Forget co-living, ‘hot-bedding’ sees students in Australia share beds with strangers to save on rent
- ‘Hot-bedding’ involves sharing a mattress with a stranger – usually sleeping in shifts – in order to split the rent on a room
- It’s increasingly being used by migrants and international students in Australia, and elsewhere, to combat the high cost of living and housing crisis
As housing prices soar, more adults are opting for roommates. But would you be willing to share a bed to cut down on rent?
The woman, who went by the pseudonym “Priyanka”, told the publication that she sleeps in the bed at night while the truck driver sleeps in that same bed during the day. On days when the truck driver isn’t working, she told SBS News she’s not able to use the bed, and instead camps out in a “storeroom” in the house that can squeeze in a mattress.
Hot-bedding isn’t exactly new, but Priyanka’s story is the latest example of a creative solution for those feeling the financial crunch of inflation and rising rent costs.
Prices are rising in many parts of the world, including Australia, where Priyanka lives. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 7.3 per cent increase in the living cost index between 2022 and 2023.
