$280-a-week studio in exclusive Sydney suburb slammed: 'DEPRESSING'
While $280-a-week for a studio apartment in the luxe Sydney suburb of Paddington might sound like a steal, photos of one such offering have triggered a wave of ridicule thanks to its "depressing" state.
Advertised this week in a local community group, the rental listing boasted of a "generous sized bedroom" – however many disagreed.
"You need a confined space ticket to stay there," one person joked.
Images show a bed pressed up against a wall with little space left to the opposite wall, featuring the room's window.
A TV is mounted on a painted brick wall which appears dirty, as do the other walls in the dimly lit space.
In the corner of the room is a small kitchenette just inches from the end of the bed.
The tight arrangement and condition of the room quickly became the butt of jokes online.
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"Is there a prison warden outside the door?" one Facebook user asked.
"No smoking? a fire might brighten the place up," another mockingly said.
"Cracking angle for watching TV in bed... If you're Inspector Gadget," one person said.
Others described the studio as "depressing" and "so grim".
Leo Patterson Ross, the CEO of The Tenants’ Union of NSW, previously told Yahoo News Australia many struggling Sydney renters are forced to accept substandard conditions.
"People are forced to accept housing options they simply shouldn't have to in one of the wealthiest countries in the world,” he said.
Mr Patterson Ross told Yahoo Finance this week the majority of renters are not on fixed-term leases and are often victims of price-gouging.
Ninety-eight per cent of rentals 'unaffordable'
A new survey by Anglicare Australia of 45,992 rental listings shows the market is less affordable than ever, with the damning assessment coming as inflation soars across the country.
Only 712 of the rental properties surveyed, or two per cent, could be afforded by Australians earning minimum wage.
"Australia's housing crisis has reached fever pitch," Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers said.
If elected, Labor leader Anthony Albanese has promised to increase the supply of housing to ease rising rents.
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