The Pope is a cash cow. For landlords, anyway. Ahead of Pope Francis’s visit to Philadelphia at the end of September, landlords and homeowners are turning every nook and cranny into a short-term rental.
On Craigslist, a search for the word “Pope” results in 1,800 rental listings geared toward out-of-towners heading to Philadelphia. And some of those listings seem just a little, well, greedy (that’s one of the seven deadly sins!).
For instance, an “elegant” four-bedroom townhouse is listed for $150,000, and another 875-square-foot apartment is listed for $20,000, according to Bloomberg News. This is in Philadelphia, mind you, not Tribeca.
Some listings are a bit non-traditional, like a 1993 Honda Accord parked near a transit hub that is renting for $30 a night – that’s for sleeping not driving. And for $75 a night, visitors can rent a bunk on the Battleship New Jersey, a decommissioned naval vessel that operates as a museum, according to Bloomberg. Hey, that’s actually really cool! [Bloomberg] – Christopher Cameron