Footage of an “insane” line to view a Sydney rental property has gone viral, highlighting the reality of the ultra-competitive rental market.
The video was shared to TikTok by Irish expat Ciara O’Loughlin, who has been struggling to find a permanent home since she moved from her hometown of Dublin to Sydney at the beginning of January.
Ciara had viewed many apartments in her search before heading to a humble unit in Randwick, which had scores of people lining up around the street to get a peek inside.
She decided to film the “insane” queue and post it online, where it racked up over 120,000 views in just a few hours.
Ciara explained that the mammoth line was not unusual, with each of the 12 properties she viewed in the same week having similar amounts of prospective tenants eager to view the apartments.
“I’d say the longest queue was easily between 100 and 150 people,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
“But I actually wasn’t waiting too long at all, I’d say the longest wait was 20 minutes as people were literally in and out in two minutes.”
“What I’ve heard is people are offering over the asking rent to secure a place so it’s very competitive.”
People were shocked by the footage, with many stating the rental market was similar “everywhere”, not just the trendier inner city suburbs.
“Had the same experience in Western Sydney,” one person said.
“Not quite as many people, but way more than you’d expect.”
“What a soul destroying process” wrote another.
“This is why they can charge whatever they want.”
“Been to loads in the inner west this week,” one added. “It feels like you’re lining up for a concert.”
Image credits: TikTok
This article first appeared on Over60.