If you’re renting right now, there’s a good chance you’re not loving it.
According to REA’s latest survey of Australian renters, 72% say it’s a bad time to be a renter. Only 16% feel positive about the market at all. The rest? Overwhelmed. Anxious. Tired. Tired of things breaking down, crowded inspections, basic needs going unmet, and the feeling that your home could vanish with a single email from a phantom landlord.
If that sounds all too real, that’s because it is.. The system was built for transactions, not for people.
But here’s the good news: there’s a better way. It’s called Build-to-Rent (BTR). And at Nation, we’re taking it to the next level: transforming renting into something worth staying for.
ILLUSTRATION BY ELIN MATILDA ANDERSSON
So what even is Build-to-Rent?
If you’ve never heard of Build-to-Rent, you’re not alone. According to REA, 1 in 2 renters have never come across the term, which means half the market doesn’t even know a better way of renting already exists.
At its core, BTR is a shift in mindset as much as a shift in model. Instead of investors buying up apartments to lease out ad hoc, BTR developments are owned and run by a single operator. They’re purpose-built for people who rent and designed with long-term living, comfort, and community in mind.
That means:
— No flaky landlords.
— No sudden inspections.
— No mystery rent hikes or “we’re selling the place” emails.
Just homes that are made to be homes, not holding bays between other people’s plans.
But it’s not just about fixing the worst parts of renting. It’s about creating something better in their place.
FOR PEOPLE, NOT PORTFOLIOS
The people most drawn to BTR aren’t who you might expect. According to REA, it’s not just high-income earners or luxury lifestylers, it’s young professionals, families, and everyday renters aged 25–44 who’ve moved somewhere new, want stability, and are sick of the churn.
For the most part, the ask is simple. Renters want
— Longer leases (45% want 2+ years)
— Less stress
— More certainty
— Spaces that reflect how they actually live
BTR exists to solve those exact problems.
Because in this model, the developer, owner, and leasing agent are one and the same, there’s no middle layer of red tape. No third-party agents to chase. No investor whims or sudden life changes from a landlord you’ll never meet. Just a clear, stable relationship between the people who run the place and the people who live there.
That means we can make decisions that serve residents, not someone else’s short-term return. It means leases that are secure and predictable. It means maintenance that gets done, because there’s no committee to approve a quote. And it means no one’s ever going to move in upstairs “because their daughter’s back from London.”
In a way, BTR reclaims a kind of ownership, not of the title, but of your time, your space, your routine. It gives renters the ability to plan ahead. To unpack properly. To settle in.
ILLUSTRATION BY ELIN MATILDA ANDERSSON
life at nation
Here at Nation, we’re not stopping at solving the basics. We’re building something deeper: a whole new way of living, underwritten by the stability and clarity that Build-to-Rent makes possible. Because when you take away the stress and the uncertainty, you make room for more. More connection. More convenience. More everyday joy.
We design from a renter-first perspective, and that changes everything. Our buildings aren’t just places to sleep. They’re places to live. To work in the morning sun. To share a meal with friends who’ve become neighbours. To pat a dog in the hallway. To host a film night, get your groceries delivered, stay in on a Friday, or meet someone new on the rooftop at golden hour. To walk through your front door and feel at ease.
These are places built with intention. Where the gym is downstairs, the co-working space is properly lit, and the rooftop isn’t just there for the photos. Where “community” isn’t just something we print: it’s something we plan for, from design to daily life.
And yes, there are features. Legit designer furnishings. Communal kitchens and dining rooms for real gatherings. Cinemas you can book for a night in. Secure entries, parcel lockers, pet-friendly policies. Events — sometimes big, often small — always optional. And soon, a resident app to bring it all together. But what we’re really building is a feeling. A rhythm. A place where you can just be.
Because Build-to-Rent gives you the foundation. Nation builds everything on top.
BUILT-TO-LIVE
The rental market as we know it wasn’t designed for longevity. It was designed to move money around. That’s why it feels so chaotic, so fragile, to so many.
Build-to-Rent is a course correction. A way to say: this could be better.
Nation exists to make that better feel normal, not exceptional. We’re not here to flip houses. We’re here to build homes. Spaces that are designed for staying, growing, connecting, thriving.
We’re not just Built-to-Rent. We're Built-to-Live.
