No privacy: Someone in Edmonton is renting half a room for $550 monthly

It’s no secret that Edmonton’s rental market is tightening, and if you’ve been searching for housing on sites like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace lately, you’ve likely encountered a few questionable listings.

With Canada’s housing crisis raging, ads describing sketchy housing options, such as a tent in someone’s living room or sharing half a bed with a stranger, have become commonplace.

However, while these ads are more commonly associated with high-cost-of-living cities such as Vancouver or Toronto, things may be coming home to roost.

An ad posted to Facebook Marketplace is drawing the ire of Edmontonians on Reddit.

The listing advertises a primary bedroom in a three-bedroom home for $550 per month, to be shared by two people.

Facebook Marketplace

That’s $550 per person, including all utilities except for WiFi.

The listing highlights the location’s proximity to schools, access to transit, and shopping options like Londonderry Mall and Manning Town Centre. Other highlighted features include a backyard, AC, a “beautiful kitchen,” and an Ecobee thermostat.

The catch is, of course, that you’d have to potentially share a bedroom with a total stranger.

“Shared Master room is available for rent with a private bath and huge closet in sharing,” the listing reads.

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“It is not a private room.”

The ad was posted to Reddit, where dozens of Edmontonians chimed in.

Ew Edmonton, shared master bedroom
byu/mushroompoops inEdmonton

One user wrote, “I love how they included the thermostat like it’s some sort of flex.”

“This bullsh*t has finally arrived in Edmonton,” said another user, referring to the many other cases of this that have been seen around Canada, such as Vancouver and Toronto *EXAMPLES*

“The market madness and capitalization of the less fortunate is unreal.”

According to Zumper, the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in Edmonton is $1,320, a 28.2% increase compared to this time last year. The city is seeing the fastest-growing rental prices in the country.