Balcony with single mattress listed for nearly $1K a month as housing prices soar

A Sydney landlord has advertised an enclosed balcony for rent at $969 a month, as the dire state of Australia’s housing market is laid bare.

The Facebook Marketplace listing describes the balcony in Haymarket in Sydney’s inner suburbs as a “sunny room” that is fit to accommodate one person.

Images show the room decked out with a single bed, a mirror, blinds and a rug over what is likely tiled flooring.

Glass sliding doors connecting the balcony to the rest of the property are shown in the advert and the reflection in a full-length mirror shows an adjacent wall is also glass.

The landlord said the room was ready for a perspective tenant to “move in now”, with the weekly rent “including bills”.

The balcony is attached to a two-bedroom apartment, which is available for rent separately at $1300 a week, excluding bills.

The listing comes as new data from Domain reveals that Sydney’s median price for rental houses stayed at a record $750 in June 2024, a 7.1 per cent jump from the same time last year.