A woman shared a technique she employed to secure temporary accommodation after finding herself homeless.
Emily Webb, 25, ended up residing in her car on Australia’s Gold Coast during the summer months.
The TikToker, with a following of 65,000, explained how she had been relying on friends for a place to stay, but eventually discovered an alternative method to avoid being a ‘burden’.
Australia is currently experiencing a housing crisis, making it challenging for many to secure housing.
Emily mentioned her difficulties in finding a place to rent, despite offering up to a year’s rent upfront.
She earns a substantial income from her OnlyFans account, in addition to having approximately 170,000 followers on Instagram.
Despite having a rental budget of about AU $1,000 (roughly US $660) per week, finding a place remained a challenge.
Nevertheless, Emily wasn’t overly concerned as she developed a strategy to secure temporary stays while she searched for a permanent residence.
This approach involved using the dating app Hinge to meet individuals whose homes she could stay at temporarily, before moving on.
In a TikTok video from June, she stated: “I can’t believe I’ve been wasting my money on rent all this time. Life hack: If you’re hot, don’t ever pay rent.”
@emwebbily I swear my lips arent purple this lighting is weird #emwebbily #rentalcrisis #prettyprivilege
Speaking to news.com.au, she said: “I’ve been on dating apps finding different guys’ places to stay with, and it is going surprisingly well. I don’t usually tell them. I don’t want to put pressure on anyone.”
The adult content creator noted she saved significantly by avoiding her AU $1,000 weekly rent, adding: “It is good not paying rent. The places I’m looking at are around $1,000 a week, and I’m saving so much.”
The 25-year-old admitted she is comfortable exploiting her ‘pretty privilege’ in her difficult circumstances.
However, TikTok users quickly criticized her in the comments. One user commented: “You are sending all the wrong messages to viewers stop sponging off people!” while another warned: “This is a very dangerous game you’re playing…”
A third commenter speculated: “I’ve seen a few of these videos and I’ve come to the conclusion this is satire lol.”
Five months later, many might wonder about Emily’s current situation. It seems she is doing quite well…
In September, she recounted a story about how her ‘two boyfriends’ discovered each other’s existence while she was in Bali.
In her more recent TikToks, she appears to be consistently posting from the same apartment, suggesting she eventually found a place to live.
Did her quest for housing also lead to romance? Aside from her ‘two boyfriend’ narrative, the details remain unclear.
Although Emily navigated her ‘homeless era’ successfully, it’s advisable to approach her advice with caution.