How do you find the right tiny plot of land? A look behind the scenes of the Tiny University live training course

"Finally finding a plot of land for a tiny house. Many dream of this, but most fail at this very point. This made the interest in our online live training course “Finally find your tiny house plot” all the greater, and we were delighted to welcome over 80 motivated participants. We didn't choose the topic at random, but conducted a survey among the steadily growing tiny house community beforehand. The result was clear: finding a plot of land is the first major challenge.

Why the topic is so important

The desire for a simpler, self-determined life is growing. Tiny houses stand for exactly that. But before it comes to design, planning or the actual purchase, there is one central question:

Where can a tiny house legally be located if I want to live in it permanently?

Many interested parties simply do not know where to start, what they need to look for in their search and how they can search differently from most people. They often struggle through the usual property portals and are frustrated because there are rarely suitable plots of land for tiny houses.

Lack of listings on property portals

This is simply because land sellers mostly advertise building plots for conventional houses. Many landowners are not yet aware of tiny houses as an alternative type of construction, nor that they can offer their land for lease only. As a result, these plots of land usually do not end up on property portals.

‘Grandchild plots’

There is no shortage of suitable plots in Germany, but rather a lack of knowledge about tiny houses as an option for plots that cannot otherwise be built on, as a normal-sized house would not fit on them, or about the temporary buildability with the option of leasing, for example, so-called grandchild plots. In these cases, the plot is not yet to be built on, but also not to be sold, as it is being kept free for the grandchildren. These plots are ideal for temporary use for ten to 15 years. Prerequisite: the owners must be aware of this possibility, otherwise they cannot offer it.

This also leads to misunderstandings when interested parties come forward with the idea of using a plot of land for a tiny house. Here, too, the owners often do not know whether a tiny house development is possible and reject the idea as a precaution. Similar frustration also arises in some communications with the local authority when the ideas of the case worker and the tiny house builder diverge.

Live training creates knowledge

But all this frustration is unnecessary, because there are more than enough plots of land and opportunities to legally realise the dream of owning your own tiny house. All you need is the right knowledge and a strategy. We shared our still-secret strategy outside of Tiny University for the first time.

In the live training, we showed specifically where to find plots of land that are under the radar, how to immediately recognise which plots are realistically buildable, and what role authorities really play when it comes to your tiny houses.

Our own search method, which we developed because the previously promised parking space suddenly disappeared shortly before we moved into our tiny house, was a real highlight. Participants received a clear, actionable step-by-step structure that they can use immediately.

Practical examples that inspire

Real tiny house projects from our daily work were particularly inspiring. Many were surprised at how much is possible when you know the way. This was followed by a lively and open question and answer session. At the end, the participants were highly motivated to start looking for land immediately using this special strategy.

Why we offer this training

At Tiny University, we accompany people on their entire journey to owning their own tiny house – from developing a minimalist mindset to building regulations and planning, right through to implementation as their own living space or rental property. We know where the biggest uncertainties lie. And we know how much easier and faster projects progress when you don't have to tackle issues such as finding a plot of land on your own. This training was part of our mission to make tiny houses socially acceptable in Germany and to give people the confidence to successfully realise their project.

Outlook

Due to strong demand, we are considering offering the live training course on a regular basis in the future. In addition, we offer a free orientation meeting to assess whether we can support interested parties with their individual projects, because every tiny house and every plot of land is as unique as its owner.

Those who wish to continue after the training will find a structured introduction to the 12-month Tiny University programme. Further information can be found on our website www.tinyuniversity.de. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@tinyuniversity.de."