Out of love with residential? Try rooming houses

According to Mr Dimovski: “The cost of rent is skyrocketing.” He explained that young people need accommodation that is affordable, close to work or study, and in well-connected metropolitan areas.

Recent data reinforces Mr Dimovski’s claim, with CoreLogic’s latest quarterly rental review revealing that rents have risen for 38 consecutive months. With tenants down $137 compared to July 2020, CoreLogic economist Kaitlyn Ezzy stated tenants are “seeking to grow their household to share the growing rental burden”.

In Mr Dimovski’s view, this is a market that investors can tap into. He emphasised that renting out rooms individually can yield higher returns than single-occupant tenancies.

“Because we focus on this kind of strategy, you can purchase a four-bedroom home for $600,000, furnish it for another $20,000, and you’re getting $850-$900 rental return – and you’ve got someone managing it for 10 per cent. It’s a win.”

With rooms rented out individually to tenants and shared amenities like kitchen and bathrooms, property management can be significantly more complicated. But Mr Dimovski shared some tips to minimise obstacles.

“The people who come in are on a minimum six-month contract,” he said. “It’s not like an Airbnb situation where they’re coming in and out.”

In fact, he highlighted that overlapping tenancies can even be a good thing, as it means that “if you have a vacancy, you might have a vacancy in one room rather than the house”.

“In the particular areas that I deal with, you’ll only have a one-day vacancy because they’re just lining up,” he revealed.

While this investment strategy can be a lucrative option, Mr Dimovski warned against building a whole portfolio out of rooming house assets, urging investors to “diversify in the style of properties”.

Nevertheless, he insists that “fear of the unknown” should not prevent investors from considering tapping into the rooming accommodation market.

Listen to the full conversation with Dragan Dimovski here.