I Would Live in This Shed

A real estate listing for an $1,100/month “studio” in San Diego went viral this week after Reddit users pointed out that the so-called “studio” is very clearly just a tiny shed. Perhaps I have spent too many of my adult years shelling out half my income for an even smaller room in Brooklyn, in an apartment I share with several other people and some intermittent cockroach families, but I think it’s pretty nice?

Business Insider reports:

“Someone is really charging people $1,100 to live in a shed! And they want you to have a 650+ credit score too,” Reddit user terrificheretic posted, referencing the listing’s stated rental requirements (income of 2.5 times the monthly rent, a FICO score at or above 650, no legal evictions on record, and “good rental references”).

“I’m all about charging market value but this seems a tad… over-valued, to say at the least,” one commenter wrote.

I mean…yes. But also, look at that kitchen! Is that granite?

Critics say the listing shows everything that’s wrong with San Diego’s real estate scene, one that’s gotten more and more expensive over the years. Per Business Insider:

“I was making $8.50 an hour and my first apartment was $190 a month. It was cool 40 years ago. I can’t believe how difficult it is for people now. We have f——- up the middle class,” another commented.

All true! But the shed gets so much natural sunlight! I have one window in my room, and it overlooks the garbage alley!

The realtor claims this is NOT a shed, but a longtime housing unit that’s existed since the end World War II during an area housing shortage (so, not pre-war, unfortunately). But it certainly looks like a shed, and only a 200-square-foot one, at that. Indeed, as Business Insider reports, housing prices are skyrocketing in popular cities around the country, including in Manhattan, where the median rent for a studio is $2,700, and in Brooklyn, where the median rent is $3000 and my personal rent in a shared apartment is higher than I’d pay for this shed. This is a serious problem—high rents are pushing out low-income renters and contributing to a troubling spike in homelessness.

Meanwhile, developers are getting big tax breaks on luxury housing projects, neighborhood rents go up when renters list their own housing on Airbnb, and landlords make money off of renting closets, basements, and other illegal spaces to tenants looking to save a buck.

All of this is very bad! And yet, this “not” shed has a bathroom that does NOT include a roommate’s boyfriend’s toothbrush. The rent’s knocked down to $1,050/month. To whom do I submit my application?