Corporate landlords offer Teslas, pet grooming as Melbourne embraces build to rent

Renters will increasingly be offered access to pet grooming, Teslas and concierge services at home as corporate landlords try to keep them leasing for years — if not their whole life.

The Home Richmond build-to-rent project at 246 Church St, Richmond, is among the first to emerge as part of a new trend headed to Melbourne.

Corporate landlords are offering Melbourne tenants concierge services, Teslas and pet grooming as the city emerges from the pandemic as the “build-to-rent capital of Australia”.

The number of apartment buildings entirely owned by companies willing to spend on amenities to lure tenants to them, rather than being owned by a series of investors, are expected to surge by 2030.

Alex Roosje, 20, spent several years living in the United States at a build-to-rent complex in Utah with family while receiving medical treatment.

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Earlier this year she moved into one of the first created in Melbourne, Home Richmond, with a friend.

“We love it, it’s so easy and the amenities are great — I go to the gym here every day, so without that I would have been paying for a gym membership,” she said.

While she’s not ruling out ever owning a home, Ms Roosje said for many of her peers the idea of buying a property is something they aren’t expecting to pursue until they are well into their 30s — and the idea of long-term rental options appealed in the meantime.

Alex Roosje is among the tenants living at the build-to-rent tower, Home Richmond, and wouldn’t be surprised if she is there for many years.

Impressive home spaces are a part of the appeal.

“I feel like people around me are not seeing buying a home as a priority,” Ms Roosje said.

“All my friends are expecting to be renting for a long time.”

Home Australia manager Christian Grahame said Melbourne was currently the “build-to-rent capital of Australia” and accounted for 65 per cent of all projects in the sector across Australia today.

After opening the doors to two buildings, Home Richmond and Home Southbank, this year Mr Grahame said early interest had come from tenants whose landlords raised rents after pandemic moratoriums ended, as well as expats returning from the UK, Canada and the US.

Stretching out for some yoga can be done in style without leaving the building.

Rooftops are likely to make the most of many build-to-rent projects’ inner-city locations.

For most the appeal lay in amenities, including a concierge, co-working spaces, in-building dry cleaning, swimming pools, pilates and spin rooms, pet grooming space and a Tesla share car.

But it comes at a cost, with the about 365 Richmond residences renting from $500-$1500 a week, and the 400-odd in Southbank ranging from $600-$1500 a week, depending on whether renters want one or three bedrooms.

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