Aussie renters disgusted by Melbourne rental ad offering to ‘share a bed’ for $240 a week

A Melbourne rental listing has been slammed as “creepy” for advertising a shared bed in a “luxury hotel” for $240 a week.

The listing, shared on a free classifieds site, stated a 30-year-old man was looking for a housemate to split the costs of a $480 one-bedroom luxury hotel apartment in the city’s CBD.

The catch? They needed to be a woman and would ideally share the bed for a minimum two-month stay.

“I am proposing a woman of similar age seriously considering sharing rental expenses and a bed,” the advertiser wrote.

“We might have the option for two single beds.

“This is a great opportunity to secure a nice apartment for (a) relatively affordable price.”

The advertisement triggered alarm bells for renters on social media, who called out the “creepy” listing.

“What you’re looking for is a girlfriend. I hope that helps,” one person said.

“Would rather sleep on the streets,” another said.

Sharing rooms is common practice at rooming houses, where residents usually rent a room and share facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms.

At these properties, residents can share a room with people of their choosing or with people the rooming house operator chooses.

Social media and house share websites are also flooded with listings offering a spare bed for rent in a sharehouse to help reduce expenses.

Whether this is allowed depends on if it breaches the property’s lease agreement.

However, holiday accommodation such as hotels, motels and short-stay accommodation do not count as rental accommodation, according to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Instead, they are a service offered under a contract and come under Australian Consumer Law, meaning the rules for sharing the accommodation come down to the terms signed with the hotel.