Would you pay $1,000 a month to live here? Cramped garden shed billed as a ‘studio’ hits the market in latest rental crisis madness: ‘Makes my blood boil’
- Metal shed touted as ‘granny flat’ to be demolished
- The owners listed the shed for $1,000 a month
- Council found that it breached national and council codes
A grim-looking tin shed touted as a ‘granny flat’ and rented out for $1,000 a month will be destroyed after a furious neighbour reported the bizarre listing to council.
The cramped shed, listed as sitting in the backyard of a Minto home, in Sydney‘s southwest, was reported by a member of the community after they spotted the listing online.
‘It boils my blood to see the level of exploitation out there during a housing crisis,’ the local, who did not want to be named, wrote in a community Facebook group.
The shed had a bench, a sink and a bathroom with a toilet and a shower but little else.
The listing is just the latest example of Sydney’s dire rental market where prices have jumped a staggering 31.2 per cent when compared to early 2022.
The local made a complaint to Campbelltown City Council, which found the shed and the owner’s attempt to list it was in breach of both national and council property codes.
The metal shed (pictured), located on the back of a property in Minto, in Sydney’s southwest, was listed for $1,000 a month in rent before local council demanded it be demolished
The ‘studio’ will now be demolished after a council complaint
A spokesperson for the Campbelltown City Council confirmed they were ‘made aware of an illegally constructed shed being advertised for rent as a granny flat following a complaint received from the community’.
‘An order to demolish the unauthorised shed was issued on the owner of the property,’ the spokesperson said.
The council spokesperson said the shed had numerous violations of the National Construction Code and was also built too close to a separating fence, meaning it needed to be demolished.
The property owners also did not did not seek approval from the council or another ‘certifying authority’ before listing it for rent.
The man who reported the shed has since been hailed as a ‘legend’ within the Facebook group after tracking down the property’s address in order to properly report it.
He trawled through numerous rental apps in order to match the brickwork of nearby properties and locate the steel shed.
‘Mate this is amazing, we all deserve adequate housing,’ one of the group’s members wrote.
‘Wow, a “studio”. The audacity,’ a second wrote.
‘Plenty of these around at the moment. I urge everyone that comes across an ad like this to report it,’ a third wrote.
The bathroom inside the shed, with the tiles only stretching partially up the wall
Campbelltown City Council found the property had breached national and council building codes in an attempt to list the shed as a potential dwelling, demanding it be demolished
The Sydney rental market has been in freefall as both unit and house rental prices skyrocketed in the past quarter.
In January, 2022 a listing in Bundeena, in Sydney’s south, caused a stir as the ‘modern garden studio’ was listed at $375 a week.
The home was marketed by agent Ray White as a ‘modern garden studio’ with electricity and water bills included.
Listing agent Shellie Boswell told Daily Mail Australia last year demand for granny flats was on the rise as Sydneysiders tried to escape the Covid pandemic for a quieter life.
‘The thing about these properties is they’re affordable for people who want to live by themselves,’ she said.
‘People have been fighting over them during the pandemic. Rents have been up by $200 here.
‘They can work from home and enjoy the surrounding area – you can go for a swim or go on a bushwalk – where else would you want to be during a lockdown?’
The back garden studio home hit the market for $375 a week in Bundeena in Sydney’s far south, bordering the Royal National Park
The one-bathroom studio is up for rent in Bundeena – a small beachside village in Sydney’s far south bordering the Royal National Park
