This tent set up inside a garage for $210 a week illustrates just how dire a situation Australian renters are facing
Tenants have been asked to pay $210 a week in rent to live in a tent set up in a garage, with the makeshift home another sign of Australia’s dire housing crisis.
The tiny granny studio in Seven Hills, in Sydney’s northwest, was recently advertised as an “affordable living space” for couples.
Jordan van den Berg, a popular tenant rights advocate who exposes dodgy rental properties, uploaded the studio’s housing list to X on Sunday.
Mr Van Den Berg also uploaded several photos of the ‘granny studio’, a term used liberally in this case and referring to apartments that combine several rooms into one space.
A small granny flat in Seven Hills, Sydney’s northwest (pictured) is costing potential tenants $210 a week in rent to live in the home that appears to be made out of a tent
One image showed what appeared to be a tent set up on a small area that also contained a small desk and several electrical appliances, including a fan.
A laptop, mouse, and phone were placed on the small desk with a small bed set up next to the desk.
Another image of the studio home showed a compact space in the outdoor garage that had been converted into a living room.
There was a small sofa and table in the room, and a kettle and a cooking pot were placed on a makeshift wooden shelf.
Lighting was provided by a series of string lights draped around the plastered walls, while a single LED light hung from the roof of the outdoor shed.
Tenants are given their privacy through gray curtains, which look like sheets that covered the entrance to the house.
“Ideal for couples, this cozy self-contained granny studio is connected to the main house offering convenience,” the listing said.
‘Ideal for those looking for a well-located, affordable living space including essential amenities.’
Photos of the home included in the ad for the studio home showed a small space in an outdoor garage containing various electrical appliances and a small desk (pictured)
Couples must pay $210 per week in rent to live in the granny studio, with the costs covering utilities such as WiFi, water and ‘reasonable use of electricity’.
According to the listing, the studio is a three-minute walk from Seven Hills Train Station and Seven Hills Plaza.
Hundreds of tenants who flooded Van den Berg’s social media post were stunned by the layout of the home.
“Is that a damn tent??” one person wrote.
‘What exactly is this? Is it inside, outside? A bit of both? The twilight zone? I’m so confused?’ wrote one person.
Others wondered why the home was listed as a rental property for potential tenants.
Landlords (used loosely in this case) need to ask themselves; “Would you want to live there or have your mother live there?” wrote one person.
Some said the property was not safe for tenants to live in.
“There is no insulation under that corrugated iron roof at Seven Hills in that part of Sydney where temperatures regularly range from 0 degrees in winter to 44 degrees in summer,” one person wrote.
The home features a makeshift lounge (pictured) equipped with a small sofa, a table and illuminated by string lights draped over the plastered walls.
Australian renters are struggling to find an affordable place to live as they grapple with the ongoing cost of living and housing crisis.
The average rental price in Sydney for units is $700, while the average price for houses in the capital is $750, according to the latest figures from property website Domain.
Renters are also struggling to find a place to live, with the national vacancy rate at 1.21 percent, according to a PropTrack Rental Vacancy Rates report.
Australian homeowners, landlords and first home buyers have also weathered tough economic conditions, with the Reserve Bank raising interest rates 13 times since May 2022.
The RBA kept rates unchanged at 4.35 at their last monetary policy meeting last month.
