Australia’s rental crisis summed up in listing for $350-a-week offer to sleep in a parked Ford Transit van

Australia’s housing crisis has reached a new low with an advertisement for a bed in a parked van for $350 a week.

The “property” listed on Gumtree on Aug. 9 offers tenants a place in the vehicle parked in the driveway of a house in Hilton, 12 miles southwest of Perth.

Renters must pay $350 a week to sleep in the 1999 Ford Transit van, which can accommodate a family of four.

The ad, which has more than 1,300 views, describes the vehicle as a ‘private property for hire’ that would be suitable for a ‘camper on site’ as the van is ‘not allowed to be driven’.

“Completely watertight bus without any leakage, camper on site and not being driven with this arrangement as it is not fully insured for it at the moment,” the owner of the van wrote.

The ad, which has more than 1,300 views, describes the vehicle as a ‘private property for hire’ that would be suitable for a ‘camper on site’ as the van is ‘not allowed to be driven’.

Van amenities include full central heating, gas hob, three quarter size bed, hot water system, microwave, portable toilet and custom fold out outdoor shower.

The portable toilet is described as ‘easy to empty and clean’, but the description does not specify where and how the waste is disposed of.

Photos of the van’s small kitchen show a kettle, microwave, extractor hood, cooker, Waeco fridge and sink with a makeshift drainage system that funnels water through a pipe into a Bunnings bucket

The ad states that the van can ‘sleep four people comfortably’, but the photos only show one bed fully extended with a sleeping bag, towels and a bar of soap on it.

Renters are allowed to enter the house on the property once a week to use the washing machine and can request a two or four slice toaster and alarm clock if desired.

“Indoors, get weekly access to my washing machine for clothes and linens. It comes with a new microwave,” the poster wrote.

“Can you supply a pop-up toaster for two or four slices if you want one?”

The owner of the van ends the ad, claiming he hopes it will help a person or family in need.

“Thank you for reading to the end and I hope that one day I can help someone or family in need, even if it’s just for a short or extended stay,” they wrote.

Photos of the van’s small kitchen show a kettle, microwave, extractor hood, cooker, Waeco fridge and sink, with the van owner offering a toaster for two or four slices if desired

The sink also has a makeshift drainage system that directs water through a pipe to a Bunnings bucket (pictured)

Australia’s national rental vacancy rate has held steady at 1.3 percent for the month of July, with total vacancy rates falling slightly by 852 properties to 38,864, according to SQM Research.

Sydney, Perth and Hobart recorded a slight decrease in rental vacancy rates during the month, to 1.6 percent, 0.5 percent and 1.8 percent respectively.

Darwin was the only capital to see a monthly increase of up to 1.0 percent, while Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra remained unchanged.

Rents for houses in the capital rose 1.4 percent, up 16.4 percent over 12 months, while unit rents rose 1.0 percent, representing a 20.9 percent increase over the past year. twelve months.

Managing Director of SQM Research Louis Christopher said the vacancy rate and rising asking prices for rental properties were ‘disappointing’.

“After the slight decrease in vacancy rates in the first half of 2023, this is a somewhat disappointing result for tenants,” says Christopher.

‘It is clear that we still have acute rent shortages. And other than more people banding together to share the burden, there is no significant solution in sight.”

The ad states that the van can ‘sleep four people comfortably’, but the photos only show one bed fully extended with a sleeping bag, towels and a bar of soap on it.

Mr Christopher said he would recommend tenants consider regional areas if their work allows them to work elsewhere, and encouraged a discussion about temporary restrictions on migration.

“I also encourage discussion of temporary migration caps, rather than rent caps, which will only exacerbate the rental crisis in the medium term,” said Mr Christopher.

“This problem was not caused by so-called greedy landlords. Rather, it has been caused by unbridled population growth.

“Australia currently has by far the fastest growing population of any OECD country and it is clear that rampant population growth is currently eroding the country’s ability to accommodate all of our residents.”