A Balga homeowner is trying his luck on Facebook Marketplace to find someone willing to rent his run-down shed for $600 per week despite admitting he wouldn’t dare live in it himself.
Homeowner Dinesh Kumar listed his Balga shed for either “business purposes” or for people hunting for accommodation amid the housing crisis.
Mr Kumar says he had not sought approval from his local council, and instead was trying to gauge expressions of interest over Facebook beforehand.
The sheet metal shed is currently used for storage at the rear of a property — which Domain.com.au describes as a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home.
Mr Kumar later confirmed there was currently no working power in the shed.
Nor is there a toilet or bathroom inside the metal, brick and concrete structure.
The advertisement boasts that the garage is more than seven metres wide and 10 metres long. The metal exterior of the building has a gaping hole in its side.
Mr Kumar — who spoke to The West while holidaying in India — said he had listed the garage on the online marketplace to help “pay his mortgage”.
He later said he owned multiple properties and that renting out rooms was his main source of income as he was “out of work”.
Mr Kumar said he understood that it would be “very hard” to live in a garage without a toilet and bathroom but that he could install the amenities “no problem”.
“If someone comes forward I will need to seek approval from the council,” he added.
He said while the main purpose of the structure was for “business” or “storage”, he would still rent it out to someone on the condition they were happy doing so.
Mr Kumar said he had received multiple expressions of interest online but that people had asked “too many questions”.
He said he would fix broken light fittings and clean up the garage if someone was willing to rent it out for $600 per week.
No pictures of the run-down exterior or inside of the structure are currently featured in the online ad..
“If someone needs for rent please contact me for further options,” the ad says.
“Toilet and shower can be bought for (this) garage if rent it out for long term.
“I can provide self or any other furniture if required. (It is) located (at the) back of the property and it has five-metre wide driveway.”
Mr Kumar contacted The West on Thursday saying the shed was now “not for living” but had not taken down, or changed the wording of the advertisement by the time of print.
Any outbuilding that undergoes development into a habitable dwelling such as a granny flat must be approved by a local council — in the case of Mr Kumar’s shed, that would be the City of Stirling.
A City of Stirling spokesperson said they had not received an application from the homeowner to lease out the shed.
“Any application lodged seeking development approval to rent the space within the shed for commercial purposes would be assessed in accordance with the objectives of the Residential zone of the City’s Local Planning Scheme No. 3.”
The shock listing is the latest sign of Perth’s housing crisis and comes after The West revealed a Mosman Park woman had listed a single bed for $130 per night on her verandah on Airbnb.
Earlier in March, The West Australian reported that a Perth real estate agent was leasing rooms in vacant homes for up to $450 per week.