I tried looking for a flat, and all I got was a disgusting amount of luck

It’s been a shitty few months. I get it. It feels like no one wants us students in their houses or, the ones that do, want us to pay a cute fee of $250 excluding expenses for a dingey little shoebox (or, dare I say, a bedroom). For that price I can’t help but wonder… Surely that includes a free box of VBs every week? Massey halls, once an expensive option have now become, well, reasonably affordable considering the price of private flats. That’s how you know the world is fucked. 

Everyone can relate to the continuous circle of disappointment when you’ve booked three flat viewings for the afternoon after being to five the day before and applying for six that morning. You practically beg over Facebook messenger for the privilege of even attending a viewing, have to take time off work, and then you line up outside the house with the other sorry students.  

But wait – at the viewing there’s a gorgeous young couple with two polite kids drowning in airs and graces that look like they have a future in that home. To make matters worse, one of the bloody kids is making puppy eyes, and what the fuck is a student meant to do to compete? Suck the land agent off? 

I have had an eye-opening experience with the housing crisis in Wellington. Over the last month, I went to over 20 unsuccessful homes trying to find a flat and I got really sick of my TradeMe “what shithole do I want the most” list. I had my phone in my hand ready to call my dad to tell him I was going to turn down this very writing job and move back home to Auckland. In that same moment, a property manager called me with words that took my stress levels from butt-clenching to extreme relaxation. “You’ve got the house.” This led me to the understanding that finding a home only comes with a disgusting amount of luck and some nice references. But fuck, why though? 

In Welly, the timeframe of being able to secure a house is heading into months before people are finding any luck. Even harder for those like Ryan, who has just finished his degree and can’t rely on StudyLink to help with the astronomical rental prices. “I was looking for a room for about a month,” says Ryan. “Me and my potential flatmates were looking at three-bedroom homes and were having no luck. Then one of my mates offered me his room at his current flat. I would’ve been stupid not to take it. The way to get a flat is to not be picky.” 

When being ‘picky’ is seen as a luxury, it leaves room for some landlords to take advantage of their upper hand. As the desperation to find a house increases, our expectations of what we want to live in have to go down. For some people, that means not living with basic living requirements in the fear of being kicked out, while on top of that, paying upwards of $220 for any room they can. 

Like most students, Hamish is expecting to be spending more money on rent than what StudyLink will pay out for the living loan each week. He’s living in his van until he can find a room. “[This year] I’ll be having Mi Goreng and cheap beer for dinner,” Hamish says.  

Third-year communications student Poppy, has been forced to move into her parents’ home. Luckily for her, they still live in Wellington where she’s completing her degree. “I feel grateful that I have [my parents] as a backup, because I understand that there are others in worse situations. But I don’t want to sacrifice my independence in my student years just because of this housing scandal.” For people that aren’t as lucky as Poppy, moving back home often means studying over distance, which can be even more isolating.  

So, why has it been so much harder for students specifically to be able to find a home? The gist is that legally, landlords cannot discriminate against us, but they can if they don’t verbally say that they don’t want student tenants. Also, with the new tenancy laws that have been announced and come into place this month, it makes landlords eager to have more ‘reliable’ people to fill their homes. I always hand my assignments on time for the second requested extension, I think that’s more reliable than a piddly kid scribbling on the walls - don’t you? 

One of the new tenancy laws is that landlords cannot end a periodic tenancy without a substantial reason. If there is a decent reason to end a tenancy (such as selling the house), tenants must be given 90 days’ notice, whereas it used to be only 42 days. An anonymous Auckland property owner explained why they’re hesitant more-so now than ever, to not have students occupy their homes. “Students are unpredictable and if you get a student in [your house] you’re now stuck with them if they turn out to be a bad tenant. Also, chances are, the damage that they’d make to the house are probably more than what the bond would cover. It’s best to get to know a landlord and butter them up first because knowing the person [that is going to rent your house] makes it easier.” 

To all you freshers, take heed! 

So, what does that leave us students with? Do we go to other cities and commute? Do we go live with our parents and study via distance? Hell, do we even bother doing a degree?  

All-in-all, if you’re still stuck trying to find a home, I wish you a disgusting amount of luck. The kind of luck that gets you a home without having to get on your knees for ol’ Kenny the property manager.