Australia’s housing crisis continues to bite, with soaring rental prices and a chronic shortage of supply forcing many to reconsider traditional living arrangements.
But one Queensland woman believes she’s found a “game-changing” solution that could ease the pressure for countless others.
Jessica Hodgson, 35, found herself in a “tricky predicament” in 2024.
A break-up left her without a home, and with limited work capacity, “renting wasn’t viable either,” she told Yahoo News.
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Facing an uncertain future, a tiny home expo advertisement sparked an idea that would transform her life.
“This is the solution,” she recalled thinking.
“It ticks all my boxes. If I can buy one of these, then my overheads will be really low. I can live independently and simply.”
Rent and mortgage-free living
Fast forward two years, and Jessica is living her dream.
She now resides in a custom-built, 10-metre tiny home on a five-acre property in Hervey Bay, Queensland.
Jessica Hodgson ditched the pressure of a mortgage for a low-cost tiny home. (Jessica Hodgson tiny home QLD)
Purchased from Casa Tiny Homes for $165,000 – $745,000 below the national house price, her dwelling is on wheels, offering the flexibility to relocate if needed.
Her next step was to find land.
“I ended up being overwhelmed with offers, which I was not expecting,” she said, after putting out feelers on Facebook.
For the past six weeks, Jessica has been living completely rent and mortgage-free.
Her only regular expenses are food and caring for her beloved pet dog.
In exchange for her spot, Jessica assists the landowner by looking after the main house and animals when they travel.
The landowner also provides Jessica with power and water, making her arrangement incredibly cost-effective.
The rise of tiny and modular housing
Jessica’s story is part of a growing trend as more Australians ditch conventional housing for more affordable and flexible tiny and modular solutions.
Modular, or prefab, housing is also gaining traction, promising quicker construction times compared to traditional builds, often taking weeks instead of months.
This alternative also helps bypass the current national tradie shortage.
Governments are beginning to recognise the potential.
Jessica purchased her tiny home on wheels for $165,000. (Jessica Hodgson tiny home QLD)
In March this year, the Tasmanian state government announced a nationwide push to relax granny flat regulations, proposing an increase in maximum size from 60 square metres to a more substantial 90 square metres.
“We need to be coming at housing from all angles,” Minister for Housing and Planning, Kerry Vincent, said at the time.
“There is significant demand for one- and two-bedroom homes across the state, and we need to make it easier to deliver this type of accommodation.”
Similarly, as of May 2026, NSW tiny home regulations allow Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs) as exempt development for long-term residential use on private land, provided they meet specific criteria under the Local Government (Manufactured Home Estates, Caravan Parks, Camping Grounds and Moveable Dwellings) Regulation 2021.
Jessica Hodgson in her tiny home in Queensland. (Jessica Hodgson)
This means a THOW can be lived in indefinitely on land with an existing dwelling, used by the household, if it’s registered as a caravan and connected to existing infrastructure.
Victoria has also significantly relaxed laws for “small second dwellings” (often used for tiny homes) up to 60sqm, allowing them to be built without a planning permit on most properties. These can now be rented out to anyone, provided they meet building regulations and safety standards.
“Not a compromise – it’s freedom”
Jessica admits her journey wasn’t easy, but she’s now “happy and at peace,” free from financial worries.
“I’ve held a mortgage before, and I have no desire to return to that kind of financial pressure,” she stated.
“I didn’t choose tiny living as a lifestyle trend. I chose it because it was the only realistic option available to me.
“A tiny home isn’t a compromise for me – it’s freedom on the only terms available to me.”
She’s now encouraging others to follow into her footsteps. (Jessica Hodgson)
She now urges local councils and state governments to “really … focus some attention on embracing tiny homes,” which she sees as a rapid and effective way to provide adequate housing across Australia.
“It’s absolutely a solution to the housing crisis,” she concluded.
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