'I don't have a place to stay': Couple faces dilemma and threats over their home

Living in a place one could call home could be a dream come true for many Australians.

Regardless of whether it's a sprawling estate or a tiny home that could house small families, homes should be a haven for people.

However, one couple has been facing a complicated predicament that sparked debates about home security in the country.


Manu Bohn and his partner found themselves priced out of the traditional property market.

With the devastation of the Black Summer bushfires and affordable housing options dwindling, the couple took matters into their own hands.

In 2023, the couple built a tiny house on a friend's farm on NSW's South Coast.

For two years, they enjoyed a 'simple and happy life of work, study, volunteering, and sport'.


Manu Bohn.PNG
Manu Bohn and his partner built their home thanks to an agreement with a friend. Image Credit: Change.org


However, the couple's peaceful life was shattered.

A letter from the Bega Valley Shire Council notified the couple about their 'unauthorised structure'.

The council stated their home had to be demolished or removed from their friend's property.

Otherwise, they would face legal action and a potential fine of up to $1 million, plus $10,000 for every day they remained.


Manu and his partner's story was far from unique.

Bega Valley has been grappling with a severe housing shortage.

Rent prices continue to soar, property prices have become out of reach for many, and more and more people have been turning to alternative living arrangements—tiny houses included.

Tiny homes could cost anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000.

Meanwhile, the median house price in Bega Valley has reached $630,000 as of April last year.

For Manu and his partner, their tiny house was 'basically the only affordable way of living'.

'If that's taken out of me, basically I'm just left with the tiny house—and that means, according to the letter, that I can't even park it anywhere,' Manu shared.

'So it means I don't have a place to stay.'


One of the biggest challenges tiny house owners have faced over the years was the lack of clear definitions and pathways.

In NSW, there's no fixed definition of a tiny home under the planning framework.

Depending on how it's built and used, a tiny house could be classified as anything from a granny flat to a caravan.

Emily Harrison, Bega Valley Shire Council's Director of Community, Environment and Planning, explained that using land as a dwelling often required approval.

These approvals often include a Development Application (DA) lodged in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

This process should ensure health, safety, and environmental standards are met, including fire safety, waste disposal, and vegetation management.

Manu and his partner did not seek council permission or a DA.

'Our understanding was and still is that our tiny house built on wheels is considered a mobile dwelling under NSW legislation, which doesn't require a DA and allows us to move it to maybe our own future land,' Manu clarified.

However, the council saw things differently, and the lack of a DA meant they could not be sure the necessary standards had been met.


While the council itself cannot impose a $1 million fine, the Land and Environment Court could do so should the matter go too far.

After receiving the council's letter, Manu launched a petition calling for a moratorium on tiny house evictions.

He also urged the council to work with the NSW Government to create a legal pathway for tiny home ownership.

'A viable solution to the housing crisis is not only being ignored but fought against,' the petition read.

Manu also pointed out that many people, including seniors and those in vulnerable situations, have turned to tiny homes as a last resort.

For seniors, tiny homes offer a way to downsize, reduce living costs, and maintain independence without the burden of a mortgage or rent.

Councils across Australia have been grappling with how to balance affordable housing with concerns about safety and sanitation.
Key Takeaways

  • A couple living in a tiny house has been ordered by the local council to demolish their home or face legal action and a possible fine.
  • The couple built their tiny house due to being priced out of the housing market.
  • The couple argued that their tiny house on wheels should be considered a mobile dwelling under NSW legislation.
  • The case highlighted the lack of clear regulations for tiny homes in NSW and has sparked calls for council and government action to create pathways for legal tiny home ownership.
Have you considered a tiny home, or do you know someone who has? What do you think of Manu's situation? We would love to read your thoughts and opinions about this story in the comments below!
 

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If I were Manu, I would be writing or emailing our prime minister Anthony Albanese to intervene. The council is not the be all end all. There are departments and higher up people who have precedent over councils decisions. I would also contact Current Affair, that way the story can go nation wide and is bound to be heard by our prime minister. 🙏🦋
 
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I have had my fair share of doing battle with Council.
The last involved a back fence neighbour who loved complaining to council about the littlest things. He even got on a ladder and took photos of our deck, then, demanded action from council.
We ended up with clipboard armed council marauders, with, zip tape measures attached to their belts. I was devastated at the invasion of privacy by the neighbour and made sure the council knew of his nasty ways. As it turned out, this guy was well known to council as a habitual whiner. So, why did they come to check our deck. Many things happen simply to justify the outrageous wages they are on.
Just like the very funny skits in Little Britain ... I ring up...council worker says ... "computer says NO"
 
If I were Manu, I would be writing or emailing our prime minister Anthony Albanese to intervene. The council is not the be all end all. There are departments and higher up people who have precedent over councils decisions. I would also contact Current Affair, that way the story can go nation wide and is bound to be heard by our prime minister. 🙏🦋
 
What damage is it doing where it is, the owner of the property obviously agreed, the council is doing the usual putting people out of their homes and money grabbing - disgusting!!!!!!!!!
Not so - rules are rules and it probably would have cost less money and anxiety if the owner of this tiny house (or the legitimate owner of the whole property) had applied for the necessary application in the first place. It is not ‘money grabbing’, it is making sure safety is complied with.
 
for pity sake we have a housing shortage with people sleeping on the street, if it's a proper tiny home then you can guarantee that it is well put together, it's not like they knocked it up themselves, how stupid are all these government departments.............I think they need to think about the people rather than their pockets
 
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for pity sake we have a housing shortage with people sleeping on the street, if it's a proper tiny home then you can guarantee that it is well put together, it's not like they knocked it up themselves, how stupid are all these government departments.............I think they need to think about the people rather than their pockets
Not so - rules are rules and it probably would have cost less money and anxiety if the owner of this tiny house (or the legitimate owner of the whole property) had applied for the necessary application in the first place. It is not ‘money grabbing’, it is making sure safety is complied with.
You are correct with your comments.
The owner of the property was the one who should 've gained permission in the 1st place from the council to have the tiny house constructed.

All in all the owner is the dope, the other 2 should've known better as well.

E
 
Re my above, I'll continue.

Every one plainly knows that before any secondary structure takes place on any private land, plans with an application has to be given to the local council for any approval to be given for such construction to take place.

It looks as though one & all are a bit 'Uneducated" in such matters, or, just plain stupid.

They only have themselves to blame & no one else.

I never feel any empathy for people who don't do the right thing.
 
for pity sake we have a housing shortage with people sleeping on the street, if it's a proper tiny home then you can guarantee that it is well put together, it's not like they knocked it up themselves, how stupid are all these government departments.............I think they need to think about the people rather than their pockets
Safety considerations MUST come first. Think, sewerage, water, drain blockages, kitchen & cooking appliances and the danger they can become (carbon dioxide, breathing issues, fire hazard due to no proper exit of fumes etc - to name just a few). If this place was also connected somehow to the main sewerage and water/gas/electricity supplies (think handyman connection of electricity as the biggest issue) then there are various implications and safety issues. Stupid land owner is the problem more than the small house owner in the back yard.
 
Cant believe all you people writing about rules and regulations. This country was built by convicts - no rules and regulations then. All councils do is grab money any way they can. These people are living in a tiny house WITH WHEELS. Its no more than a fancy caravan!
 
What world do councils live in? There is a severe housing shortage and as the government brings in more and more immigrants that shortage will get worse. Common sense should prevail. Let people live in peace
Councils and common sense is a contradiction, how would they otherwise be able to afford their trips away and paid for studies and business lunches 🤣🤣🤣
 
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Yet Councils do nothing when a neighbor and 3 houses up the road from my Granddaughter and Grandsoninlaw, complained to Council, the house behind them has grass nearly as high as fence, the house next door has rubbish, dogs, in the yard, and a broken down caravan parked on the street. The house across the road burnt down many years ago and the owner got the insurance money and took off, house next door is overgrown, though a guy and dog lives there, and the house next to that has rubbish in the yard, on the grass outside the fence, also broken down trucks and cars, and 1 truck is filled with rubbish. The couple behind that particular house complained to Council, nothing done. Mackay Council.
 
Cant believe all you people writing about rules and regulations. This country was built by convicts - no rules and regulations then. All councils do is grab money any way they can. These people are living in a tiny house WITH WHEELS. Its no more than a fancy caravan!
Yes, built by convicts and no rules or regulations then. But this is NOW, not THEN. Without rules and regulations this country would be a mess. The right thing to do was apply for the necessary permit/permission BEFORE going ahead.

If we didn’t pay taxes we wouldn’t have anything and that is why we pay for everything, much as we sometimes grumble. And some of those taxes and payments we make go towards providing services that also require payment of wages to the people in council who work FOR US not for themselves only. No two ways about it.
 
Cant believe all you people writing about rules and regulations. This country was built by convicts - no rules and regulations then. All councils do is grab money any way they can. These people are living in a tiny house WITH WHEELS. Its no more than a fancy caravan!
Might be ‘no more than a fancy caravan on wheels’, but even living in a caravan on land MIGHT be restricted in some states or councils. Always check regulations before doing anything. If you did electrical work in your home and were not FULLY qualified you can be sure in the even of a house fire that insurance, if the owner had insurance, would not pay up. That is one reason for rules & regulations.
 
Not so - rules are rules and it probably would have cost less money and anxiety if the owner of this tiny house (or the legitimate owner of the whole property) had applied for the necessary application in the first place. It is not ‘money grabbing’, it is making sure safety is complied with.
But it is basically a caravan as it has wheels
 
But it is basically a caravan as it has wheels
Maybe, but was everything in it correctly installed or were they, perhaps, using some means of obtaining water, electricity, even gas, from the main house? It does not matter that it is, as you say, “basically a caravan as it has wheels”. Rules still apply. Would you personally take your caravan onto a friend’s property and live there - (without council approval) - because it is ‘basically a caravan as it has wheels’? How would you get water, electricity, gas and use the facilities of a toilet? I could take a very large backyard child’s playhouse, put wheels on it and call it a caravan, but that does not make it any more legal than this one.
 

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