Tiny unit lease spells bad news for Sydney renters

A tiny zero-bedroom, one-bathroom unit in Sydney has been described as psychosis-inducing, but in the city’s current rental climate, is it really that unreasonable?

Jordie van den Berg looks at Sydney rentals as part of a TikTok series.

A zero-bedroom, one-bathroom unit in Sydney could be worth $1 million, despite being described online as psychosis-inducing.

The home on Moore Park Road in Paddington is the latest to be outed by Jordie van den Berg’s ‘Sh*t Rentals of Sydney’ TikTok series, and it’s one of eight units crammed into what appears to be the space of one townhouse.

Described by an agent as an “art-Deco Studio” and a “private and light-filled studio apartment”, it was advertised for $375 per week and was snapped up in just eight days.

Photos show a large raised bed consuming much of the living space, or as the glass-half-full listing put it: “raised bed frame provides extra room for living and dining.”

Jordie van den Berg, the man behind the comedic, but grim, ‘Sh*t Rentals’ TikTok series.

A bare kitchen is crammed into one corner, and a small bathroom sits next to the main area.

“Some poor bastard has already put a deposit down on this house,” van den Berg said.

“When you look at it, “extra room” is a bit of a stretch when it’s literally the only room in the whole house.”

“I feel like if I lived in this house, I’d go insane in approximately 13 seconds.

“If you farted in this house, you’d have absolutely nowhere to escape.”

Astonishingly, Realestate.com.au’s realEstimate states the unit could fetch between $720,000 and $1.26 million in today’s market.

And it is one of eight tiny flats in the space of a townhouse after a subdivision of the property in the early 70s.

Some boast more space, even enough room for a couch and a TV, while others appear to be a similar size.

The raised bed is designed to create more space for a living area. Picture: realestate.com.au

Van den Berg’s fans weighed in on the most recent rental. Some likened the “home” to single bedrooms or college dorms.

“Perfect for someone who just got out of prison,” one added.

The tiny unit does have a separate bathroom. Picture: realestate.com.au

Others said it was a sign Sydney was becoming unlivable.

“The extreme things people do to live in the city. Come out west. You’ll get a house with a pool for that price,” one said.

“Is this the real reason Sydney and Melbourne people lose their minds over lockdowns?” another asked.

The kitchen and bathroom in the tiny Sydney unit. Picture: realestate.com.au

However the property may not be as unreasonable as some imply.

Sydney’s remarkably tight rental market appears to only be getting worse.

In mid-March, over 100 people attended a lunchtime viewing of an inner-city Sydney apartment, where renters were prepared to offer $100 over the asking price before even entering the property in the hopes of securing it.

Over 70 groups waited in a lengthy queue for a $720 a week, two-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Surry Hills.

Oisin Scully, 27 said he and his cousin had started offering $50 to $100 extra weekly on each application. They’ve applied for 20 properties in the last two months with no success.

“For this property, I’ll probably offer an extra $100,” he said.

Dozens of Sydneysiders are pictured lined up outside an open-for-inspection rental apartment in Surry Hills. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

“I’ve been told by my mates that’s what you have to do. You have to offer more to stand out.”

Sydney student Matilda Hale, 23, says she’s been to six viewings in the past few weeks. In an earlier inspection at the neighbouring suburb of Darlinghurst, she said the home was “so packed you couldn’t move”.

Sydney’s crippling rental market is at its lowest availability level since Covid. According to PropTrack data published this month, Sydney’s rental vacancy rate is now at 1.7 per cent, while a year ago, it was at 2.74 per cent.

Australia’s national vacancy rate sits at 1.47 per cent.

A recent analysis from the housing advocacy group Everybody’s Home found asking prices had increased between 27.8 per cent and 48.6 per cent in the past 12 months.

– with NCA NewsWire