Australians are turning to alternate living arrangements as rent skyrockets

As rent increases and populations age, a growing number of people are moving onto houseboats.

Over 29,000 houseboats and cabins were counted Australia-wide in the 2021 Australia Bureau of Statistics census, an 11.5 per cent rise since 2016.

Lance Magnussen built a 70-foot aluminium boat 15 years ago. He now lives completely off grid with a permanent mooring off Queensland's North Stradbroke Island.

Mr Magnussen said his boat, 'Freelance', has been significantly cheaper than owning a house.

He pays $58 a year in mooring fees and around $400 in registration per year. Many boaters also opt for insurance.

The material for freelance cost around $100,000 when Mr Magnussen built it on the island. Buying a second-hand boat or commissioning a build may triple the costs.

But the retired tradesman said even these options cost less than a house.

"[The costs] don't even come close to each other," he said.

"I've got everything a house has got here," Mr Magnussen said of his three-bedroom boat, complete with three showers, a spa and four bars.

Being aluminium, the boat needs minimal maintenance. He cleans it on the beach every few months.

"Everybody in the bay knows Freelance," he said. "It's the party boat."

Myall Lake's Getaway Houseboats manager Dallas Taylor said moorings were in short supply.

He feels the rising cost of rent has pushed more people to try living on water.

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"A least two or three times a week, we get a call from someone asking if there's a spot available," Mr Taylor said. "They want to have their questions answered."

Michelle Patrick and her husband are considering purchasing a houseboat to moor permanently after moving to Queensland from Perth but said places are scarce.

Ms Patrick sold her Western Australian home and said she cannot afford to buy on Queensland's coast. The couple have been taking on extended house-sits.

"We have very little knowledge about boats," she said. "There's a lot of homework that need to be done before [we seriously consider purchasing]."

Though her husband has always been keen, Ms Patrick said she would not have considered living on a boat prior to the rental crisis.

"We visited Hope [Harbour] Marina for dinner and drinks," she said. "We got talking to people who lived there permanently."

To live in the marina, Ms Patrick says she would pay roughly $200 a week in rent, including power and water.

Some states, including NSW, do not allow people to live on board permanently but private and crown land moorings are available. States like Tasmania and Queensland permit 'liveaboards.'