Renters 'almost instantaneously' claimed these 200-square-foot duplex tiny homes on wheels near Tampa for $1,300 a month — see inside the units
- Escape Homes has fit two tiny homes into one 42-foot-long duplex on wheels.
- Both of the approximately 200-square-foot units are being rented at $1,295 a month.
The two cheapest rentals in Escape Homes' popular tiny-home community near Tampa, Florida are only $1,295 a month. But there are two major catches: They're both only about 200 square feet. And depending on how you look at it, these renters have to share their house with someone else.
A little over a year ago, Wisconsin-based Escape Homes — better known for its tiny home-on-wheels manufacturing arm — began deploying its units to Thonotosassa, Florida to create the Escape Tampa Bay community. Now over 30 houses later, all but one of these mostly sub-400 square-foot properties have been claimed.
The options in the neighborhood's latest extension can't be purchased. Instead, the units in Palm Court are only available to rent, including what Escape Homes says is the first fully electric duplex tiny home in the US.
No other property in the tiny home community resembles the new "eBoho Duplex." From far away, it looks like a typical 42-foot-long trailer-based home. However, upon closer inspection, the long platform actually holds two self-contained dwellings with separate interiors and entrances.
Inside the reversed but identical homes, there's one room that grounds the queen bed, couch, closet, and kitchen. Past another door, the bathrooms have a compact sink next to a full-size shower.
At this small square footage, space-saving hacks are necessary: They also have flip-up tables, elongated shelving, and a washer and dryer in the kitchen. And like the other homes in Escape Tampa Bay, the two tenants each have their own deck and access to the community's pool, small park, extra storage, and office.
"This is how you create a 21st-century neighborhood," Escape's CEO said.
Rent for half of the duplex is $1,295 a month while the most expensive apartment in Palm Court is $1,800 a month for 390 square feet. To compare, the median rent in Tampa is $2,200 a month, according to data from Zillow. At prices this low, all six units were claimed "almost instantaneously" — either before being listed or within 36 hours after, Escape Homes' CEO said.
"Because the reaction to them was so positive," Dobrowolski says this won't be the last tiny-home duplex we'll see. The company also owns the plot of land across the street from this neighborhood. In the future, that property will likely be built out with more of these two-in-one homes.