Landlord rents out balcony for $300 a week
As the housing crisis in Australia continues, one landlord has decided to capitalise on the desperation of renters by leasing a balcony for $300 a week in a bizarre listing.
The landlord shared the “room” on Facebook, sharing photos of the enclosed balcony with city views, obscured by tarps and heavy curtains, along with a peculiar list of questions for prospective tenants.
“Man Private Room Sydney Cbd. 1 boy only. $300/week,” the ad read.
“Quick response 04******** Please kindly send me your information.”
The ad then prompts tenants to list what items they will be bringing into the apartment, before the landlord asks applicants to provide their nationality.
The balcony room is in Haymarket’s Miramar building in the Sydney CBD, although any views of the city skyline have been obstructed with silver tarpaulin, while the glass sliding doors leading to the actual apartment were concealed by blue curtains.
A blue single mattress has been squeezed into one corner of the balcony room, opposite a small desk and TV, with both walls adorned with tropical-themed art.
When the landlord was contacted on the phone by news.com.au, they answered several questions before refusing to speak further with a female journalist.
He said he had received “a lot of interest” and several calls about the property, though wouldn’t specify how many people had been in touch.
A three-bed, two-bath unit in the building sold for $1.15 million in September last year, while the estimated rental income for a two-bed, one-bath unit is $810 per week.
Even a parking space in the Miramar can be rented out for $650 a month.
The listing comes amid unprecedented pressure on the Sydney rental market, with record-low vacancy rates pushing prices sky-high.
The median rent for a house in Sydney reached a record high of $650 per week at the start of the year, while the median rent for a unit was also at a high of $550.
Tenants have little choice but to pay up, with the national vacancy rate at just 0.9 per cent.
Image credits: Facebook