Australians have been outraged after a landlord advertised that a cottage was rented for $300 a week, as long as the new tenant looked after his children.
The owners of the one-bedroom cottage in Ainslie, north of Canberra, made the offer on Thursday saying they would offer a “reduced rent” of between $250 and $300.
The tenant would have to be able to meet certain requirements, including picking up their children from school, making dinner for them, and doing “light housekeeping.”
“We are looking for a part-time housekeeper nanny,” the post said.
“We have a beautiful one-bedroom cabin with a separate office.”
The ad listed the one bedroom cottage (pictured) and the tenant was being offered ‘reduced rent’.
A bizarre advert by the owners of a rental property (pictured) has come under fire from Australian tenants outraged by the attempt to exploit potential tenants.
The owners made a strange claim that the discount was the same as hiring a worker to clean and care for the house.
“The cabin currently costs $500 a week, so this deal is equivalent to paying $500 for 15 hours (of) work,” the ad said.
The “mixed family” also explained that potential tenants would have to do housework every “alternative fortnight.”
“There will be nights when traveling that our teen will need someone to be home in the evening to prepare dinner and pick him up at school on Thursday for after-school activities,” the listing said.
“Previously, this was suitable for people working from home with flexible hours, college students, or partially retired nannies.”
Tenants will be required to provide Working with Vulnerable People verification and will also be required to provide a list of references.
An image of the advertisement was shared on reddit where the owner is accused of taking advantage of future tenants.
“This seems so exploitative,” one social media user captioned the post.
Hundreds of social media users criticized the owners for the strange listing.
The cabin also has a separate office space (pictured)
“This is shitty, super exploitative behavior,” one said.
‘Honestly, this sounds really abusive. The amount of time they are potentially asking for is disproportionate to the value of simply working more,” wrote another.
‘That person is looking for a slave!’
Others said the property owners’ move was outrageous as tenants struggle to find a place to live.
“There is a housing shortage and the last thing we need is for landlords to take advantage of desperate people looking for a place to stay,” one wrote.
Some chimed in saying that some renters or babysitters who have no other option would accept the requirements to have a place to live.
‘The language used for this seems to suggest that they had someone previously. Unfortunately someone will be desperate enough to accept it,” wrote one of them.
Under ACT rental laws, tenants have the right to occupy a rental property for residential purposes without any legal interference.
Social media users criticized the owners of the cottage (pictured) for trying to take advantage of the desperate landlords of thousands of Australians struggling to find a place to live.
