'Pitiful' $295 Sydney rental slammed as 'disgusting and greedy'

Aussies on the hunt for a suitable rental property are by now no strangers to some questionable online listings, as the seemingly endless housing crisis shows no clear sign of abating.

The latest in the long list of problematic spaces was advertised online on Monday — but within hours, was seemingly pulled down after a barrage of abuse.

The $295-a-week "study room" in a central Sydney CBD location is just a three-minute walk to the well-connected Town Hall station. It has a "beautiful city view" from the window of the apartment and is available from next week — so what's the problem you may ask.

The issue is the tiny size of the so-called bedroom which some online compared to the size of a cupboard. Photos shared on Facebook show a single bed inside the windowless room with little floor space left over for any additional furniture.

Calls for 'exploitation' in rental market to stop

The rental listing struck a nerve with many people who appear fed up with the current state of the rental market, particularly as the cost of living continues to bite.

"It's a walk-in wardrobe. It's pitiful," one person lashed out in the comments of the now-deleted listing. "Wow. A single bed in a cupboard," another pointed out.

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One agreed the ad was "disgusting and greedy" for a landlord or tenant to charge $295 for the state of the room. "This exploitation needs to stop," another raged before questioning "where is the government?" who should step in and help.

But the price didn't surprise one Sydneysider given the central location. Last month, a private studio in Redfern was listed for $350 a week, with many comparing it to a tiny "jail cell". Meanwhile, a studio apartment in Paddington was going for $375 a week in March.

Windowless rooms 'unlawful' and 'unacceptable'

In NSW, it's illegal to list a room for rent that doesn't have windows, Leo Patterson Ross, CEO of The Tenants’ Union of NSW explained to Yahoo News.

"In general it is unlawful under planning law for a property to use a room as a bedroom without a window," he said, adding there's a standard required by the Residential Tenancies Act 2010.

Mr Ross said doing so is "unacceptable," adding, "our homes should be safe, stable and affordable".

In addition to sub-bar properties being flogged to hopeful tenants, many are also battered by rent increases, as well as fighting to secure a tenancy in a limited number of vacant rental properties.

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