A Vancouver den renting for $750 is so small anyone over 5'9" tall won't be able to fit in it
A windowless den in a downtown Vancouver studio is about half the size legally allowed for a prison cell in Canada – and it's being rented for $750 a month.
Those currently navigating the city's rental market – notorious for high prices and low vacancy rates – are doing so at a time when record-breaking inflation is driving up the cost of everything from food to furniture. Wages aren’t keeping pace and tenants are bracing for their next annual rental increase which could be tied to the soaring Consumer Price Index.
Shared accommodation is one option people trying to find housing they can afford often pursue. But trying to find something for less than $1,000 a month brings up listings like one for a den that is "70 (by) 62 inches and without windows." A standard single mattress is 75 inches long, but a bed has been crammed into the space, resting rather awkwardly on the floor.
"You can use other parts of the studio as well. The price per month is $750 (everything included). Damage deposit is $350," the Craigslist ad reads.
"The building is right in the downtown and just three minutes' walk to the Stadium Skytrain Station. You'll share the apartment only with me (no other roommates)."
The dimensions of the den make it roughly 30 square feet. According to the Correctional Service of Canada, the minimum size allowed for a prison cell is roughly 70 square feet – which is also close to the minimum standard required for a bedroom in B.C.
While the dimensions of the whole apartment aren't provided, the listing does say it has an in-suite washer and dryer.
According to B.C. Housing, rent is considered affordable when it accounts for 30 per cent or less of a household's gross income. At $750 a month, this listing would be an affordable option for someone making about $2,250 a month. That works out to what someone working 35 hours a week making minimum wage earns before taxes.
It is twice the amount that people who receive income or disability assistance are given to pay for shelter each month.
Rentals like these, according to Robert Patterson with the Tenant Resource and Advisory Council, are often created by desperate tenants who are “trying to create a living situation they can afford.”
In a city where the average price of a studio sits at around $2,000, squeezing some basic furnishings into a space that was not designed to be a bedroom is relatively common.
"Many tenants have to resort to splitting rental units with many roommates to be able to make unaffordable rents. As affordable units continue to be lost through redevelopment and eviction, the units that are coming onto the market are almost exclusively 'luxury' priced rentals that working tenants cannot afford," Patterson told CTV News last month.
CTV News reached out to the person who put the ad on Craigslist but did not receive a reply.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.