It’s no secret that Ontario’s real estate prices are out of control, prompting some entrepreneurial landlords to find creative — if not exploitative — ways to make a quick buck.
Toronto tends to get all the heat for ludicrous rental prices, with the average price of a one-bedroom apartment currently going for more than $2400 per person in the city, hopeful renters elsewhere in the province are far from immune from the strain of rent prices.
Whether it’s a storage closet masquerading as a bedroom for $750 or a listing that includes bizarre rules such as tennants not being allowed to use the kitchen, the rental market in Ontario is rife with quasi-landlords looking to turn a quick buck off their far-from-ideal offerings.
The latest wild rent listing that’s causing its landlord to catch heat is located just an hour and a half outside of Waterloo, and it’s offering spots for two new tennants at a competitive rent of $525 a month. You just have to be okay not having a bedroom.
Making the rounds on popular Reddit group, r/SlumlordsCanada, the listing offers availability in the one bedroom, one bathroom apartment as early as Oct. 1, and your choice of either sleeping in the den — an open-concept space not separated from any other part of the apartment — or in the entry hall.
According to the listing, amenities in the building also include in-unit laundry, a gym, yoga room, terrace with patio and “sona” — which, I can only assume, is meant to be a sauna.
$525 for a hallway or a den
byu/mor-cat inSlumlordsCanada
Located a walkable distance from Conestoga College’s Waterloo Campus, as well as being nearby other universities like Laurier and the University of Waterloo, Reddit users were quick to sound the alarm at what appears to be blatant exploitation of students seeking housing.
“This is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but greed and exploitation,” one person writes. “I wonder how well these landlords will fair when the international student visas are reduced”
“I really wish Canadian government would start offering affordable apartments to everyone (like actually affordable ones), then taking the next step by arresting these worthless greedy pieces of garbage and lock them up for life for thinking this is ever okay,” writes another.
“What’s worse is that this isn’t close to the worst thing I’ve seen on here,” they add.
In the wake of troubling news about the unbelievable living conditions suffered by some international students in Ontario, this listing appears to merely be a drop in the bucket when it comes to opportunistic landlords seemingly taking advantage of students — and non-students, for that matter — desperate for a roof over their heads.
One small silver lining about the listing, though, is that all utilities are included. Maybe sleeping in the hallway wouldn’t be so bad.
