In Hong Kong’s bonkers-expensive real estate market, having a comfy bed in a convenient, nicely renovated little flat for only HKD5,000 a month sounds pretty good, right? Buuuut what if you were only allowed “home” between 11pm and 11am, couldn’t bring furniture, and had to deal with the odd greasy stranger or two?
Recently, a real estate listing advertising a bed in a “luxurious 250-square-foot flat” in Causeway Bay for a tidy HKD5k made headlines after Apple Daily revealed the “flat” to be a massage room inside a foot massage parlour, being hawked out by its… entrepreneurial staff.
The ad, posted on popular second-hand shopping app Carousell, described the offer as “the best deal in Hong Kong”, stating that amenities such as a fridge and TV would be provided, whilst utilities like water and electricity would cost HKD300 to HKD600. However, the terms were rather odd, with only “single ladies with stable incomes” considered eligible tenants, and access to the flat only available “between 11pm and 11am”. A small locker would be provided to the tenant, and no additional furniture would be allowed.
An Apple Daily reporter decided to view the “surprisingly good value” listing herself under the guise of a potential tenant, and discovered that the “flat” was just a foot spa, a.k.a. a fancy place for people to soak their tootsies and get oily backrubs. The apparent “landlord” who showed her around said that business hours were from 12pm to 11pm, and said he decided to list the “apartment” to “make a little extra cash”, seeing as the space just “stays empty overnight”.
To illustrate the “flexibility” of the listing, he said “You can even invite your friends for a sleepover if you like,” to the undercover reporter, which is totally not creepy at all.
When asked if the bed was actually clean (given that greasy strangers get rubbed down on it during working hours), the employee ensured her that his clients “always lay on top of a towel”. He also told the reporter that the security cameras around the shop did not work at all. Ah yes, because that’s what tenants want. The illusion of security.
After Apple Daily approached the man again for a proper interview, the ad was swiftly pulled from the app. Netizens lambasted the man for his cash-grabbing antics, and said anyone who’d actually take him up on his offer would “be insane”. A Facebook user shared the story with the hilariously snarky caption, “Hey, I’ve got space under my bed available for rent too!”
One commenter suggested the “landlord” would be better off renting the room out as a love hotel at night, which, given his terms, actually isn’t the worst idea.
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