The brutal reality of renting in Sydney: Mattresses on the floor, bedrooms so cramped they’re illegal and people forced to sleep on BALCONIES for $225 a week
- Shocking images of some of the rooms cash-strapped Sydneysiders live in
- An enclosed balcony in an apartment was advertised as a ‘private bedroom’
- A report says lack of affordable homes in the city was to blame for the issue
The grim reality of Sydney’s rental market has been exposed in a series of images showing the squalid conditions people have been forced to endure.
A lack of affordable homes in the city has pushed people into substandard living conditions, a report released by the Sydney Policy Lab at the University of Sydney stated on Monday.
Shocking images of some of the rooms cash-strapped Sydneysiders have turned to include an enclosed balcony in a Haymarket apartment.
An enclosed balcony in a Haymarket apartment was advertised as a ‘sunny, private bedroom’ for $225 a week earlier this year (pictured)
Another home included in the report was an illegally converted shed with three mattresses on the ground (pictured)
The balcony was advertised earlier this year as a ‘sunny, private bedroom’ for $225 a week.
Last year, a bunk-bed in a roomshare in the city’s inner west with a towel for a curtain was advertised for $125 a week.
Another home included in the report was an illegally converted shed with three mattresses on the ground. It’s believed a family were living in the ‘apartment’, which also featured a TV and a couch.
At least two prams can be seen inside the structure, as well a makeshift clothes line.
The images illustrate Sydney’s ongoing housing affordability crisis.
Affordability pressures have been compounded by the loss of traditional sources of low cost rental accommodation, such as boarding houses, the report said.
‘Low income earners and those without a rental history, such as recent migrants, face particular barriers to accessing affordable rental accommodation through the private market.
The grim reality of Sydney’s rental market has been exposed in a series of images showing the squalid conditions people have been forced to endure
Last year, a bunk-bed in a roomshare in the city’s inner west with a towel for a curtain was advertised for $125 a week (pictured)
The ‘beds in sheds’ trend, which has been growing rapidly in London, is a growing concern as it masks street homelessness, the report said
‘With more people increasingly unable to access the private rental sector, the market for informal housing arrangements has burgeoned.’
Professor Nicole Gurran, who co-authored the report, told Domain complaints included overcrowding and illegally converted granny flats.
She said there was a significant health and safety risk to residents, but councils were not resourced to do proactive inspections.
The ‘beds in sheds’ trend, which has been growing rapidly in London, is a growing concern as it masks street homelessness, the report said.
However, the true scale of the ‘hidden informal sector’ in Sydney is not fully known as further research is required.
‘A lack of data about it means it’s also a policy blindspot,’ Ms Gurran said.