Tiny Bundaberg rental for $520 per week slammed for suggesting cramped living for up to three people
An ad for a tiny $520-a-week rent in Bundaberg was criticized for suggesting that the home could accommodate up to three people.
TikTok influencer Rach McQueen, known for covering the country’s most shocking rents, has detailed living conditions that she says will rob tenants of their dignity for an unbelievable sum.
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While similarly priced compact homes may be commonplace in major cities, the “apartment-style” loft is nearly 400km north of the nearest capital, Brisbane.
“Google Bundaberg,” McQueen said. “This place is not comparable to any of these cities and certainly does not justify it.”
She called the ad, which appeared to be advertised on Facebook Marketplace but was subsequently removed, “the ugliness of rental property.”
McQueen gave thousands of her followers a virtual tour of the house using images from the list, turning two bedrooms into mezzanine shelves and questioning the quality of life potential tenants might experience.
“Of course, they never said it was a kitchen, but they said it was a place suitable for two or three people,” McQueen said, introducing freestanding kitchen furniture.
“I just want to know what kind of food two or three people would eat as part of a balanced diet in such a kitchen.
“And it’s the only place on the bench you need to prepare and install replacement appliances. What the hell are you suggesting washing dishes in that sink?
She named it “bitch,” a term she coined to refer to when the bathroom was combined with the kitchen.
“The toilet on the bare concrete floor is right next to the doorway, which may or may not have a door, which is right next to the kitchen,” McQueen said. “Yes, I would classify it as a bitch.
The upstairs bedrooms, pictured with advertised mattresses, were also slammed shut.
“There is absolutely no pantry downstairs, and these are “bedrooms,” McQueen said. “There is no warehouse here either.
“So bedrooms are literally just for sleeping because you can’t stand here and it’s also going to be difficult for you to sit down.
“You would be a fucking army crawling towards the bed.”
Netizens were also shocked by the listing, with some in the Bundaberg area comparing the weekly rent to their own mortgage payments.
“My Bundaberg mortgage on a (house) with four bedrooms (with) office, three bathrooms, two living rooms and a swimming pool is only an additional $100,” wrote one.
One person commented that the listing was asking for “$2,080(per) month for a ‘free’ prison life roleplay.”
“I wouldn’t rent it even for a vacation,” wrote one person.
“Paris Hilton’s dog has a bigger house,” said another.
“Queenslanders sleep in their cars”
The criticism came after the Queensland government lifted restrictions for the next three years on who is allowed to live in second homes on the site – such as a grandmother’s apartment – and allowed landlords to offer them on the rental market.
“Most homeowners can’t rent out second homes like grandma’s apartments to anyone other than their immediate family,” said Vice Premier and Planning Secretary Stephen Miles.
“At the same time, some Queenslanders sleep in their cars or in tents.
“It just makes sense to allow someone other than a relative to occupy existing housing to provide more affordable housing for Queenslanders.”
While it’s unclear whether the Bundaberg listing counts as resale housing, the advertised weekly rate doesn’t seem to offer an affordability key to the state’s housing crisis strategy.
“I wouldn’t classify this as suitable for two or three people, or even one for that matter. Especially for $520 a week,” McQueen said.
