‘1 boy only’: Man rents out balcony for $300/week
Sydneysiders can now rent a tarp-covered balcony for $300/week — as long as they’re “1 boy” and will “share their nationality”.
Sydneysiders have an unmissable opportunity to rent a tarpaulin-covered, tiled floor balcony in the Sydney CBD for a stellar $300/week — or more than half the median rental price in the notoriously expensive city.
A landlord shared the bargain deal — an enclosed balcony with city views, obscured by tarps and heavy curtains — to the Inner West Buy, Sell and Give Away Facebook page on Monday, along with a bizarre list of questions for his new tenant.
“Man Private Room Sydney Cbd. 1 boy only /300/week,” the ad read.
“Quick response 04******** Please kindly send me your information”
Have a similar story? Get in touch — chloe.whelan@news.com.au
Images of the balcony showed an enclosed, tiled space in Haymarket’s Miramar building in the Sydney CBD.
The large windows that usually look out onto the city skyline were covered with silver tarpaulin, while the glass sliding doors leading to the apartment proper were concealed by blue curtains.
A blue single mattress was squeezed into one corner, opposite a small desk and TV. Both walls were adorned with tropical-themed art.
The listing also included an image of the indoor swimming pool at the Miramar building — a 38-storey residential high-rise that also boasts a gym and squash court.
A three-bed, two-bath unit in the building sold for $1.15 million in September last year, while the estimated rental income for a two-bed, one-bath unit is $810 per week.
Even a parking space in the Miramar can be rented out for $650 a month.
The landlord who shared the balcony listing included his own description of the its amenities.
“New, Quiet and clean apartment,” he wrote
“NEXT TO WORLD SQUARE, only 5 minutes walk to town hall station, china town, UTS, paddys market, coles and Woolworth …
“All bill included, fast NBN WIFI and rice, basic cleaning stuffs and cooking stuffs. min stay 4 months. Prefer long term & less cook. $800 deposit and $200 bond key. 3 weeks notice move out.”
The listing also included a bizarre makeshift application form, in which the landlord quizzed his “1 boy” future tenant on his nationality and what furniture he’d be attempting to squeeze into the space.
“Will you bring your own furniture, big electronic, bike? (Please list your item) Nationality:” he wrote.
When contacted by phone, the landlord answered several of news.com.au’s questions before refusing to speak further with a female journalist.
He said he had received “a lot of interest” and several calls about the property, though wouldn’t specify how many people had been in touch.
The listing comes amid unprecedented pressure on the Sydney rental market, with record-low vacancy rates pushing prices sky-high.
The median rent for a house in Sydney reached a record high of $650 per week at the start of the year, while the median rent for a unit was also at a high of $550.
Tenants have little choice but to pay up, with the national vacancy rate at just 0.9 per cent.
So-called “rent bidding” was outlawed in NSW late last year in an attempt to stabilise soaring prices, but it has done little to reverse the trend.
In fact, news.com.au previously revealed that more than 100 people lodged an application for every apartment up for rent in Sydney — and 80 per cent of them offered more than the listed price.
“When we first came back from our Christmas break in January, that was the busiest time,” McGrath Property agent Scarlett Manttan said on Saturday.
“My friend from work in the Coogee office had 106 people at one inspection. It’s crazy.”
A look at several rental properties in Sydney’s inner suburbs on Saturday painted a dire picture of a market that is unprecedentedly under-supplied.
At one property visited by news.com.au — a one-bedroom apartment on a busy ambulance and bus thoroughfare, advertised at $680/week — more than 40 people showed at the inspection.
One couple inspecting the unit, Elena Khlopova and Kirill Kacherov, said they had visited at least four properties per week since early November, without luck.
“When we first started, it was okay in terms of price. Well, it wasn’t okay, but it was better compared to now,” Ms Khlopova said.
“So far, we’ve got four or five declines because … I don’t know why, actually. We’re trying to offer a little bit more, because we understand how it works right now.”
“We have a special situation,” Mr Kacherov cut in, explaining that they owned a medium-sized golden retriever.
Ms Khlopova and Mr Kacherov said they were trying to conduct the process above board, even as some renters choose not to disclose their pets on application forms to get ahead.
Ms Manttan said she didn’t see the market cooling any time soon.
“Last year in January, it was pretty busy, but it died down towards the end — like about this time last year,” she said.
“But (this year) it’s still very busy now. I think it will stay this way right until March, early April.”
Have a similar story? Get in touch — chloe.whelan@news.com.au
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