Rental crisis: Crazy $1,000 a month ‘rental scam’ comes crashing down as tiny tin shed is ordered to be demolished
- Replies 2
Disclaimer: Names with an asterisk (*) beside them mean that they have been changed for privacy purposes.
It’s no secret that rental prices in Australia have skyrocketed over the past few years. Sky-high prices mean that those looking for a place to stay often need to settle for whatever they can afford. Still, the general assumption here is that they will still receive some kind of basic quality in terms of their living conditions. Right?
Unfortunately, it can be hard to know what kind of rental you’re really signing up for.
Just take the case of this Sydneysider who advertised their ‘granny flat’ for rent online – but the property was anything but liveable.
It’s been a huge wake-up call for ‘greedy landlords’ in Australia.
Ben*, an alert Sydney resident, was scrolling online last week when he spotted an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace that looked alarming. The post was advertising what appeared to be a tin shed based in Campbelltown, in Sydney’s southwest.
It featured tiled floors and a fitted shower and toilet. But it appeared to be built at the end of another property’s yard.
Ben* found the property particularly insulting because he said the shed looked like ‘a $300 purchase from Bunnings’.
‘It boils my blood to see the level of exploitation out there during a housing crisis,’ he wrote in his post.
Ben* doubted that it had insulation or any kind of air-conditioning unit, despite temperatures in southwest Sydney reaching as high as 40°C. He said he immediately reported the listing to Campbelltown City council in the ‘interest of community safety’.
‘I’m not the type to dob people in, but there’s a big difference between a safe granny flat that’s up to code and a serious health risk like this,’ he explained.
Before he contacted the local council, Ben* looked up the property on the council’s website and found that there were no certificates that deemed the property as a legal dwelling.
‘After finding the address, I searched for it on the local council website to see if there were any BASIX certificates to deem the property as a legal dwelling. Once I didn’t find any, I made the report with details.’
Ben* admitted he was horrified at the fact that someone would advertise such an unsafe property, and regarded the act as ‘pure greed and exploitation of vulnerable people’ amid the nationwide housing crisis.
‘I understand that mortgage holders are struggling as well as renters, but there are much more ethical ways of making money than this,’ he stated.
Eventually, Ben* received an email stating that the owner had received a demolition notice to take effect in May.
Campbelltown City Council confirmed that they were ‘made aware of an illegally constructed shed being advertised for rent as a granny flat’ following complaints from concerned community members.
In a statement they provided to reporters, a Campbelltown City Council spokesperson said: ‘Dwellings should comply with the National Construction Code and are to be approved by Council or another certifying authority prior to construction and habitation.’
They confirmed that an order to demolish the unauthorised shed was already issued on grounds that the shed and its location were deemed to not meet the relevant development requirements.
Meanwhile, Ben* was hailed as a ‘legend’ within the Facebook group. He said he looked into numerous rental apps to match the brickwork of nearby properties. This helped him locate the steel shed.
‘Mate, this is amazing, we all deserve adequate housing,’ one shared.
Another wrote: ‘Wow, a "studio". The audacity.’
‘Plenty of these around at the moment. I urge everyone that comes across an ad like this to report it,’ someone else said.
The vacancy rates in Sydney have reached a record low of 1.0 per cent, leaving many struggling to find a place to live. However, this crisis is also being felt all over Australia, as the national vacancy rate is at 0.8 per cent according to the latest reports.
The low vacancy rates, combined with the rising interest rates and the cost-of-living crisis, have seen rental prices rise to new heights.
According to Nerida Conisbee, one of Australia's leading property experts, the country's rental crisis has been rising for ‘quite some time’.
She said: ‘What we saw through the pandemic was very, very strong increases in house prices... [and] we also saw very strong growth in rents. And part of it was [due] to a significant shift in population levels.’
‘So, places like Queensland, for example, did attract a lot of people from down south... We also saw quite strong rental growth in places like Melbourne and Sydney,’ she continued.
But now that the pandemic is over, population growth has started again along with international migration, and this affects the housing supply.
‘We do have a shortage of homes, in many places,’ she admitted.
We want to hear your thoughts about this, members! Have you encountered similar listings before? Let us know in the comments below!
It’s no secret that rental prices in Australia have skyrocketed over the past few years. Sky-high prices mean that those looking for a place to stay often need to settle for whatever they can afford. Still, the general assumption here is that they will still receive some kind of basic quality in terms of their living conditions. Right?
Unfortunately, it can be hard to know what kind of rental you’re really signing up for.
Just take the case of this Sydneysider who advertised their ‘granny flat’ for rent online – but the property was anything but liveable.
It’s been a huge wake-up call for ‘greedy landlords’ in Australia.
Ben*, an alert Sydney resident, was scrolling online last week when he spotted an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace that looked alarming. The post was advertising what appeared to be a tin shed based in Campbelltown, in Sydney’s southwest.
It featured tiled floors and a fitted shower and toilet. But it appeared to be built at the end of another property’s yard.
The shed was located in the yard of another property. Credit: Facebook
Ben* found the property particularly insulting because he said the shed looked like ‘a $300 purchase from Bunnings’.
‘It boils my blood to see the level of exploitation out there during a housing crisis,’ he wrote in his post.
Ben* doubted that it had insulation or any kind of air-conditioning unit, despite temperatures in southwest Sydney reaching as high as 40°C. He said he immediately reported the listing to Campbelltown City council in the ‘interest of community safety’.
‘I’m not the type to dob people in, but there’s a big difference between a safe granny flat that’s up to code and a serious health risk like this,’ he explained.
The shed posed a serious health risk, so Ben* reported it to the authorities. Credit: Facebook
‘After finding the address, I searched for it on the local council website to see if there were any BASIX certificates to deem the property as a legal dwelling. Once I didn’t find any, I made the report with details.’
Ben* admitted he was horrified at the fact that someone would advertise such an unsafe property, and regarded the act as ‘pure greed and exploitation of vulnerable people’ amid the nationwide housing crisis.
‘I understand that mortgage holders are struggling as well as renters, but there are much more ethical ways of making money than this,’ he stated.
Eventually, Ben* received an email stating that the owner had received a demolition notice to take effect in May.
The shed is scheduled for demolition this coming May 2023. Credit: Mudassir Ali/Pexels
Campbelltown City Council confirmed that they were ‘made aware of an illegally constructed shed being advertised for rent as a granny flat’ following complaints from concerned community members.
In a statement they provided to reporters, a Campbelltown City Council spokesperson said: ‘Dwellings should comply with the National Construction Code and are to be approved by Council or another certifying authority prior to construction and habitation.’
They confirmed that an order to demolish the unauthorised shed was already issued on grounds that the shed and its location were deemed to not meet the relevant development requirements.
Meanwhile, Ben* was hailed as a ‘legend’ within the Facebook group. He said he looked into numerous rental apps to match the brickwork of nearby properties. This helped him locate the steel shed.
‘Mate, this is amazing, we all deserve adequate housing,’ one shared.
Another wrote: ‘Wow, a "studio". The audacity.’
‘Plenty of these around at the moment. I urge everyone that comes across an ad like this to report it,’ someone else said.
The vacancy rates in Sydney have reached a record low of 1.0 per cent, leaving many struggling to find a place to live. However, this crisis is also being felt all over Australia, as the national vacancy rate is at 0.8 per cent according to the latest reports.
The low vacancy rates, combined with the rising interest rates and the cost-of-living crisis, have seen rental prices rise to new heights.
According to Nerida Conisbee, one of Australia's leading property experts, the country's rental crisis has been rising for ‘quite some time’.
She said: ‘What we saw through the pandemic was very, very strong increases in house prices... [and] we also saw very strong growth in rents. And part of it was [due] to a significant shift in population levels.’
‘So, places like Queensland, for example, did attract a lot of people from down south... We also saw quite strong rental growth in places like Melbourne and Sydney,’ she continued.
But now that the pandemic is over, population growth has started again along with international migration, and this affects the housing supply.
‘We do have a shortage of homes, in many places,’ she admitted.
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