Mullumbimby caravan near Byron Bay shows Australia’s rental crisis has hit a new low

A caravan ‘slum’ in the bush with an open plan kitchen and living area faced backlash after being put up for hire for $400.

An image of two caravans ‘covered and protected from the weather’ by a roof and tarpaulins in Mullumbimby in the Bryon Shire, NSW was posted to social media this week.

But some have criticized the ad, asking whether the two-caravan setup is “legal.”

The photo is a window into the rental crisis gripping the country, which has forced desperate renters even in Australia’s regional cities to settle for tent living due to skyrocketing rents and a lack of housing supply.

Photos from the rental showed the outdoor ‘lounge area’ and kitchen between the two caravans – with a tarpaulin and roof as the only protection from the elements.

The home — since reduced to $350 a week — also includes an outdoor roofless “hot water shower.”

“We are looking for a fun and clean nature loving couple/single or two good friends to rent our caravans,” the message read.

It said that the property is ‘surrounded by beautiful forest and nature’.

One of the brown caravans has an ‘in suite’ bathroom and shower while the other has an ‘open space’ with a ‘very good bed mattress and TV’.

There is an outdoor and indoor lounge and a “fully equipped kitchen,” it said.

An image of the outdoor kitchen showed what appears to be a gas stove with a dirty tea towel hanging over the handle and a variety of spices on the shelves.

It also appears to have a large wooden larder and wooden cupboards with sails hanging behind them – with carvings on some of the doors and a large fridge.

A lone cleaning spray sat on one of the wooden benches, while a large pot and pan sat on a dish drainer.

“It’s all covered and protected from the weather,” the ad said of the living room and kitchen.

The rented “rainwater property” included Wi-Fi in the price, but didn’t say whether it covered other bills — it also added that tenants weren’t allowed to have a pet dog.

The rental, labeled ‘2 caravans for rent’, was criticized this week by TikTokker Rach McQueen who called it a ‘slum’.

“Is this legal?” one of her followers asked.

“Whoa, I pay less for real walls,” said another.

“Certainly at $100 pw, but not at $400…doubtful even at $100,” a third wrote before the price cut.

But others denounced the ‘cabin’ with its lounge furniture and kitchen exposed to the bush.

“They forgot to add – must love spiders, mice and snakes… and mosquitoes,” one commenter quipped.

“My kids built a hut out of branches in the backyard, what do you think I can get for it? $250? $300? There’s a hole in the ground,’ a parent asked.

“Man I should be renting out my tent in my backyard right now,” another joked.

The rental ad comes as even those with jobs have been forced to pitch tents amid a shortage of affordable rental housing.

A hard-working couple revealed the devastating reality of the crisis last month when they were left homeless and forced to live in a tent with “no choice” but to send their children away.

Jen* and her husband, both 30, earn a healthy income of $100,000 together, but it hasn’t been enough to keep a roof over their heads or their family together.

The Gold Coast parents told FEMAIL they have unsuccessfully applied for 70 properties in the town and near Tweed Heads in the past four months.

Meanwhile, according to SQM research, rents further south in Sydney have risen 25.2 per cent in the 12 months leading up to last April.

In Melbourne they were up 21.9 percent in the same time, in Brisbane 20.8 percent and in Perth 16.3 percent.

Property research firm Proptrack confirmed that rentals in Sydney for less than $400 a week have hit a record low – from 21 percent of all rental properties to just 9 percent between 2020 and 2023.