A landlord is being slammed for charging prospective renters to sleep in a ‘studio apartment’ without a stove and a bed crammed in the kitchen.
The single-room rental is located ‘at the heart’ of Melbourne’s CBD and is being advertised at an asking price of $255 per week.
Priced at $255 per week, photos of the studio apartment show a double bed squeezed into the kitchen, alongside a sink, microwave, and a small fridge. A table and an office chair are awkwardly positioned at the foot of the bed.
One frustrated tenant took to a Facebook Group for renters to express their outrage, sharing images of the listing and pointing out that the room falls far below the minimum standards expected for rental properties in Melbourne.
The ‘studio apartment’ located in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD has received major backlash after photos show a double bed crammed in the kicthen (pictured)
‘Imagine living in a ‘house’ (room) where the only form of cooking is a microwave and you’ve got a mini fridge with nowhere for extra food space,’ they wrote.
The social media user added they were not sure if the microwave was included and the entire apartment was smaller than their current bedroom.
The Consumer Affairs Victoria website outlines several minimum standards a property must meet before a renter is allowed to move in.
The standards are divided into 14 categories and apply to all rental agreements from March 29, 2021.
Rental properties must meet the standards across all 14 categories including rules for kitchens.
A rental property’s kitchen must have a dedicated cooking and food preparation area, a sink in good working order connected to a reasonable supply of hot and cold water and a stovetop in good working order that has two or more burners.
Social media users said the apartment does not meet the minimum standards for rental properties. (pictured, Consumer Affairs Victoria website standards for rental kicthens)
It comes as Australian renters are in the trenches of the country’s housing crisis as the number of ‘outrageous’ rentals increase by the day.
In June, a landlord raised eyebrows after listing a ‘renovated’ backyard shed for $350 a week.
The shack-like accommodation in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Croydon was advertised on Facebook.
The shed appeared a little worse for wear, despite the claims it had been renovated, and contained a grimy-looking bathroom.
Another particular detail that stuck out in the listing was the fact the new tenant would have to share the shed with another person – despite its tiny size.
Social media users were left stunned by the listing, and questioned who would want to live in it.
A dilapidated backyard shed being advertised as ‘bungalow’ and being offered for $300 rent per week
The kitchen area appears to be the most spruced-up part of the rental, and according to the ad offers ‘all cooking amenities’
In February, a Sydney landlord advertised his enclosed high-rise balcony as a one- bedroom apartment for $300.
The strange ad read: ‘New, quiet and clean apartment. Next to World Square, only five minutes’ walk to Town Hall Station, China Town, UTS, Paddy’s Market, Coles and Woolworths.
‘All bills included, fast NBN Wi-Fi and… basic cleaning stuffs and cooking stuffs.’
The landlord then stated the tenant must stay in the cramped room for at least four months, give an $800 deposit and a ‘$200 bond key’.
National residential property rental vacancy rates remained steady over the month of May at 1.2 per cent, according to SQM Research.
The total number of rental vacancies rose slightly by 112 properties to 36,907 dwellings.
Only Darwin recorded a slight 0.2 per cent fall for the month, while Sydney recorded rises in rental vacancy rates to 1.5 per cent.
Vacancy rates remained steady in, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide at 1.2, 1.0 and 0.6 per cent, respectively.
Similarly, Perth, Canberra, and Hobart also maintained stable rental vacancy rates during the month at 0.6, 2.0 and 1.6 per cent.
Rental vacancy rates in the Sydney CBD, Melbourne CBD and Brisbane CBD also increased rapidly to 5.1, 3.7 and 2.0 per cent over May.
A landlord in Sydney previously asked $300 a week for a balcony he’d turned into a makeshift ‘apartment’ (Pictured: the Facebook advert for the room)
Over the past 30 days to 12 June, the capital city asking rents rose by 0.6 per cent with the 12- month rise standing at 19.4 per cent.
Managing Director of SQM Research Louis Christopher said Australia’s rental industry is ‘very much a landlord’s market’.
‘While there has been some easing in rental conditions especially in regional Australia, it is still very much a landlord’s market for most capital cities,’ Mr Christopher said.
‘We note though the recent increases in CBD rental vacancy rates. Especially for the Sydney CBD. We will keep noting such areas so tenants can continue to understand areas that may now be experiencing relatively less rental stress.’
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