A young Texas woman who moved into a shed that she purchased for just $2,000 in order to save money amid the housing crisis has opened up about her desperate struggle to cope with the summer heat while living in the property – which has no AC or shower.
Elizabeth Rishforth, from Houston, purchased a shed for $2,000 to live in, in an attempt to avoid the surge in rent prices throughout the country, which were largely brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as the soaring cost of living.
However, in a video shared to her TikTok, which gained over one million views, Elizabeth revealed that she was ‘ripped off by the builders’ because she was under the impression it was a fully livable shed and is ‘dying’ in the Houston heat while thinking about how ‘nice’ a shower would be.
Elizabeth Rishforth, from Houston, Texas, said she purchased a shed for $2,000 under the impression it was livable, but found it had no AC or shower
Facing the effects of the housing crisis, Elizabeth had no choice but to purchase the shed but said she was ‘ripped off’ when the builder found out she had a boyfriend
The videos Elizabeth posted show her in the shed which has no lights, AC or shower, however, luckily for Elizabeth, her dad saved the day by driving to her and installing an AC unit and lights
The video then shows Elizabeth sitting in the shed, which has no lights, while a plug-in fan provides with slight relief from the Texas heat.
In the second video Elizabeth shared, she revealed that she was ‘ripped off’ because the builder was reportedly trying to hit on her until he found out she had a boyfriend.
She shared the video with the caption: ‘POV the guy that built the shed was trying to use you to cheat on his wife and got all hurt that my boyfriend was the one who was texting him acting like me.’
Although the TikToker seems to be out of luck, she offers a glimmer of hope in her third video when shares that her dad came to the shed to help her install lights and an AC unit.
Elizabeth posted the third clip with the caption: ‘POV: everyone thought you weren’t going to get any help but your father drove all the way down to Texas from South Carolina to come fix your shed!!!’
In a final video updating her over 5,000 followers on her living situation, Elizabeth shared that her shed now has an air conditioning unit and lights thanks to her dad.
Although Elizabeth has relief from the scorching Texas sun, many others have faced similar experiences, or have been left without a home to sleep in due to the housing crisis.
Many TikTok user empathized with the way Elizabeth was forced to live due to the housing crisis and even offered her a ‘place to stay’
Brought on in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, the housing crisis has caused rent prices to surge and left many around the country wondering where they’ll lay their head at night.
Rent and housing prices have experienced an unprecedented surge in major cities that are facing the economic consequences of the pandemic.
Houston faced a 7.2 per cent increase in rent prices in the past year and homes across the country are revealed to be the least affordable they’ve been since 2006.
According to the Coalition For The Homeless, in 2022, people can expect to see over 3,000 people experiencing homelessness in the Houston region at any given time.
Although Elizabeth was a hostage to the Texas heat, she luckily didn’t experience the grim reality many in Texas without AC face.
According to the CDC, heat related deaths are up 56 per cent from 2018, and the country experienced over 1,500 deaths where heat was a contributing factor.
In Elizabeth’s video, many empathized with the TikToker while she experienced the effects of the housing crisis and the rise in temperature.
One user said: ‘Do you need a place to stay? The heat is brutal. I live in Texas! My living room is open.’
‘Not everyone is able to do the things mentioned in these comments. We are literally in the middle of a housing crisis. There’s a lot that could be done with that shed. I’ve seen so many finished that are great. Don’t be so negative,’ another user commented.
A third user added: ‘Love the people not understanding that you can’t always just rent a place! It’s hard right now to find places that don’t require perfect credit.’