Connect with us

Technology

Tiny two-bedroom ‘monstrosity’ slammed for charging $520 per week in Bundaberg

Published

on

/ 9381 Views

A listing for a tiny rental for $520 per week in Bundaberg has been slammed for suggesting the property could house up to three people.

TikTok iNFLuencer Rach McQueen, known for highlighting the nation’s most shocking rentals, detailed the living arrangement, which she said would strip tenants of their dignity for an eye-watering sum.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bundaberg loft-style rental slammed for charging $520 per week.

Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >>

While compact dwellings for a similar rental price might be common in larger cities, the “apartment-style” loft is nearly 400km north of the nearest capital city, Brisbane.

“Google Bundaberg,” McQueen said. “This location is not comparable to any of those cities, and certainly doesn’t justify this.”

She called the listing, which appeared to have been advertised on Facebook Marketplace but has since been removed, a “monstrosity of a rental property”.

McQueen took her thousands of followers on a virtual tour of the home using images from the listing, reframing the two bedrooms as mezzanine crawl-spaces, and questioning the quality of life potential tenants could face.

“Granted, they never actually said it was a kitchen, but they did say that this place would be appropriate for two to three people,” McQueen said as she introduced the freestanding kitchen unit.

“I just want to know what type of food two to three people are going to be eating as part of a balanced diet in a kitchen like this.

“And this is the only bench space that you have to prep and put your plug-in appliances. How the f*** do you suggest that any dishes get washed in that sink.”

The kitchen space without storage, or room to cook, came under fire from McQueen for failing to provide prospective tenants with dignity. Credit: TikTok

She dubbed it a “bitchen” — a term she coined to reference when a bathroom was merged with the kitchen.

“The toilet on the bare concrete floor is right next to that doorway which may or may not have a door, which is right next to the kitchen,” McQueen said. “Yes, I would classify this as a ‘bitchen’.”

McQueen said it was unclear whether the bathroom, without a shower screen or bathroom vanity, had a door. Credit: TikTok

The bedrooms upstairs pictured with the advertised mattresses were also slammed.

“There is absolutely no storage downstairs, and these are the ‘bedrooms’,” McQueen said. “There is no storage here either.

“So, the bedrooms are literally exclusively for sleeping because you cannot stand up in here, and you would be hard-pressed to sit up, too.

“You would be f****** army crawling over to the bed.”

Tenants would need to ‘army crawl’ through the bedrooms, which provide no space for storage, McQueen said. Credit: TikTok

Netizens were also shocked at the listing, with some in the Bundaberg area comparing the weekly rental price with their own mortgage repayments.

“My mortgage in Bundaberg for a four-bedroom (house), (with an) office, three bathrooms, two living rooms and a pool is only an extra $100,” one wrote.

One person commented that the listing was asking for: “$2080 (per) month to role-play ‘freestyle’ prison life.”

“I wouldn’t even rent that for a holiday stay,” one person wrote.

“Paris Hilton’s dog has a bigger house,” another said.

‘Queenslanders are sleeping in their cars’

The criticism comes after the Queensland government removed restrictions for the next three years, on who is permitted to live in a secondary dwelling on a property — such as a granny flat — and allowed homeowners to offer them to the rental market.

“Most homeowners can’t rent secondary dwellings, such as granny flats, to anyone other than their immediate family, ” Deputy Premier and Minister for Planning Steven Miles said.

“At the same time, some Queenslanders are sleeping in their cars or in tents.

“It just makes sense to allow existing accommodation to be occupied by someone other than a relative to provide more affordable accommodation for Queenslanders.”

While it is unclear if the Bundaberg listing is considered secondary housing, the advertised weekly rate does not seem to be offering the affordability key to the state’s housing crisis strategy.

“I would not classify this as appropriate for two to three people, or even one for that matter. Especially not for $520 per week,” McQueen said.

Trending