land
“How do I find land for my tiny house?” This question gets asked a lot in the tiny house community in New Zealand. There is no one-size fits-all answer, but there are several options. Here are some of the most common platforms and methods people have used successfully to find land.
- Check on www.landshare.nz, a website connecting tiny house dwellers and landowners. New listings are added almost every week, so keep checking back.
- Create a nice-looking flyer and put it in letterboxes or on notice boards in the area(s) you want to live in. Ensure you include information about yourself and a photo, details about your tiny house, what services (if any) you need access to and anything else you’re looking for.
- Join local Facebook groups for the areas you would want to live in and ask for available land in the groups. You could attach the flyer you created above or add the details to the post.
- Spread the word among your personal network. You never know who knows someone, who knows someone.
- Join community events in the area you want to live in. Talk to people and tell them that you’re looking for land. You could even hand out some of your flyers at these events.
- Place an ad in a local paper or magazine.
Whatever you do, make sure you spend some time thinking about how you can present yourself in a way that makes people feel like you would be a good tenant and someone they would like to have on their land. At the same time, you want to make sure you don’t waste your time with land that doesn’t suit your needs, so it’s also important to be specific about what you want and need. For example, do you need access to power and water? How much space do you need? Do you need space to park a car – or multiple? Does the land need to be pet friendly or kid-friendly? Do you need an area for composting? Do you want space to create a garden and maybe plant some vegetables? Get clear about exactly what you’re looking for before reaching out to people so it’s easy for landowners to determine if they can offer what you need.
The Cost of Leasing Land
Probably the second most common question after how to find land is how much it will cost. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to that question. Just like the rent for houses varies significantly based on location, size and fit-out, so does the lease for land. The amount you pay will vary depending on the area you want to be in, how much space you want and whether you need access to things like water and power.
As a general guideline, people who live near big cities and populated areas often pay around $150 - $200 per week to lease land for their tiny. In rural areas, you can expect to pay $80 - $150 per week. Keep in mind that this is a rough guideline only. It is up to you and the landowner to agree on a fair amount in light of the land and the services available. Have a look on the http://www.landshare.nz website to get an idea of what some landowners are asking for.
Learn more
Tiny house owners: Want to learn more about leasing land, including all the factors you should consider when choosing land and a landlord, download our free guide: Finding land to lease for your tiny house
Landowners: If you have a bit of spare land, and are considering leasing it to a tiny house owner to park and live on, check out our free guide: Things you need to know when leasing land to a tiny house owner
