Tiny steps towards housing solution

A small change could be all that is needed to help people struggling to find a home.

Pocket Condos specialists Joe Maiolo and Sue Daley believe they may have found a solution to WA’s current housing crisis through their tiny home designs.

The Mandurah couple launched their business in December 2021 to help provide an alternative and more affordable housing solution.

Pocket Condos WA specialises in tiny home construction and designs that are compact and fully customisable.

Mr Maiolo said they came up with the idea for tiny homes after seeing so many rental properties in the local area get snatched up.

“Tiny homes was an easier and quick option … with shorter build times than what normal build times are,” he said.

“They are a great form of home for a lot of people.”

Mr Maiolo said the average build time for a tiny home was 12 to 14 weeks.

Ms Daley said tiny homes could be used by a variety of people, including seasonal workers or short-stay accommodation operators.

“Tiny homes have lots of uses, it’s not just for homelessness,” she said. “We did it as an alternative housing solution because we saw down here what was happening with all the rentals disappearing.

“We still see it now, people sleeping in their cars. We don’t see why in this country anyone should be sleeping in their cars and we also felt that people had the right to choose the home that they lived in.

“Not everybody wants a four-by-two mansion. Some people want to live tiny but also live sustainably, so they want the block of land with a small home on it.”

Ms Daley is currently working with 67 local governments to class tiny homes as permanent dwellings in their planning policies.

Last year, the Shire of Esperance became the first local government to amend its policy.

“The tiny homes are suitable for so many reasons, not just homelessness, you’ve got your seasonal workers, general workers accommodation and even first-time buyers who may want to buy the block of land and live in a tiny home until they are ready for something bigger if they chose,” Ms Daley said.

“In the area that we are in there is a huge potential but we do need support to see this through.

“They’re not the solution, but they are a solution and that’s what we want people to realise.”

For more information on tiny homes, visit pocketcondos.au.