Renters seething due to shocking shared bedroom ad detail
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Rental prices across Australia have skyrocketed in recent years, leaving many renters struggling to find an affordable place to live.
A recently circulated flatshare listing provided a shocking glimpse into just how far this crisis has pushed some renters.
An advertisement on Flatmates, a listing site for shared homes, showed a small bedroom in inner-city Carlton, Melbourne, where the landlords had removed a wardrobe door to fit in an extra single bed.
A side table can also be seen awkwardly squeezed in between the two single-frame beds.
The ad was shared on another social media platform and has garnered a lot of attention.
'Came across this affordable option,' the poster wrote.
'We can see for the low price of $240 a week, you can share a box with a lucky gal. Unfortunately, you're out one closet so they could fit in a bed.'
'I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem sharing the one tiny closet space between the two of you.'
The two-bedroom listing is advertised as suitable for four people, split between the master bedroom with an ensuite and a second bedroom with access to its bathroom.
The rent includes all utilities (water, electricity, and unlimited internet) and the rooms are fully furnished. The minimum contract length is six months.
Other users expressed their outrage over the listing, with one saying: 'It would be more comfortable living in a van. At least you would have privacy.'
According to Tenants Victoria, if the floor area of a bedroom is less than 12 square metres, only one person can live in it, while two people can share a bedroom with a floor area of 12 square metres or more.
'We see quite a lot of these ads where it is clear they’ve loaded more people in than would really be lawful,' Tenants Union of NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross said.
'But it’s an indicator of there not being any good options for a lot of people, so they’re essentially pushed into accepting these kinds of arrangements.'
Ross also noted that while room sharing 'isn’t a new phenomenon', 'more people are feeling more pressured into it at the moment'.
There are also two key changes he’s noticed.
'It does feel like there are more [share rooms] which is kind of interesting, because it really did seem to reduce during COVID because people were much more nervous about sharing.'
'And while this style has been around for decades, the cost has increased a lot as well. So it’s not even as cheap as it used to be, and you’re not even getting that trade-off that you might have in the past.'
In similar news, savvy seniors in Queensland have discovered an affordable rental solution.
A pensioner from Brisbane named Rachelle Chilcott was struggling to find affordable housing—until she discovered the ingenious concept of the sharehouse.
'I was struggling to find somewhere, and I'm on a disability pension, which obviously made it a lot harder,' Chilcott said.
Rachelle is now living comfortably for just $250 per week, with water, electricity and internet all included in the price.
Find out more about sharehouses in this article.
Members, what are your thoughts on sharing your home with a complete stranger and possibly in such a cramped space? Let us know in the comments below!
A recently circulated flatshare listing provided a shocking glimpse into just how far this crisis has pushed some renters.
An advertisement on Flatmates, a listing site for shared homes, showed a small bedroom in inner-city Carlton, Melbourne, where the landlords had removed a wardrobe door to fit in an extra single bed.
A landlord removed a wardrobe door to fit another bed. Image source: flatmates.com.au.
A side table can also be seen awkwardly squeezed in between the two single-frame beds.
The ad was shared on another social media platform and has garnered a lot of attention.
'Came across this affordable option,' the poster wrote.
'We can see for the low price of $240 a week, you can share a box with a lucky gal. Unfortunately, you're out one closet so they could fit in a bed.'
'I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem sharing the one tiny closet space between the two of you.'
The two-bedroom listing is advertised as suitable for four people, split between the master bedroom with an ensuite and a second bedroom with access to its bathroom.
The master bedroom in the same listing has two beds and limited space. Image source: flatmates.com.au.
The rent includes all utilities (water, electricity, and unlimited internet) and the rooms are fully furnished. The minimum contract length is six months.
Other users expressed their outrage over the listing, with one saying: 'It would be more comfortable living in a van. At least you would have privacy.'
According to Tenants Victoria, if the floor area of a bedroom is less than 12 square metres, only one person can live in it, while two people can share a bedroom with a floor area of 12 square metres or more.
'We see quite a lot of these ads where it is clear they’ve loaded more people in than would really be lawful,' Tenants Union of NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross said.
'But it’s an indicator of there not being any good options for a lot of people, so they’re essentially pushed into accepting these kinds of arrangements.'
Ross also noted that while room sharing 'isn’t a new phenomenon', 'more people are feeling more pressured into it at the moment'.
There are also two key changes he’s noticed.
'It does feel like there are more [share rooms] which is kind of interesting, because it really did seem to reduce during COVID because people were much more nervous about sharing.'
'And while this style has been around for decades, the cost has increased a lot as well. So it’s not even as cheap as it used to be, and you’re not even getting that trade-off that you might have in the past.'
In similar news, savvy seniors in Queensland have discovered an affordable rental solution.
A pensioner from Brisbane named Rachelle Chilcott was struggling to find affordable housing—until she discovered the ingenious concept of the sharehouse.
'I was struggling to find somewhere, and I'm on a disability pension, which obviously made it a lot harder,' Chilcott said.
Rachelle is now living comfortably for just $250 per week, with water, electricity and internet all included in the price.
Find out more about sharehouses in this article.
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