Rental crises: Desperate renters are forced to pay $280 a week to live in rusty tin sheds
Desperate tenants are forced to pay $280 a week to live in rusty tin sheds
- Corrugated iron sheds for rent during housing crisis
- Reserve Bank raised interest rates 12 times in as many months
- Some landlords have been criticized for being abusive
Tenants are struggling across Australia, but be mindful of those in Perth who are paying nearly $300 a week to live in rusty tin sheds.
A rental property in Karridale in the Margaret River region, south of Perth, recently popped up on Facebook asking for $280 a week.
Photos show the barn is built of rusty corrugated iron and lacks proper flooring, although thankfully it does have a fireplace, much needed given the lack of any insulation.
Tenants must leave the barn to use the outdoor gas-heated shower, but the ‘rustic’ home does have a very basic kitchen.
To be considered rent-stress free, a renter would need to earn just over $930 a week after tax to rent the barn.
A rusty barn in WA’s Margaret River area is available to rent for $280 a week (pictured)
Tenants are struggling thanks to more than a year of consistent rate hikes passed on to them by landlords (pictured, the living space in the barn)
A similar property in Haynes near Armadale in eastern Perth was recently seen on a TikTok account by Rach McQueen – although even the ‘rustic’ tag would be a stretch in this case.
Mrs. McQueen points out exposed power cables leading to the shed, supported by several metal posts.
The gloomy space features dirty carpet that doesn’t cover the entire floor, a windowless combined bathroom and kitchen, and a disconnected fire alarm.
“I’d call this less of a converted granny flat and more of a glorified slum.”
“So you prepare your food here and the toilet is over there, so all the germs are happily flying everywhere,” she said.
So said Joanne Abbiss, CEO of City of Armadale PerthNow that the letting of warehouses to tenants generally does not exceed the mark.
“There are strict planning, construction and health requirements that apply,” she said.
She also said that caravans turning up as permanent rental properties were strictly prohibited as tenants can only stay for short periods of time.
TikToker Rach McQueen took aim at this shed for rent in eastern Perth, power ran to the building on wires supported by poles
Pictured is the combined kitchen and bathroom complete with disconnected fire alarm
And those on Australia’s east coast are not immune.
Earlier this year, a converted garden shed was advertised in Melbourne for $350 a month – described as an open space with enough room for three beds plus a bathroom.
As an alternative to Sydneysiders, tenants had the option of a bizarre wooden loft in downtown Pyrmont for $330 a week.
Photos uploaded to Flatmates.com.au show a wooden box raised above the ground with room for a mattress, but not much else.
The ad describes a living room below as a separate common area.
This rickety loft (pictured), a homemade wooden box with exposed nails hammered into the exterior, was advertised for $330 a week
The attic had a small coat rack above the ladder leading up to it
The room is shared with another tenant who also lives in a loft, although theirs has “a private bus and a relaxation area underneath.”
The loft available for rent in early March, “which is the largest,” shares the space below, according to the ad, but privacy is ensured with a door separating the two spaces.
The one-of-a-kind loft is “in a beautiful historic building,” according to the listing, was looking for a tenant willing to stay near Sydney’s CBD for a minimum of nine months.