A landlord has been criticised after asking potential tenants to pay more than $260 a week to share a small ‘slum’ with someone else.
The owner posted an ad on Facebook for a room for rent in an apartment opposite Southern Cross Station, close to Melbourne’s CBD.
“Looking for a man who can live from September 20th. You will share a room with a Japanese man,” the ad read.
The rent, which is $264.50 a week, covers utility bills.
The potential tenant must also pay a $265 security deposit before he/she can move in.
A photo of the room showed a small bed covered with a duvet crammed into a narrow space, with both sides of the mattress touching the walls.
The apartment consisted of a bathroom, laundry room and kitchen, while the building had a gym, swimming pool, sauna and barbecue area.
The tenant must also share the bathroom with the other tenant.
The rent for the small room (pictured) is $264.50 per week and the payment covers the utility bills
Reddit users were shocked when some claimed that the city has become one of the most expensive in the world to rent a home.
“Damn, I didn’t realize Melbourne was becoming New York City,” one person wrote.
Some of these slum rents are almost [worth] “As much as a whole house,” wrote another.
Others were baffled by the bizarre request to rent out the small space when it was already occupied by another tenant.
“What’s left to share?” someone wrote.
Some said there were advantages to renting out smaller rooms in city apartments, although they admitted the rental ad was an “extreme example.”
‘[It] means you don’t have to pay for a car or public transport, saving you a lot of money [and] “You have super fast access to everything you need,” someone wrote.
Commentators on social media were furious, with some claiming the city has become more unaffordable to live in than some other major world cities (stock photo of Melbourne)
Latest figures from PropTrack show the average price for an apartment in Melbourne is $609,000.
Sydney remains Australia’s most expensive capital city to buy an apartment in, with an average price of $819,000.