Despite rent prices in Toronto somewhat easing up over the past few weeks, increasingly sketchy — and at times, alarming — rental listings continue to infiltrate websites like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, as some landlords look to take advantage of tenants strapped for cash. 

At this point, Toronto tenants have seen it all, from horror movie-esque basement apartments, to beds stuffed at the top of staircases, sky-high rent prices for shared bunk beds, and even makeshift "rooms" divided by flimsy tarps.

The latest "horror rental" involves a listing in Scarborough, which advertises a bed located in the middle of a kitchen for $500 a month. "We are looking for a girl in a sharing room," the listing reads, highlighting the space's close proximity to Kennedy subway station and major grocery stores. 

The listing was quickly shared on Reddit, and as expected, ignited lots of concerned reactions about the safety of the "bedroom," as well as debates revolving around the appropriate consequences landlords should face for advertising similar spaces.

Bed in the kitchen for $500/month
byu/imsotwistedomg inSlumlordsCanada

"I think this might actually be one of the worst ones I've seen," one person wrote. "The government needs to crack down on these unethical/illegal living arrangements, charge these people, something needs to happen here," another comment reads. 

Unfortunately, it looks like these "kitchen bedrooms" are becoming a trend, as a similar Brampton listing recently went viral for advertising a single bed located smack dab in the middle of a kitchen for $350 a month. 

Someone in Brampton is renting out a single bed in the middle of a kitchen https://t.co/0PA2caZ2h4

— blogTO (@blogTO) January 25, 2024

The head-scratching list shows the bed wedged in between the support pole of the basement and the wall, with people joking that the tenant could quite literally "wake up and smell the coffee." 

Someone in Toronto is renting out a bed on the floor of a kitchen for $950 a month https://t.co/A0O4uS6QmZ #Toronto #RealEstate

— blogTO (@blogTO) August 4, 2023

Back in August, another viral Toronto listing advertised a bed on the floor in the corner of a kitchen for a staggering $950 per month, despite the landlord demanding a long list of documents, including a credit report, employment letter, as well as first and last month's rent.