FAQs – Hiring a Cabin

1. Do you deliver your Portable Cabins for hire Australia wide?

We deliver our Portable Cabins to VIC, NSW, ACT and QLD. We will be expanding our service area to be able to offer highly discounted accommodation to more people in the months to come.

2. What is the cost to deliver a Portable Cabin?

We offer free delivery for hires exceeding two years within a 200km radius of the Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne CBD. For hires under this two-year period, a transportation charge will apply, calculated based on the hire term and delivery location.

For distances between 200km and 400km, additional transport fees apply as follows:

• Cabins up to 12m in length: $2 per kilometre.
• Cabins 12m or greater in length: $4 per kilometre.

Deliveries beyond a 400km radius will be quoted separately.

Delivery is calculated from the CBD of the state where your property or site is located. Please note the following:

• If a crane is required for the delivery or removal of the cabin, additional charges will apply.
• Fees apply to both the delivery and collection of the cabin.
• Delivery is subject to the cabin’s availability in your state.
• If delivery requires interstate transport, additional charges may apply.
• The quoted fees are based on there being no access issues for a towing or super tilt truck.

3. Do your Portable Cabins need council approval? If yes, can PennyGranny obtain all required permits for me?

It depends on the requirements of your local Council. We recommend checking with your local Council and State legislation regarding the use and occupancy of the Temporary Portable Buildings on your property. Our buildings come with all the necessary certificates as required.

If you are unsure where to start, please get in touch with our friendly team and we will recommend a Private Certifier in your area who will be able to offer advice on the best method of approach to this process. You can also refer to our blog post The Ultimate Guide to Council Regulations for Relocatable Granny Flats and Transportable Buildings in Australia

4. Do all your Portable Cabins come with basic amenities?

All our cabins come with shower, toilet, and kitchenette. Some of the cabins, such as “The Courtney”, come with laundry space. 

All internal plumbing and electrical are fully functional. The buildings are equipped with hard wires on the outside of the unit. A licensed electrician can run cables from the unit to your site’s power supply. Some of the buildings are also equipped with a caravan plug that you can plug straight into. Please refer to each building’s page for a list of inclusions.

You will need a licenced plumber to plumb the waste outlet (that we already have running to the side or rear of building) to your septic system or sewer and to connect fresh water to standard freshwater fitting. 

5. What is involved in PennyGranny hire process?

Our process is very easy and straight forward. Once we have received your inquiry, we evaluate your property and available space and select the most suitable portable building for you from what is available for hire. Once you have agreed with the building and our terms, we will send you a hire agreement and a deposit/bond invoice in order to secure your building. 

Please note, 100% of the bond is required on signing of the hire agreement. The bond amount is fully refundable at the end of the Hire period as long as there has been no damage to the unit.

Once the hire agreement has been signed and your site has been prepared for the portable cabin, we will deliver our building to your property. 

Click here to Download our Step-by-Step Hire Guide

6. Do I need to have my site specially prepared for PennyGranny Portable Cabin?

Yes, additional site preparation will be required and this will have an associated cost. Our Operations team will send you a detailed Site preparation guide and will help you to choose the best type of footings required for your cabin: a concrete slab, stumps, piles; and advise on connections of the services: water, sewer and electricity. 

If you are unable to find a qualified builder, plumber or electrician in your area, please contact our team and we will provide our recommendations.

7. What is involved in PennyGranny delivery process?

All of our Portable Cabins are trucked to their destination and placed directly onto your prepared site. 

If you have a good access (at least 3.5m wide) to your property, a tilt truck carrying our Portable Cabin may be able to reverse in between the footings and lower the cabin down into position. However, some of deliveries require a crane to position the cabin onto the footings. Deliveries to the sloping sites, sites with difficult access, sites with soft(wet) grounds or high footing’s structure, will certainly require a crane. All our cabins are supplied with the special lifters manufactured into the frame and the crane can lift the cabin over a double storey house if needed.

8. Does PennyGranny deliver to BAL or flood affected areas?

Yes, we do. However, some restrictions may apply.

9. What is the minimum / maximum size of the Portable Cabin PennyGranny can deliver?

Currently our smallest unit measures 3.67m long (Garden Office Pod Studio) and our longest unit is 14m long (2-bedroom “The Josephine”).

We recommend contacting our friendly team to see if we can source a smaller or bigger unit for you. However, waiting time and extra chargers may apply.

10. How does PennyGranny process all payments?

In order to streamline and take the stress out of paying your weekly invoices we have a secured direct debit system to manage these weekly payments.

11. Does PennyGranny provide any financial assistance?

Yes we do! PennyGranny is committed to supporting those in need. As part of our mission to supply those in need with affordable rental housing, we can provide *repayable financial assistance with:

• Transportation charges (if you live over 200km from your state’s CBD and additional freight charges apply)
• Crane hire charge (if it is needed for final cabin placement)
• Plumbing set up costs (to connect the building’s waste water, fresh water and grey water outlets to your property’s mains or tanks)
• Electrical set up costs (to connect the building to your property’s power supply)
• Site levelling costs
• Footings set up costs

Speak with one of our friendly team members today to find out how we can help you secure suitable, affordable and safe accommodation.

*Interest Free
*Applications for repayable financial assistance is subject to approval
*Repayment for charges borne by PennyGranny to be repaid in 3 equal instalments over a period of 3 months or in equal weekly instalments over the period of hire term.

12. Can I do any alterations to the Portable Cabin once installed?

In some cases, some alterations are allowed (i.e erecting a deck, adding an additional power point, etc). Please contact our team to discuss and obtain a written consent prior to doing any alterations. 

13. What to do to prevent condensation in the Portable Cabin?

Similar to a standard house, the portable cabin can sometimes experience moisture buildup depending on the location and installation method of the cabin.

Ways to prevent condensation:

1. Follow setup guidelines provided by PennyGranny.
2. Ventilation is crucial and it helps prevent condensation by equalising the interior and exterior temperature of the cabin.
   • If your cabin has a built-in exhaust fan – keep it on.
   • Open windows daily – 2 open windows allow airflow. If there is no wind a fan will increase airflow transfer.
   • Always open windows when cooking or showering.
3. Do not hang wet clothes in the cabin.
4. Use a dehumidifier.