Build-to-RentChris ThomsonThu 28 May 26
Canberra’s First Build-to-Rent-to-Buy Homes Complete
Canberra’s first build-to-rent-to-buy housing project has been completed in the north-western suburb of Strathnairn for low-income working women.
Backed by a $4.5-million seed grant from the ACT government, the project comprises 22 one, two and three-bedroom townhouses.
The development is aimed at single working women aged 25 to 45 who have stable but low incomes and who have struggled to enter the housing market.
Under the build-to-rent-to-buy model, women will pay an affordable rent set at just below 75 per cent of market value, creating the financial room to save a deposit. The program offers up to 10 years of tenancy stability, with a flexible window to purchase the home between years 6 and 10.
CHC Australia chief executive Nathan Dal Bon said the project would disrupt a cycle whereby cost-of-living pressures had caused many Canberrans, particularly financially vulnerable women, to struggle with expenses, including building a deposit for a home.
“Our intent is simple and ambitious, to reduce housing stress for women and their children and create a clear, supported pathway to build assets and intergenerational wealth,” Dal Bon said.
“If the pilot is successful, we intend to replicate the model through future rounds of build-to-rent-to-buy housing.”
Participants can access early financial health checks and receive advice on saving and loan readiness. Income limits are set based on home size to help keep the program accessible and mortgages manageable.
The homes are being built by Canberra-based contractor Renaissance Homes.
The project is part of a wider plan to increase housing supply across Canberra, with the ACT government seeking to enable 30,000 new homes by the end of 2030. This includes 5000 more public, community and affordable rental homes.
