Landlord lists room for rent in garage with bed jammed next to parked car

MPs and the rental union in Auckland, New Zealand, have condemned the overburdened property market for putting the younger, lower-income renters in a vulnerable position.

A landlord has reportedly advertised a garage as a ‘room’ to rent with a bed and table next to a parked car.

The insulting advert was posted on a West Auckland Facebook group looking for flatmates and spare rooms.

Photos also show a shelving unit, two plants and a chair.

It isn’t clear how much the landlord is asking for the room in New Zealand – but MPs and the renters union have condemned the ad over fears who say it proves there aren’t enough homes for people in the area.

Renters United spokesman Geordie Rogers said the listing was an “unfortunate reality” of the rental market, with many people forced to live in poor circumstances with landlords manipulating the market.

Mr Rogers said: “It is pretty likely that a property like this would be rented out if it was under a flatmate situation.”

“It comes down to the fact that there aren’t enough homes for people and when there aren’t enough homes for people those who have access to those homes gets to decide where and how people can live.”

Listing of unsuitable accommodation are popping up on rental sites every two weeks, says Mr Rogers.

Auckland Central and Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick said young Aucklanders wouldn’t be shocked by the ad. Ms Swarbrick explained: “Most young Aucklanders, strangely, wouldn’t be particularly shocked, given the state of housing that many of us have lived in.

“That’s where we see a lot of abuse in the market around that flatmate situation and that’s where people get away with properties like this.”

Ms Swarbrick has called for a landlord register and rental warrant of fitness system to ensure all rentals are up to standard without a stressful and expensive fight.

It would ensure the cost of heating, ventilation and insulation including other basic safety necessities like smoke alarms, and secure locks on doors, would be set up, Stuff reports.

In September, reports showed New Zealand’s average house prices neared $1m, freezing out a generation from the property market.

A series of measures aimed at tackling the housing crisis were launched at the start of the year in a bid to help younger and lower-income buyers onto the ladder, The Guardian reports.

The country’s prime minister Jacinda Ardernn said at the time the measures were introduced to prevent a bubble.

She said: “New Zealand’s housing crisis is longstanding and will take time to turn around. “The last thing our economy and homeowners needs is a dangerous housing bubble, but a number of indicators point towards that risk.”