A grim ‘studio apartment’ is being advertised for $400 a week despite being smaller than a prison cell for one inmate, in another sign of Australia’s dire rental situation.
Belle Property’s one-bedroom ad shows off the Redfern property in central Sydney. It is an ‘urban style’ residence with a ‘large courtyard’, a ‘loft style sleeping area’ and a ‘portable oven’. and ‘natural sunlight’.
The photos show a tiny bare unfurnished kitchen and tiny bathroom with the ‘loft-like’ sleeping area visible only by a ragged ladder to climb into.
There is no clear sign of the portable oven or even a window to let in the ‘natural light’.
It’s because rental vacancy in Australia is at a record low of 0.8 percent, driving prices up.
Rach McQueen, who runs the popular one TikTok channel ‘Real estate with Rachel’ used the floor plan of the ad to calculate the total area of the apartment at only 6 m2.
This one-bedroom listing for a ‘studio apartment’ in central Sydney has drawn scorn online
This compares unfavorably with the recommended cell size for a single prisoner in Australia, which is 8.75 m2.
“So prison cells are bigger and yet in a prison cell you don’t need space for storage or cooking and prison is free b**** this is $400 a week,” Ms McQueen concludes of the apartment she captions as ” Sydney prison cell’.
“I hope it gives you an idea of how uncomfortable it would be for two people to share rent in a place like this.”
She notes that the kitchen, which she calls a “bitch,” seems to be almost the entire “apartment.”
“This whole space here is your kitchen, living and dining room, and your bedroom is up the ladder,” she says.
“They’ve gone from a studio to a one-bedroom apartment, but then they also say there’s a loft-style sleeping area and unfortunately these are becoming more and more common.”
In the comments section, Ms. McQueen said she was disappointed she didn’t get to see the sleeping area.
TikToker Rach McQueen (pictured) noted that the landmark building was less spacious than the featured prison cell
During her virtual inspection, Ms. McMcQueen noticed that the small bathroom is connected to the main room and that these are the only two rooms in the apartment
“The fact that they don’t include a photo doesn’t give me hope for that space,” she writes.
Ms. McQueen notes that if the real estate agent were to only accept prospective renters whose incomes were two-thirds above the asking price, as recommended, “theoretically, you should be making more than $1,300 a week to be approved for this property.”
“Tenants need to stop complaining and making such high demands, just work harder,” she writes in a sarcastic caption.
“Expecting to live in something bigger than a prison cell for $400 a week is legitimate.
‘Tenants don’t deserve better conditions than prisoners, they are prisoners, right? To capitalism.’
Ms McQueen told Seven News she believes the property is actually a ‘kitchenette at the back of a storefront that has been converted into a ‘unit’.
Those who commented on the video shared Ms. McQueen’s disgust and despair.
“That’s appalling and shameful, how has the government failed us so much that renting is worse than jail,” one said.
“In this economy, I think I’d rather have a prison cell,” said another.
Renters are becoming enraged at the rickety and almost unlivable places that are advertised weekly for eye-watering prices.
Dilapidated backyard shed advertised as ‘bungalow’ and offered for $300 rent a week draws scorn on social media
The dingy bathroom and laundry room are shared with another tenant, the ad said
On Thursday, a landlord raised eyebrows after listing a “renovated” backyard shed for $350 a week.
The cabin-like accommodation in the Melbourne suburb of Croydon was advertised on Facebook.
The barn looked a bit worn, despite claims to have been renovated, and contained a dingy bathroom.
Another special detail that stood out in the listing was the fact that the new tenant would have to share the shed with another person – despite its small size.
Social media users were stunned by the listing, wondering who would want to live there.
In May, a landmark apartment in central Melbourne also received the unflattering description of its ‘prison cell’, even though it had the asking price of $320 per week.
The bare cinder block bedroom barely fit a queen size bed, and the rest of the apartment was equally claustrophobic.
A small studio called a ‘prison cell’ was put up for rent on Flinders Street in Melbourne’s Central Business District for $320 a week
Other tenants warned that the building was in a sorry state.
“The building this is in is horrific,” said a Melbourne tenant.
“It has a central open atrium with a pool on the ground, but it looks like something out of a horror movie.
“I went there for an inspection and the elevator nearly jammed, the pool was empty and full of mosquitoes, and the handrails and landings for each floor looked uneven. I don’t know how it’s safe for tenants.’
Adam Flynn, Victorian state director of the Coronis Real Estate Group, described the situation as a “Mexican stalemate” with tenants, buyers and landlords all suffering from inflation and interest rates.
“Any sane person would think it outrageous to rent that property for $320 a week,” the real estate expert told FEMAIL.