Social media users have been left stunned after a landlord posted a listing on Spareroom which advertised for a live-in host – offering them no bedroom and asking them to pay £750 per month
A landlord has received backlash after opening up their search for a live-in host and demanding that they pay £750 per month – despite having to share the home with tourists.
The listing, which shows a flat available in Crouch End, north London, comes with a catch as tenants are expected to take on the role as a live-in host. Unfortunately, tenants will only be offered a sofa in the front room instead of the bed. According to the listing, the pull-out sofa is situated next to the open plan kitchen, which means guests who are booking holidays will be able to walk in and out of the bedroom as they please.
The full listing, which was originally posted on Spareroom, said: “Furnished studio with pull out sofa bed with shared bathroom. Looking for a live-in Airbnb host to manage 2 other rooms, which are generally rented for week to 2 week stays. Some guests occasionally use the kitchen which is open plan but hours can be restricted for privacy.
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“Guests self check in, would just require preparing rooms 6-8 times per month.” The room is available for two months, with a possibility to extend and includes bills. The landlord has also added that they could provide additional storage space for a few suitcases in the attic and a clothes rail if required.
Furious Londoners have hit out at the listing after it went viral on Twitter. “This landlord on Spareroom wants you to pay £750 a month to have the privilege of looking after his Airbnb and checking guests in,” the caption reads. “You don’t get your own room, you get the living room and the guests can come in and use the kitchen.”
Spareroom said it has since removed the listing – but not before hundreds of people shared their thoughts. One person wrote: “So they want this person to pay for doing a job. Modern slavery, and desperate people will fall for things like this,” another person commented. Someone else added: “For me the worst thing would be having to share your home with a constant stream of total strangers and NOT have your own lockable, room. Anything could go wrong and probably will.”
Matt Hutchinson, director at SpareRoom, said: “We removed this ad from our site for two reasons. Firstly because the room, located in the open-plan living room and kitchen area, was deemed by our moderators to be unsuitable. Although described as a studio, the kitchen was to be used by other guests, which meant that it didn’t offer enough privacy for the tenant.
“Also, while we do allow some ads which offer work in exchange for cheaper rents, we review these on a case-by-case basis to make sure the requirements are reasonable. In this case, this ad reads more like a job that comes with accommodation, rather than a room that comes with a few hours of work. SpareRoom is a platform that helps people find somewhere to live, not a work platform for live-in employees.”
It remains unclear whether the listing was posted on AirBnb.
