--- title: Satirical Real Estate Signs in San Francisco Reveal Gentrification description: Photographer Scot Hampton installs fake For Rent signs on public infrastructure in San Francisco, showing the impact of gentrification. canonical: https://time.com/45494/rent-this-sewer-satirical-signs-mock-san-francisco-real-estate-prices/ author: Kyle Chayka article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-02T12:00:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:08:24.395Z og:title: Rent This Sewer! Satirical Signs Mock San Francisco Real Estate Prices og:description: Gentrification hits a whole new low. og:url: https://time.com/45494/rent-this-sewer-satirical-signs-mock-san-francisco-real-estate-prices/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ad58e1fb3969b6b/6986885ecd804d6faecca0e8/forrent_sewer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1600 og:image:height: 900 og:image:alt: forrent_sewer og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rent This Sewer! Satirical Signs Mock San Francisco Real Estate Prices twitter:description: Gentrification hits a whole new low. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ad58e1fb3969b6b/6986885ecd804d6faecca0e8/forrent_sewer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rent This Sewer! Satirical Signs Mock San Francisco Real Estate Prices > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e4d102ee-4143-4bc4-8260-5ec504d73281&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Kyle Chayka](https://time.com/author/kyle-chayka/) ## Kyle Chayka Apr 2, 2014 12:00 PM UTC  Scot Hampton by [Kyle Chayka](https://time.com/author/kyle-chayka/) ## Kyle Chayka Apr 2, 2014 12:00 PM UTC You might not be able to afford a condo in San Francisco’s tech-inflated real estate bubble, but what about a sewer, mailbox, or bus stop? Photographer [Scot Hampton created satirical For Rent signs ](http://shamptonian.org/sf-for-rent)that show just how ridiculous the rental market in the city is. Rent out a garden penthouse studio (also known as a street side planter) for just $7350! It’s light and airy—and exposed to the elements. A basement one-bedroom is cheaper at $3500 and it has “arched interiors” but you’ll have to live like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Requires the use of a ladder for entry. The photo essay is a commentary about gentrification as much as it is about homelessness and the need to adapt urban space into a livable environment. While the tech industry calls the homeless “[degenerates](http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2013/12/11/real-tech-worker-says-sf-homeless-grotesque-degenerates-trash),” the population living on the streets of the city is [increasing](http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/sf-homeless-numbers-flat-but-more-living-on-streets/Content?oid=2477218). 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