This tiny room 'connected to a house' in Vancouver is renting for $475 a month

A Craigslist ad describing a room for rent in Vancouver encourages prospective tenants to "imagine living in the cabin of a sailboat."

The 64-square-foot room that is "connected to" a house in the Dunbar neighbourhood is renting for $475 a month.

The post doesn’t try to pretend the room is anything other than miniscule.

"The room comes with a loft bed and has a very ergonomic layout with lots of shelving and a large work table. But I repeat, this is a tiny space," it says.

Photos show a space dominated by a single bed, with exposed wooden ceiling beams and plywood walls. It appears to be lit by a single lamp mounted on a rough-hewn shelf. There is one window.

"(It) has its own sliding door entrance accessed from outside, one step from ground floor door entrance to the house," the ad continues, adding the adjacent house has "lots of common space to enjoy."

That includes a bright eat-in kitchen and a spacious living room with a piano and a wood-burning stove.This image form a Craigslist ad shows a room for rent in Vancouver for $475 a month.

The landlords say they are looking for someone who is "keenly aware of environmental sustainability" and doesn’t use "aerosol deodorant sprays or strong perfumes." International students are welcome and those who speak French or Spanish get "Extra bonus points." Those who enjoy cooking are welcome because "sharing food is an awesome way of bonding."

The room is smaller than the minimum allowed for a single-room occupancy hotel in the city, which is 100 square feet.

Housing advocates say people should not spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, making this an affordable option for somebody who earns around $1,500 a month.

Its price tag still puts it out of reach for people on income or disability assistance in B.C. who get $375 a month to pay for a place to live.

Vancouver remains the priciest rental market in Canada,. The average rent in the city was $2,925 in April, up 29.9 per cent from the same time last year when it was $2,331, according to recently released data from Rentals.ca.

For a one-bedroom, the average price was $2,280 – up 13.9 per cent from April of 2021. The cost of a two-bedroom was $3,122 – an annual increase of 16.6 per cent.

Responding to another CTV News story about a windowless downtown den that was on the market for $750 a month, experts said ads like this are not uncommon in Vancouver where supply is limited and average rents are sky-high.

Advocates for renters said the listing for the tiny room is yet another sign of a desperate need for affordable housing.

"We need to look at public investment in public and social housing, investment in incentivizing other non market housing types like housing co-ops, things that make sure we don't just get more units on the market but actual affordable units available," said Robert Patterson, a lawyer at the Tenants Resource and Advisory Centre.

CTV News has reached out to the person who posted the ad. This story will be updated if a response is received.