Amir Ali
Mar 3, 2023
By Amir Ali
If you’re looking for a rental in Vancouver, how does $750 monthly for an air mattress in a living room sound?
Well, that’s precisely what’s on offer.
The rental listing is advertised as a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in East Vancouver.
Aside from the minimal space in the living room, the suite itself and amenities are pretty good. But is it worth $750 per month?
The Facebook Marketplace listing states that a “MALE roommate” is being sought for the rental, which is located in the Downtown Eastside area.
“You will have the living room by yourself, Air Mattress is easier and will provide one,” the listing reads.
$750 per month includes WiFi and “electric power.”
No pets are allowed in the suite; the same goes for smoking and vaping.
Aside from being in the heart of the Downtown Eastside near Hastings and Carrall streets, the location is convenient for transit and walkability.
The building includes a gym, which is “very secure.”
The listing adds, “Cleanliness comes first.”
We connected with Arash Ehteshami with Bright Law about whether this constitutes a bedroom.
“The long and short of it is that as long as a landlord rents a room to a person – any room – and the person needs to share washroom and kitchen facilities with the landlord/owner, then they are not covered by the Residential Tenancy Act at all and have no rights under it,” he said.
There are some examples of rentals in Vancouver on Facebook Marketplace that are priced at $750 per month but do offer an entire enclosed bedroom with a real bed.
While we’ve seen way more egregious rentals than this one, do you think charging $750 per month for an air mattress in a living room is going too far?