Jo Williams always felt like she was on the receiving end of “shit landlords”.

Moving into the Sydney CBD’s first build-to-rent apartment block, Indi Sydney, with her two dogs in December changed that: “It is giving you the power back as a renter, and they treat you with respect.”

In contrast to short-term leases that come with insecurity of tenure, she could negotiate a lease of up to five years.

Williams was among the first to move into one of the 234 apartments in 30 storeys, starting in December with a shorter lease to see if she liked it. And she does. She is free to put shelves up, bang a hole in the wall, paint her unit whatever colour she wants, invite 30 friends to party in the rooftop function room, work out in the 25-metre pool, do yoga, and use the shared office space – all

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