Desperate renters are forced to pay $280 a week to live in rusting tin sheds
- Corrugated metal sheds for rent amid housing crisis
- The Reserve Bank raised interest rates 12 times in as many months
- Some owners have been criticized for taking advantage
Renters are having a hard time across Australia, but think of those in Perth who are being asked to pay nearly $300 a week to live in rusting tin sheds.
A listing for rentals in Karridale in the Margaret River region, south of Perth, recently appeared on Facebook asking for $280 a week.
The pictures show that the shed was built from rusty corrugated iron sheets and without a proper floor, although luckily it does have a chimney, which is much needed considering the lack of insulation.
Renters have to leave the shed to use the outdoor gas-heated shower, but the ‘rustic’ dwelling includes a very basic kitchen.
To be considered free of rent stress, a renter would have to earn just over $930 a week after taxes to rent the shed.
A rusty shed in the Margaret River region of WA rents for $280 a week (pictured)
Renters are having a hard time thanks to over a year of steady interest rate hikes landlords have passed on to them (living space inside shed pictured)
A similar property in Haynes, near Armadale, in east Perth, was recently featured on a TikTok account run by Rach McQueen, though even the label “rustic” would be overkill in this case.
Mrs. McQueen points out the exposed power cables leading to the shed supported by several metal poles.
The dreary space features a dirty carpet that doesn’t cover the entire floor, a combined bathroom and kitchen with no windows, and a disconnected fire alarm.
“I would call this less of a converted shed and more of a glorified slum.”
“So, you’ll be preparing your food here and the bathroom is right there, so all the germs are happily flying everywhere,” she said.
Armadale City CEO Joanne Abbiss said PerthNow that renting out sheds to tenants is generally not above the bar.
“Strict planning, construction and health requirements apply,” he said.
He also said that caravans listed as permanent rental properties were strictly not allowed, as renters can only stay for short periods of time.
TikToker Rach McQueen took aim at this rental shed in East Perth, power coming to the building via cables held up by poles.
Pictured is the combined kitchen and bathroom, complete with fire alarm disconnected
And those on the east coast of Australia are not immune.
Earlier this year, a converted garden shed was advertised for $350 per month in Melbourne, described as an open-plan room with enough space for three beds plus a bathroom.
As an alternative for Sydneysiders, renters had the option of a bizarre wooden loft in Pyrmont’s city center for $330 per week.
Images uploaded to Flatmates.com.au show a wooden box raised off the ground with room for a mattress, but not much else.
The ad describes a living room below as a separate common space.
This ramshackle loft (pictured), a homemade wooden box with visible nails hammered into its exterior, was advertised for $330 a week.
The attic included a small coat rack above the ladder that led up to it.
The room is shared with another tenant who also lives in a loft, although his own has “its own coach and space to relax below.”
The loft that was rented in early March, “which is the largest,” according to the listing, shares its lower space, but privacy is accommodated with a door separating the two areas.
The unique loft is located “in a beautiful historic building” according to the listing, I was looking for a tenant willing to stay a minimum of nine months close to Sydney’s CBD.
