A seemingly normal house for sale in Calgary has amassed a ton of attention, and not necessarily in a good way.
The one-storey house located at 167 Whitaker Close NE is listed as having a whopping 13 bedrooms spread over just 1,108 square feet of living space. Yes, you read that right.
eXp Realty
The house, listed at $500,000, has six bedrooms on its main floor and seven more tucked away in the basement. Photos of the interior are noticeably missing from the listing.
Many of the rooms have minimal living space, with the smallest room measuring only 57 square feet.
Basement floor plan at 167 Whitaker Close NE (eXp Realty)
Once Calgarians heard about the listing, the backlash was rife. Hundreds of people took to Reddit to share their disgust at the property, with many calling out its exploitative nature.
“Disgusting, predatory, gross, dangerous, and inhumane are all words to accurately describe it,” one person described the property.
Many people expressed shock at how small the rooms were.
“What are these bedrooms for ants?” one user asked.
Another person shared their disbelief at the size of the smallest room and soon received responses that likened the room to a prison cell.
“WTF, one bedroom is only 7’5 x 8’5,” a commenter wrote.
“Jail cell is 8 x 10,” someone responded.
“An 8.5 x 7.5 ft bedroom… So they converted a closet?” another user echoed.
Others called out the legality of the property, questioning how the 13 bedrooms could meet the building safety codes.
“Hmmm, makes you wonder… is this house legally zoned for this occupancy? Does it meet the fire code? Just curious,” one person queried.
“I’m pretty sure (I could be wrong) that to classify something as a bedroom in BC, it has to have an exterior window large enough for an adult to egress the building in an emergency,” another user added.
The remaining comments focused on the landlord and the current housing crunch Calgary has faced over the past couple of years.
“Hopefully reported to CRA. I’m sure a lot of income going unreported by the seller,” one user said.
“Seize the property and fine the owners for running slave quarters,” another person wrote.