Rental of the week: 47 Blake Street

A few years ago, I was working in a newsroom and I covered a story about a guy in Vancouver who lived in a storage unit. He’d rigged the entire place up so he could live in a 300-square-foot locker because rent in Vancouver was so outrageous. 

It was actually kind of ingenious, and didn’t seem like the worst, apart from the whole "having to steal power and sneak into your own house because security will kick you out if they catch you" part. 

But, he was an oddity and only did it for a couple months until he found a real apartment. 

This place reminds me very much of that dude in Vancouver, except it’s not a temporary living solution while you sort your life out. 

This place looks like a U-Haul storage unit with a kitchen, but is listed (now deleted) as a “cool authentic Leslieville loft.” 

Why are people so obsessed with loft spaces?  And actually, 47 Blake Street used to be a strip mall of sorts, not a loft. 

This unit is at the back, so it's very obvious this was the stockroom for Payless Shoes or something like that. 

The apartment is so dark that the current owner has put an extra lamp in the bathroom. It's probably so they don’t have to always go pee in the dark.  

With that in mind, I want you to just imagine putting on your makeup or shaving with a flashlight, because that’s why you’ll probably have to do. 

You’d have to be slightly desperate to pay $1,750 a month (plus utilities) to need to use the flashlight function on your phone just to navigate your own apartment. 

Also adding to the not-so-great features of this overpriced rental is the fact that it’s in a not-so-pretty industrial area, as well as opposite public housing and next door to youth outreach service. These aren't inherent problems, but they can be turn-offs for some people.

 Specs

• Address: 47 Blake Street
• Type: Storage locker
• Rent: $1,750/ month
• Furnished? No
• Utilities: No ($75 - 150/ month) 
• Air conditioning? Not sure
• Bedrooms: 1
• Bathrooms: 1
• Parking: Yes
• Laundry? In the building
• Outdoor space? The parking lot?
• Pet friendly? Yes

Good For

Finding out what it would be like to be stuck in the worst mall ever overnight. 

Move On If

You’re willing to risk it and live in an actual storage locker. They’re only like $300 a month, so you’re saving a significant amount. (This is illegal. Don’t actually do this.)

by Misha Gajewski via blogTO