A landlord has come under fire after asking prospective tenants to pay more than $260 a week to share a tiny “slum room” with another person.
The owner took to Facebook to advertise the room for rent in an apartment located opposite Southern Cross Station, near Melbourne’s CBD.
“We are looking for a male who can live with us from September 20th. He will share a room with a Japanese male,” the ad said.
The rent, which amounts to $264.50 per week, covers utility bills.
The prospective tenant must also pay a $265 security deposit before moving in.
A photo of the room showed a small bed covered with a duvet wedged into a narrow space with both sides of the mattress touching the walls.
The apartment consists of a bathroom, laundry room and kitchen, while the building has a gym, swimming pool, sauna and barbecue area.
The tenant will also have to share the bathroom with the other tenant.
The rent for the small room (pictured) is $264.50 per week and the payment covers utility bills.
Reddit users were left horrified, with some claiming the city has become one of the most expensive in the world to rent.
“I didn’t realise Melbourne was turning into New York City,” wrote one.
“The rent for some of these precarious rooms is worth almost as much as an entire house,” wrote another.
Others were stunned by the strange request to rent the small space while it was already being used by another tenant.
“What is left to share?” wrote one.
Some said there was an advantage to renting smaller rooms in city apartments, although they admitted the rental ad was an “extreme example.”
“It means you don’t have to pay for a car or public transport, which saves you a ton, and you have super-fast access to everything you need,” one wrote.
Commentators on social media were outraged, with some claiming the city has become more unaffordable to live in than some of the world’s major cities (Melbourne stock image)
The latest figures from PropTrack reveal that the average price of an apartment in Melbourne is $609,000.
Sydney remains Australia’s most expensive capital city to buy an apartment, with the average price of a unit at $819,000.
