G'day, Logan Edgar here.
I'm the student president over at the Otago University Students' Association. I'd like to have a yarn to you about the flatting situation for the scarfie population of North Dunedin.
We even do it to ourselves: our OUSA Top Flat awards include the "Worst Flat" category to attract those free-range scarfies who are truly living it rough in run-down flats.
The truth of the thing is that a fair amount of us are living in pretty top flats, with good-sort landlords. We relish this part of our lives; moving on from home, and halls of residence, and sussing out where we want to live and with whom. We get to sort out our own power, insurance, internet and cook up our own feeds of sausage, pasta or even mince, and generally get along swimmingly.
What we do here at OUSA is try to communicate to students and landlords about how they can get along with each other, to make the most out of each student's time flatting in Dunners.
Students need to know about the time and money that landlords have invested in their flats, and landlords need to get that students are still learning about this whole thing, so they need to be honest and straight up about renting rights and responsibilities.
And we need to make sure both sides know how to deal with it when it all goes belly up and one side ain't happy.
The issues that OUSA deals with are the same every year: Students locked into year-long leases when they're only living there for 40 weeks; taking on flats they haven't checked properly, then having to pay for damage they didn't cause; and paying out too much of their limited dosh to landlords who don't sort out issues in a quick-smart manner.
Most landlords in North Dunedin are top-notch, but let's not kid ourselves - there are landlords out there who don't give a toss about their tenants, and are simply in it for the coin.
Two weeks to get a leaky tap fixed or to replace a smoke alarm just isn't on, and OUSA has to call out these landlords and let students know about them. Landlords should be getting flats into working order before the students have turned up.
It's in the landlord's best interest to get these issues sorted so their property maintains its value. Students will have more respect for a flat if they've met the landlord and know they're a good sort who has their best interests at heart.
One of our biggest issues is students signing up for flats earlier and earlier, creating a false demand for flats that drives up prices.
Every year students sign up earlier (as I write this I'm looking at a flat listing that's advertising for 2013 - crazy) and in 2012 OUSA plans to do something about this, ensuring students are fully informed of this growing pattern and well-equipped to buck the trend.
We have already been trying to cool their hot little heels with flatting information evenings, telling students not to sign up too early, and encouraging college heads not to sign references until later in the year. But I reckon landlords could do their bit too.
If you know you have a great flat, then what's the rush to get it listed? Hold off a bit, I guarantee you'll get tenants who are more relaxed and all around more researched and level-headed.
Another big issue for OUSA is the quality of student houses.
The media loves stories about dingy student flats, with mould competing with the ice to grow on the roof. Sure, some students are sweet with them, and they can be a bit of a laugh, but it shouldn't be a challenge for students to find warm, dry houses to live in, and at the moment, there is a big ol' gap in the market.
We want to work with landlords, the good folks at the DCC, and even the Energy Minister Phil Heatley (get it: Heat-ley?), to get insulation into student flats.
We need to make sure students demand houses with proper heating and insulation. Heat pumps aren't up to much when you're pumping it straight out the walls, eh?Dunedin faces graduates and students moving to other cities with better accommodation.
People might think it's a giggle living in the cold for a year, but they aren't rushing back to Dunners after their studies when living is warmer, drier and more affordable everywhere else.
This brain drain is a deathly threat to the city and I know this is an issue of real concern to the DCC. We want to show the whole world what an awesome place we live in, not what cold, dingy flats we're putting up with.
Any landlord charging fair coin for fair digs is sweet. We want to highlight the good ones, and tell students to look out for the ones who are trying to rip them off.
Living in a warm, dry flat is a basic right, and we're keen to make sure everyone has an epic time in this great little city of ours.