Beenleigh's homes
Mostly rented
52.5% of occupied homes were rented in 2021, 26.5% mortgaged and 17.3% owned outright. That's a much higher share of renters than Brisbane's council area, where the same Census counted 38.3%.
Houses, townhouses and flats
Separate houses were 62.4% of homes, townhouses and semis 19.0% and flats or apartments 17.6%. In smaller homes like these, one split for the living room or main bedroom is often enough.
An old town inside a growing region
Beenleigh was surveyed in 1866, and growth across south-east Queensland since the 1980s has wrapped Brisbane and the Gold Coast around it. Homes here span a long run of ages, so a quote should describe yours, not a standard house.
Near two rivers
The town sits near where the Logan and Albert Rivers meet. Get Ready Queensland suggests raising air conditioner units above the flood level in flood-prone homes, so ask about mounting height if your street has flooded before.
Logan City Council
Beenleigh (postcode 4207) moved from Gold Coast City to the City of Logan in 2008.
How to ask for air conditioning in a rental
Ask the owner or manager first
The RTA says tenants can ask for air conditioning or ceiling fans to be installed. Put it in writing and say which room you mean.
If you'd arrange it yourself, use Form 23
The RTA lists air conditioners as fixtures. Fitting one without the owner's or manager's written approval breaches the agreement. The request goes on Form 23, one form per request.
Expect an answer within 28 days
The owner or manager must be reasonable and reply in writing within 28 days. They can approve it with reasonable conditions, such as professional installation or repairing damage if the unit's removed later.
Units add a step
If the building has a body corporate, the owner or manager has to pass your request on to it within 28 days, and it can take longer to answer.
What usually suits a Beenleigh unit or townhouse
A single wall split sized for the room is the usual answer. Rinnai says an oversized system short cycles and dehumidifies less well, which leaves a small room feeling clammy in a humid summer. The ACT Government's guide says larger splits can handle areas up to about 80 square metres, so one larger split can often handle an open-plan townhouse living area.
For an owner fitting out a rental, one good reverse cycle split in the main living area is a sensible start. It heats as well as cools, from the one wall.
What we'd do
Where we'd start in Beenleigh
If you rent, we'd ask the owner in writing for a reverse cycle split in the living area, and offer to have it professionally installed so they've one less thing to worry about. If you own the place, we'd fit that split before the next summer and keep the receipt and manual for the tenants. Owner or tenant with approval, you can send us the job and postcode. Licence-checked split installers can look at it, and only the one who agrees to do it is given your details. If no one around Beenleigh takes it within 48 hours, installers in other parts of Queensland may see it too.
