Househunters are often filled with fear and trepidation about what they might find when viewing rooms advertised online.

But there was no way 22-year-old Joe Peduzzi could have been prepared for his experience - when a 'room to let' turned out to be a £530-a-month mattress in a wooden shack.

To make matters worse, the shed was in the corner of a communal lounge.

Horrified: Joe Peduzzi, 22, turned up for a viewing at flat in Bethnal Green, east London, only to find the 'room to let' was in fact a £530-a-month mattress in a wooden shack (circled in the picture)

Unusual advert: The kitchen of the property, to be shared with three other housemates, is pictured left. Mr Peduzzi (right), from the Isle of Wight, was hoping to find somewhere to settle after landing a new job

'I was laughing to myself down the road back to the Tube,' he said, after viewing the flat in Bethnal Green, east London.

Mr Peduzzi, from the Isle of Wight, was hoping to find somewhere to settle after landing a new job.

He said: 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was no chance I was paying £530 a month for that.

'When I first walked in I sort of noticed the shed in the background but didn't really take it in.

'Then I scanned around the room and couldn't see a bed so I asked where it was and the guy just pointed to the corner.

'I stuck my head in for a look but there was basically no room for movement. The mattress was right against the walls of this shed and the windows were blacked out.'

Mr Peduzzi added: 'I had quite a hard time getting my head around it to be honest. I didn't ask what the story behind it was but he seemed to think it was pretty normal.

Somewhat misleading: The advert on SpareRoom.co.uk described the Bethnal Green room as a 'large double'

Odd living arrangements: To make matters worse, the shed was in the corner of a communal lounge (pictured)

'I'm not sure when it was built but there was no privacy in the room. The shed is in the corner of a communal room so other people would be walking through all the time.

'I can't believe people have the cheek to advertise that as a bedroom.'

The room, in Somerford Street, was advertised at £480 a month for rent, with £50 thrown in to split bills with the other three housemates.

The advert read: 'The room is the biggest in the house and comes with a sofa which means sharing it with the rest of us sometimes.

I was laughing to myself down the road back to the Tube Househunter Joe Peduzzi

'We are on the search for a laid back happy-go-lucky type that's sociable, open-minded and creative.'

Mr Peduzzi politely declined the offer.

He said: 'I've got a new job at a charity and I'm after somewhere I want to stay in for a little while so I'm not sure this is for me right now.'

Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom.co.uk, said: 'We're no strangers to quirky ads but this one puts a whole new spin on the phrase "beds in sheds".

'There's no clear reason given for putting a bed inside a shed, inside a bedroom, but it could be because the other housemates use the room as communal space.