NewsHouse-hunters slam "abhorrent” rental advert for tiny £450-a-month shed that features little...

House-hunters slam “abhorrent” rental advert for tiny £450-a-month shed that features little more than couch and toilet 

HOUSE hunters have slammed an “abhorrent” rental advert seeking tenants for a tiny £450-a-month shed that features little more than a couch and a toilet. 

The shed in a back garden in Leeds, West Yorkshire was listed on property website OpenRent as a studio room in a house share – but is laughably small and unfinished. 

The “studio” property is barely big enough for a full-grown adult to lie down in and includes an exposed boiler and an unsealed door without a handle inside. 

A toilet is stationed in a corner of the room beside a shower that has been chucked in and stands in the middle of the floor, totally out of place. 

The landlord of the ramshackle property is asking for £450 a month.
The landlord of the ramshackle property is asking for £450 a month.

The apparent “kitchen” area consists of little more than a toaster and a kettle tucked next to a chest of drawers that appear to be unable to open due to being crammed next to the couch. 

The couch itself serves the dual purpose of a sitting and sleeping area – as it folds out into a bed barely big enough for one person. 

Bizarrely, there appears to be two TVs on the wall – adjacent to each other – but not other basic amenities like an oven or sink. 

The lack of a sink means all cleaning must be done in the hastily constructed shower, which is in full view of a large window

In another corner of the room lies a poorly built cupboard space, which seems to be entirely occupied by a boiler, but has no door on it, exposing the pipes and other intricacies to the entire room. 

A pair of coat hooks positioned almost right at ceiling height are affixed to the cupboard, whilst next to them is the door to the property, which has not been sealed properly and lacks a handle inside to open or lock it with. 

To top it off, any unlucky tenants are expected to put up with noise during the day, given that the small shed is “within a family home with small children”. 

Described as “the perfect start home”, the entire listing written by the cheeky landlord asks for £450 a month and reads: “This is a small studio-room annex to the rear of a private garden.  

“It is within a family home with small children, so we are looking for someone who doesn’t mind noise during the day.  

“The studio room has a sofa bed, drawers, TV, shower, toilet, toaster, kettle and microwave oven.  

“It’s the perfect starter home for a single person only.  

“The property is a great location for transport, shopping and everything you need, all within walking distance. Examples include Costa, Greggs, Tesco, Library 

“The train station is 10 mins walk approx., and there are a load of buses into Leeds and Bradford within walking distance again.”  

House-hunters were left appalled by the listing which was shared to social media today with the caption: “This cannot be legit.”  

The post attracted dozens of likes and comments from users describing the listing as “abhorrent” and “outrageous”. 

One user said: “It’s abhorrent someone thinks it’s okay to rent this out and it’s abhorrent that our housing/living conditions aren’t regulated better in the UK to fit an acceptable minimum standard.”  

Another added: “Surely it isn’t legal to have a shower that close to mains plugs?”  

A third replied: “Absolutely outrageous. Hope they get told this isn’t okay.”  

Another wrote: “You can see light around the doorframe, so that’s not installed properly. Your shower and toilet are right in front of a window overlooking the small garden.  

“You’d have to be pretty desperate to live there.”  

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