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Camping Tent Rents at $900 a Month in Mountain View

A Bay Area man is renting a tent in a Mountain View backyard for $46 a night through the Airbnb website.

It's not a prank, though John Potter, the Airbnb host putting his tent for rent, says it sort of started that way. 

Potter said he listed the tent on Airbnb for $20 a night partly as a joke, but got serious about it when his inbox overflowed with inquiries. 

"I got many, many responses at $20 per night," Potter said.

He then tested out the tent for monthly rentals at $900 per month and he still gets inquiries from people who want to rent the tent out as temporary housing.

San Francisco has the most expensive rental market in the country. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco jumped to $3,410 in the beginning of this year, according to real estate listings site Zumper. 

Potter's tent is a nine-by-seven Coleman tent and is pitched in his parent's backyard. The accommodation is not big on amenities.

"Well, unfortunately we don't actually offer breakfast and we don't technically offer a bed," said Potter. 

Included with the tent is a pillow and a blanket. Potter also offers a hot shower inside the house if a renter need one.

Potter will also allow use of his WiFi and drag a power cord out if people need access to electricity.

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