Outrage at Bondi room for rent for $320

There’s a small conservatory for rent for as much as $320 a week, and it doesn’t even have a door.

The ad, which is on Facebook, shows a conservatory in Bondi with curtains replacing the door, revealing the desperate measures some tenants are taking to secure housing.

‘One small room (conservatory) for rent in a house, Bondi. A single bedroom will also be available soon. The period is one month and can be extended later,” the advertisement said.

‘Only clean, neat and professional people. Thank you.’

The lack of privacy and size did not go unnoticed by the Aussies who viewed the ad.

“In Year 11 we went to Long Bay Jail for a legal studies excursion; the cells were bigger and had a door,” one person said.

‘How much garden time are you allowed per day?’ another added

“Wow, $320?! For a small room that looks terrible! Curtains instead of a door. Mattress on the floor. No closet. You are joking!!’ another wrote.

However, the main tenant who had offered the room for rent hit back and explained why he charged such a high amount.

“My rent was increased from $950 to $1,250. The house has a lot of space so thank you for reviewing without taking the time to visit it,” he wrote.

It comes as homeless groups demand the federal government prioritize renters, while Australians face a new weekly record $601 in rent and demand for homeless services rises.

Data released by CoreLogic has revealed the rising cost of housing across the country as renters had to pay an average of $31,252 a year to keep a roof over their heads.

Rents increased by an average of $164 to $601 per week in December 2023, compared to $437 per week in August 2020.

Sydney topped the market as the most expensive city to rent, forcing people to pay $745 a week.

Canberra followed in second place at $651 per week and Perth in third as renters paid $630 per week.

Brisbane recorded the fourth highest weekly rental price at $627, while Darwin came in fifth at $611 per week.

Melbourne and Adelaide were tied at $565 per week.

Hobart was the cheapest capital to rent, with an average price of $535 per week.

The share of gross median household income needed to pay rent has risen from 26.7 percent of income in March 2020 to almost a third in September last year.

“The decline in the supply of social housing as a share of all housing in recent decades has put more pressure on the private rental market, as has declining home ownership rates,” the CoreLogic report said.

Meanwhile, the Productivity Commission’s annual report on public services shows that the number of people leaving homelessness support and falling into rough sleep has risen by almost a quarter.

Requests for housing have increased and it has been identified that 57,519 people are in need of shelter but are not being provided with it.

Homelessness Australia has urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to support people who cannot afford private housing as Labor considers a cost-of-living package.

“Large swathes of Australians have been absolutely crushed by the housing crisis,” the statement read.

“Providers are being asked to make impossible choices, such as turning away a teenager who flees an abusive home because a mother with young children has also walked through the door.”

Homelessness Australia estimates an additional $450 million is needed to respond to the crisis.

The Housing Australia Future Fund and the federal government’s $10 billion National Housing Agreement will deliver 40,000 social and affordable rental homes.