This Vancouver den for rent is so small the door won't close. It's also completely legal.
It's not unusual for prospective renters searching out affordable options in Vancouver to come across listings where someone in search of a roommate has crammed a single bed into a windowless, downtown den. But are these arrangements legal?
In the latest example, a tiny space is advertised on Craigslist for $650 a month.
"(A) very private space with door for privacy and curtain," the listing reads, noting that it is located in a two-bedroom unit in a Yaletown high-rise that would be shared with two other people.
However, while there may be both a door and a curtain, only one of them can be closed because the mattress that dominates the space – despite its small size – leaves no room to close the door.
There is no closet or dresser but there is a narrow, free-standing shelf, along with several others mounted on the walls.
"Good for student/international student or someone with small luggage who needs a place to sleep," the ad continues.
No photos of the building are provided but the ad describes it as on an upper floor of an "upscale" tower with an onsite pool, sauna, steam room, gym and activity room. The ad also says the current tenants are looking for someone who is quiet, clean, respectful, with no pets, who does not drink or smoke and will not bring home any visitors.
IS THIS LEGAL?
While renting out diminutive digs like these might seem like it would violate regulations, one expert says these arrangements are actually legal.
Robert Patterson, a lawyer with the Tenant Resource Advisory Council, says situations where someone is seeking a roommate are not restricted by provincial legislation.
"Who uses what room for sleeping, or what have you -- however that's arranged -- doesn't run afoul of the Residential Tenancy Act. Unless there are so many people in the unit that it becomes an unreasonable number, and then the landlord has the right to end the tenancy for that," he explains.
As far as municipal by-laws that lay out things like building and fire codes, Patterson says those apply to developers or homeowners trying to get approval for the construction of new suites and he is unaware of any restrictions on how the space can be used once built and rented out.
"Generally speaking, if I'm someone living in a rental unit and I bring in roommates, I'm permitted to do that," he says.
While Patterson says there are examples of landlords "aggressively subdividing units into aggressively tiny, tiny spaces" as a way of "profiteering" off of the housing affordability crisis, he says listings like these illustrate an entirely different problem.
Both the people advertising these spaces and the people who may be considering renting them, Patterson says, are navigating a rental market where the average studio rents for $2,000 a month and the vacancy rate remains stubbornly low.
"There's simply nothing available at an affordable rate in their community, that's why people will turn to something like this," he says.
"People who are splitting rental units in all these ways, it's often because they can't afford the rents they have to pay. People, because they can't find anything affordable, they'll take something that's unaffordable and hope and try the best they can to get other people to split the cost with them."
While sharing accommodations is an option many people seek out in order to share the burden of sky-high rents, Patterson points out that it also comes with a built-in level of risk.
"Anytime you enter into a roommate relationship with someone, you open yourself up to potential liability to each other for things that might go wrong," he says.
"It just goes to show that people are so desperate for housing, so desperate and unable to pay their own rent that people on both sides of this equation are willing to take that risk."
CTV News Vancouver has reached out to the poster of the ad to get more information about this rental but did not receive a reply.
DESPERATION LIKELY DRIVING THESE LISTINGS: EXPERT
While the central location and amenities promised in the Craigslist ad may entice some renters to compromise on space and privacy, Patterson says this rental illustrates one of the biggest drivers of the housing crisis.
"If someone's seriously considering that small of a room for $650 they are not going to be able to afford the luxury supply units, which are the only things coming onto the market, the only things which are being built in any reasonable numbers," he says.
A substantial investment in co-op affordable and non-market options is, according to Patterson, the only strategy that will successfully drive down prices in Canada's most expensive market.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
RateMDs violates privacy of health professionals, class-action lawsuit claims
A lawsuit against RateMDs has been given the go-ahead by a B.C. Supreme Court judge who found the claim that the website violates the privacy rights of medical professionals is not 'bound to fail.'
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.