A studio apartment up for rent that is being billed as affordable for students is causing a stir online due to a design quirk and its compact size.
The apartment, one of 12 in a small Newcastle building in the NSW Hunter region, is available for $235 a week and comes with a single bed, microwave, bar fridge, mounted wall fan, kitchenette and very little room to move.
It’s not just the unit’s small size that has got tongues wagging but also the placement of the microwave in the cramped room that can be found on a shelf directly above the bed.
“Imagine your bedding soaking up all the smells of your cooking,” one commenter posted.
Another said: “Imagine pulling a meal out of the microwave and spilling it on your bed.”
The cramped layout really seemed to grab people though, with the kitchenette within touching distance of where the tenant would sleep.
“$235 a week and you get to sleep in your very own kitchenette!”, was one comment, while another wrote, “I guess at least you don’t have too far to go if you’re peckish during the night”, which some may see as a positive.
The apartment does highlight a rental crisis occurring in much of Australia, with the price of Sydney apartment rentals increasing 23.7 per cent increase in the past 12 months.
Vacancy rates have also dropped to an all-time low of 1.02 per cent in recent months, with the average rental price $720 a week, $120 more than the Australia-wide average.
With the way things are, the tiny apartment, which is within walking distance of Newcastle University, will likely get snapped up quickly, quirky microwave placement and all.