Toronto listing expects three guys to pack into dark basement for $1650 per month
Toronto's rental market is not for the faint of heart. The average one-bedroom apartment in the city will run you around $2,400 monthly, but if you're willing to forfeit most of your privacy and natural sunlight, an otherwise upsetting listing for a basement apartment co-habitation situation just might be the housing solution you've been searching for.
The recent Kijiji listing describes the property as the "old basement of a bungalow house" on Westmount Avenue in the Dufferin and St. Clair area. It is a steal compared to the city-wide average, renting at just $1,650 per month, but the spartan unit comes with some very unique conditions.
The owner states that since males live on the upper floor of the home, they "prefer to rent the basement to the males," specifying that there are three beds in the space, and can be rented to up to three "guys."
It also states that tenants will not be given a rental agreement, which seems like a sketchy thing to include in a listing, but moving on.
The interiors seem more akin to a backyard treehouse than a furnished unit, with raw wood and fibreboard lining walls and exposed framing. The floors appear to be raw, unfinished concrete in areas of the unit, though bedrooms and a kitchen offer wood and tile flooring.
If living with strangers seems a bit sketchy, renters can always take advantage of the hostel-style lockers placed conspicuously between two of the three beds.
If you can overlook the unit's many, many shortcomings, the low price — which would come out to just $550 per person per month — is not the only perk in this otherwise scary listing.
Tenants would get access to high-speed Bell Fibe internet (1.5 Gbps), hydro, electricity and other utilities included in the price. The home also includes a laundry room with a washing machine.
So while many may be turning their noses up at the photos, the unit could be viewed as an affordable entry into the rental market that may even end up being the perfect home for a tight-knit group of friends.
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