Outback Australian town offers $1 homes for rent

Aberdeenangarse

An Australian outback town in New South Wales is offering homes to rent for $1 (£0.60) a week.

Trundle is home to just 380 people and wants to encourage families to settle there to help "keep the town alive".

The area has suffered a long drought but residents say wheat and cereal crops are now flourishing.

The town's campaign aims to capitalise on a "tree-change" movement in which city-dwellers choose a country lifestyle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11681303

Yippee.......:j

Blacklight

Some people I know would still complain that was too much.

FTBFun

Blacklight wrote: »

Some people I know would still complain that was too much.

"It would be 50 cents were it not for greedy BTL landlords etc (cont p.94)"

Blacklight

FTBFun wrote: »

"It would be 50 cents were it not for greedy BTL landlords etc (cont p.94)"

Just you wait until they cap benefits! Rents will fall off a cliff... not that they aren't already round my way.

50% off by Christmas I tell you!

amcluesent

If they paid your airfare from the Condem's Broken Britain I'd be interested

Loughton_Monkey

An Australian outback town in New South Wales is offering homes to rent for $1 (£0.60) a week.

Trundle is home to just 380 people and wants to encourage families to settle there to help "keep the town alive".

The area has suffered a long drought but residents say wheat and cereal crops are now flourishing.

The town's campaign aims to capitalise on a "tree-change" movement in which city-dwellers choose a country lifestyle

A bit like Middlesbrough then?

Generali

This sort of thing is more common than you'd imagine. Lots of communities in Aus are withering for want of water and people. Life can be pretty tough in some parts of Aus and so people need some encouragement to go to these towns.

Loughton_Monkey

This reminds me of a long standing idea I've had, to fill a gap in the market.

Take my own situation. Early retired. No kids. Mrs Monkey and I wanting to spend every last ounce of cash before popping clogs. Current plan to downsize and then "Lifetime Mortgage" the smaller house to the hilt.

Now it occurs to me, that around the Great British Coast there are several quite nice houses, structurally sound, except for a minor problem that they are going to fall into the sea in (say) 20 years time. So, OK, sympathies for the owners and all that. Their asset has gone down the pan. No value at all. Tough luck to them!

But for people like us, there is an excellent value in such a house. 20 years rent in advance perhaps? £10K/£15K better than a slap round the face with a wet fish to the owners I would say.

So Mrs Monkey and I can spend our dotage in a nice house, with sea-view, gradually getting closer as our eyesight fades, watching the sun go down over the yardarm, very large gin & tonic in hand on the verandah.....

The only drawback I can see is the timing. A good doctor, and a good structural engineer could, between them, give 'best advice' to match the right property for our age.....

A good idea? Or what....

PasturesNew

Blacklight wrote: »

Just you wait until they cap benefits! Rents will fall off a cliff... not that they aren't already round my way.

50% off by Christmas I tell you!

LOL/50% off... I wish they would. I'd rent one then.
I am prepared to rent at 30% off current prices, but I refuse to pay out 80% of my income every month just for a 1-bed grot-spot and basic bills, huddling in a converted shabby house alongside drugs dealers who love to play music loud all night long, play the bongo drums in their room (they're popular round this way) and have their mates thundering up and down the communal stairs 24/7.

PasturesNew

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

This reminds me of a long standing idea I've had, to fill a gap in the market.

Take my own situation. Early retired. No kids. Mrs Monkey and I wanting to spend every last ounce of cash before popping clogs. Current plan to downsize and then "Lifetime Mortgage" the smaller house to the hilt.

Now it occurs to me, that around the Great British Coast there are several quite nice houses, structurally sound, except for a minor problem that they are going to fall into the sea in (say) 20 years time. So, OK, sympathies for the owners and all that. Their asset has gone down the pan. No value at all. Tough luck to them!

But for people like us, there is an excellent value in such a house. 20 years rent in advance perhaps? £10K/£15K better than a slap round the face with a wet fish to the owners I would say.

So Mrs Monkey and I can spend our dotage in a nice house, with sea-view, gradually getting closer as our eyesight fades, watching the sun go down over the yardarm, very large gin & tonic in hand on the verandah.....

The only drawback I can see is the timing. A good doctor, and a good structural engineer could, between them, give 'best advice' to match the right property for our age.....

A good idea? Or what....

You can never tell WHEN it'll slide though:http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=%22ridgemont+house%22+auction+landslide+oddicombe+%22sue+diamond%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=6e8733203d1b4e27

Keywords: "Sue Diamond" auction Oddicombe landslide

She didn't even get to complete before hers slide away and the remainder was deemed entirely unsafe to ever build on.

PasturesNew

Generali wrote: »

This sort of thing is more common than you'd imagine. Lots of communities in Aus are withering for want of water and people. Life can be pretty tough in some parts of Aus and so people need some encouragement to go to these towns.

Maybe we could do what we used to - and ship out our ne'er do wells there.

60p/week - slip them £20 for food ... there's nowhere they can run to, so no need for guards. Saves loadsamoney!

To be 100% sure they'd not leave, just run in big tellies with Sky Sports.