A tiny studio apartment in New York City that consists of just one room and has no bathroom, kitchen or running water has been furiously posted online – after it was revealed the asking price for the cell-like property is a staggering $1,200 a month.
A now-viral video of the ‘tiny’ rental, which measures just 54 square meters and is located in Midtown West, has sparked outrage after it was shared on TikTok by listing agent Alexander Bruni.
The nine-by-six apartment has just enough room for a bed and has no running water, meaning that if residents needed to use the toilet, they would have to leave their studio and walk down the hall to the shared bathroom.
Viewers have been up in arms over the footage from inside the dingy room, with some going so far as to claim that such living conditions should be “illegal”, especially given the sky-high costs associated with it.
The ‘smallest apartment currently in existence’ in New York City with no bathroom or kitchen is up for grabs for $1,200 a month
A now-viral video of the ‘tiny’ rental, which is about 54 square feet and located in Midtown West, has sparked outrage after it was shared on TikTok
The nine by six apartment has just enough room for a bed and has no running water
Alexander took people online inside the micro-apartment in a clip shared to TikTok, which has since amassed over 2.8 million views.
He said, ‘So today I’m going to show you the smallest apartment that currently exists in New York City.’
After opening the door to the small room, he added, ‘Yes, that’s right, this exists. This is very real. That’s nine times six. You have a closet, but no space for anything other than a bed.
The listing agent tried to justify the cost of the microrental by explaining that most college students pay more to live in dorms not located in the Big Apple.
‘In reality, in college—whatever crappy town you went to college in—you probably paid $1,200 at least for dorms there.
‘You didn’t pay to live in New York City, that’s for sure. So yes, the unit may be small and very unsightly, but at the end of the day, for what you pay, you get to live your life in New York City,” he said.
Alexander noted that each unit in the building was equally small, and before showing the shared bathroom, which had a toilet and a shower.
People flooded the comments section expressing their anger at the device – adding that it shouldn’t even be on the market.
People were stunned to see the place was for rent, claiming it was just one room – adding it should be ‘illegal’
Alexander took people online inside the micro-apartment in a clip shared to TikTok, which has since amassed over 2.8 million views
Alexander noted that each unit in the building was equally small, and before showing the shared bathroom, which had a toilet and a shower.
One person said: ‘It should be really illegal!’
Another user added: ‘So you have to leave your “studio flat” to use a bathroom.’
‘Studio apartment? …it’s just a room,’ wrote another.
“That apartment is smaller than my closet,” added another.
Another user commented: ‘Omg. It should be illegal!’
“It’s insane,” one user added.
Another said: ‘It’s REALLY small!’
Last year, rents in New York hit a new high with an average of $5,588 a month in July, a 30 percent increase since 2019 and nine percent higher from last year, when rents were $5,113, according to the report.
The eye-watering cost of renting an apartment in Manhattan comes despite the city’s population falling since the pandemic.
The borough’s population fell by 400,000 between June 2020 and June 2022, according to U.S. Census data, and experts say that despite some recovery, it’s likely still below 2019 levels.
People flooded the comments section expressing their anger at the device – adding that it shouldn’t even be on the market
The average monthly rent is now up 9 percent since the same time last year, marking a new record for the city.
Median rent, at $4,400 per month, and median price per square foot, at $84.74, also hit a new record, states a new report from Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman.
Last June, another unit without a bathroom hit the $2,350-a-month mark.
A 77-square-meter apartment in New York City without a bathroom rented for $2,350 a month after its prime Greenwich Village location sparked a bidding war.
The third-floor rental on West 11th Street went viral on TikTok in December after realtor Omer Labock gave a tour of the tiny space and said it had to be the “smallest apartment” he’d ever seen. At the time, it was listed for $1,975 a month.
“New York is a special place,” he captioned the shocking 32-second clip, which was reposted on Reddit last month.
The average price for a studio in Manhattan in July was $3,278, and a three-bedroom apartment was $10,673.