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A tiny home in Nevada inspired big demand from renters desperate for an affordable place to live.
According to a report on Fox 5, the 160-square-foot backyard residence in the Las Vegas Valley asking $950 a month has received over 100 inquiries from tenants hoping to secure the rare affordable rental.
“I’ve literally [had] 113 and counting people,” the landlord, who asked for anonymity, told the news station. “[My phone] keeps ringing on wanting to rent it. It’s definitely in people’s hearts to want to save some money right now.”
The property sits in the landlord’s own backyard. He built it himself for $22,000 and has built dozens of other ones elsewhere, according to the report.
The $950 rent price comes with utilities including water, electricity, internet, trash and plumbing. The micro-home packs a lot into its 160 square feet, with a small pull-down dining table, a kitchenette with a washer/dryer, a bathroom and a lofted bedroom — plenty of amenities for a single person.
However, according to the report, multiple groups of people have inquired about sharing the space, including a family of four and three separate people who each have two children and a dog, illustrating the sacrifices some people are willing to make to secure a rental they can afford.
The average rent in Las Vegas is $1,990 according to Zillow. Rents increased dramatically in the Sun Belt city starting in 2020, with prices jumping 29 percent between October 2020 and October 2021, while rents have risen 30 percent nationally since 2020.
To increase rental housing stock, municipalities in Western states have loosened regulations around accessory dwelling units — such as backyard tiny homes — giving homeowners more opportunities to become landlords and expand the available housing stock.
Nevada is one of those states. In 2021, its state legislature passed a law requiring cities with populations of more than 150,000 to draft new zoning laws that allow for accessory dwelling units by 2024.
Laws like that one have prompted new startups to help fill the new demand for tiny homes. One such startup is Samara, launched by Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia and Mike McNamara, which launched its first tiny home, the “Backyard,” in 2022.
The company recently announced its purchase of a factory on the U.S.-Mexico border in Mexicali to bring its manufacturing capabilities in-house in order to meet demand faster and have better quality control.
