London property crisis: £530 a month to live on a bed in a shed in a living room.
Bizarre listing of a mattress in a shed in a living room in Bethnal Green highlights extent of London property crisis.
A London house hunter was left stunned when he turned up to a viewing to discover the bed of the room he wanted was inside a shed in the corner of a communal living room.
Joe Peduzzi visited the flat in Bethnal Green in the hope of finding somewhere to settle after landing a new job.
But the 22-year-old said he "laughed the whole way back to the tube" after being shown the bed - a mattress thrown inside an indoor garden shed, complete with blacked out windows.
Joe, from the Isle of Wight, said: "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was no chance I was paying £530 a month for that.
"When I first walked in I sort of noticed the shed in the background but didn't really take it in.
"Then I scanned around the room and couldn't see a bed so I asked where it was and the guy just pointed to the corner.
"I stuck my head in for a look but there was basically no room for movement. The mattress was right against the walls of this shed and the windows were blacked out.
"I had quite a hard time getting my head round in to be honest. I didn't ask what the story behind it was but he seemed to think it was pretty normal.
"I'm not sure when it was built but there was no privacy in the room. The shed is in the corner of a communal room so other people would be walking through all the time.
"I was laughing to myself down the road back to the tube. I can't believe people have the cheek to advertise that as a bedroom."
The room, in Somerford Street, was advertised at £480 a month for rent, with £50 thrown in to split bills with the other three housemates.
The advert read: "The room is the biggest in the house and comes with a sofa which means sharing it with the rest of us sometimes.
"We are on the search for a laid back happy-go-lucky type that's sociable, open minded and creative."
Joe, however, said he would not be taking a punt on the unusual living arrangements moving forward.
Joe said: "I've got a new job at a charity and I'm after somewhere I want to stay in for a little while so I'm not sure this is for me right now."
Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom.co.uk, said: "We're no strangers to quirky ads but this one puts a whole new spin on the phrase 'beds in sheds'.
"There's no clear reason given for putting a bed inside a shed, inside a bedroom, but it could be because the other housemates use the room as communal space.
"It's a sign of the times that fewer house shares now have living rooms."
- The Telegraph
