Aussie job seekers spike demand for micro-lease tenancies

Dec 18, 2020 | 0 comments

With many Aussies having to chase short-stint employment during COVID, a demand for flexible living arrangements has identified a rising need for micro-lease rentals for transient workers.

The average lease length for rental properties in Australia is 12-months, which is proving to be too restrictive for Aussies working transient or seasonal jobs like construction, agricultural support, or truck driving.

Truck Driver Allan Bryce said that he has been living at Ingenia Rental Eight Mile Plains on and off for 20 years using the rental community as a home base due to its flexible short-term accommodation lease model.

“Particularly during COVID, I’ve had to travel more to pick up work, and traditional rental properties don’t offer great flexibility for workers like me,” said Mr Bryce.

“I was working at the Port of Brisbane when COVID hit and the import volume from overseas dried up pretty quickly, so I had to go up to North Queensland to find work.

“Because of the lease format at Ingenia Rental, I was able to give notice, tie up whatever loose ends I had and head up North to do some work on a property for the cane season.

“I’ve only recently moved back to Ingenia Rental following a six-month stint. This is actually my seventh stay; I just keep coming back.

“The location of the community here at Eight Mile Plains is also a winner for me – it’s centrally located, which is important for me as a lot of the work I do is in the transport industry,” Mr Bryce said.

“It’s roughly a 20-minute drive in any direction to where most of the transport centres are located, being either Rocklea, Larapinta, or the Port of Brisbane.

Ingenia Rental Eight Mile Plains Community Manager Ona Berghan-Wylie said that she had seen a rise in transient workers who were chasing employment opportunities during the pandemic.

“We know that people come to us because we offer flexible periodic leases that allow residents to go where the work takes them without the worries or penalties that often come with breaking a lease,” said Ms Berghan-Wylie.

“Our community is low-maintenance, conveniently located and affordable which is a major plus – especially when people travel for work and want to avoid paying rent in multiple places.

“Ingenia is working to redefine rental options for Australia’s short-term and mobile workforce by providing the flexibility and affordability they need, while ensuring they feel at home and part of a community.

“Ultimately our residents come from all walks of life – some for a few months due to work, some on a more permanent basis and some, like Allan, who have regularly returned over a number of years.

“It’s important to us that all residents feel at home and part of a supportive community, regardless of how long or how often they are staying,” Ms Berghan-Wylie said.