A Sydney landlord has sparked outrage after advertising a single mattress on the floor in a shared room for $190 a week, highlighting the city’s deepening rental crisis.
The Facebook listing, posted last month, showed three neatly placed mattresses on the floor of an apartment on Sussex Street in central Sydney. The landlord indicated that two spots had already been taken, leaving one available for a third male tenant.
“1 second room share 3 boys … 1 spot left,” the ad read.
The rental offer required tenants to stay for a minimum of three months, pay two weeks’ rent in advance, and provide a two-week bond and key deposit. A small kitchen was also available for use.
The listing, which was first reported by The Daily Telegraph, drew strong reactions from renters, with many calling it “scary” and questioning how the space could be considered “fully furnished.”
The advertisement has since been removed, but it has reignited debate over Sydney’s skyrocketing rent prices and the lack of affordable housing.
While Australian tenancy laws do not have strict regulations on room-sharing arrangements, the Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS), used as a guideline, states that no more than two people should share a bedroom and that single adults over 18 should have a separate room.
With Sydney renters struggling to secure suitable accommodation, cases like this highlight the extreme conditions some are forced to accept in order to find a place to live.
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