$400 'shanty town' rental blasted: 'Is this even legal?'
Aussies have deemed the NSW property "inhabitable"
A rental listing posted on Facebook last week has proven too much for exasperated Aussie renters who appear fed up with the country's crippling housing crisis.
The set-up in Mullumbimby, northern NSW, includes two caravans "surrounded by beautiful forest and nature" with "open space" living and a "full equipped kitchen" — but some claim it's barely a suitable home for $400 a week, accusing the landlord of "greed and profiteering".
It might sound like a nature lover's dream but it's been dubbed "inhabitable" by some after one woman blasting the "shanty town" rental property on TikTok. Critics couldn't look past the fact that both the kitchen and living room are outside, and so too is the "amazing hot water shower", with no proof a "proper" bathroom actually exists at all.
'Concerning' detail in NSW rental
Photos show the two caravans perched under a tin roof in what appears to be bushland in the Wilson's Creek area. Weather-proof tarps replace what should be a permanent roof and walls.
The owner of the space was originally asking for $400 a week but has since dropped the price down to $350 — and bills aren't included. It's best suited for a "nice and clean nature-loving couple or single" the post claims, or two good friends, but no dogs are allowed.
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"What concerns me most about this makeshift kitchen in the middle of the bush is the fact that this would appear to be a gas cooktop surrounded by all of that wooden s**t," TikTok user Rach McQueen raged in a video shared on Thursday.
"You can get a little apartment in a city for $400 a week. This is a shanty town," she said.
Floods and extreme rents lead to rise in homelessness
Rach has become known for her angry tirades about over-priced Aussie rentals, and in this instance, has accused the landlord of "profiteering" off people who were left without a home during last year's floods.
Mullumbimby was one of the worst hit areas along with nearby Byron Bay, with the devastating floods leaving many locals temporarily homeless.
That, coupled with higher-than-ever rental prices in the area, means the Byron Shire now has the highest rate of homelessness in New South Wales outside of Sydney, the Guardian reported.
"Don’t even try and tell me this landlord is doing something nice and charitable for people who are still displaced after the floods," a furious Rach continued. "They’re not because if they were, they wouldn’t be charging $400 – not including bills – for this s**t."
Social media users fume over 'ridiculous' rental
Social media users were quick to comment on the property, which many believe is "ridiculous" for its price.
"Is this even legal?" one asked.
"These landlords need to be dragged out into the street and educated," one person commented on Rach's clip. Another said the video made them "so rationally angry".
Another agreed the landlord is "profiteering" during the housing crisis, noting there are "still heaps of people living in tents here in Lismore".
"I just moved into a 2 bedroom flat in Tweed Heads for $420, bills included. I saw so many places like this when I was looking, though - such a joke," another raged.
Yahoo News Australia contacted the Byron Shire Council and the landlord for comment
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