Plans for a new "star rating" system to rank Dunedin's student flats could be rolled out across the city.
The system, which is still in its planning stages, will have student flats given a star ranking by the University of Otago, based on a checklist filled out by property owners.
The rankings would be published on a website, with some of the results randomly audited, to help promote an improvement in the quality of student housing.
Councillors at yesterday's Dunedin City Council finance and strategy committee supported the scheme and, after arguments by Cr Kate Wilson, also voted in favour of considering a city-wide scheme later in the year .
Cr Wilson said there was a need to extend the scheme "throughout the city", particularly for rental properties in South Dunedin and the city's pensioner housing stock.
Deputy mayor Syd Brown said he was "a little nervous" about rushing to widen the star rating system immediately, but supported looking at a wider scheme once the student system was operating.
The student system was to be developed as a pilot programme, but depended on buy-in from landlords in the student sector.
"I'm just a little nervous we may railroad the project by trying to make the scope too wide," Mr Brown said.
Once the scheme was operational, and being run by the university, he could see no reason why a city-wide project could not be considered.
"I don't see any reason, if the model is successful, that it can't be extended to other areas of Dunedin," he said.
Cr John Bezett also supported discussing a city-wide scheme at a later meeting, while Cr Paul Hudson said it was pleasing to see the student scheme making progress after first being raised "seven or eight years ago".
"It's taken a long time, but I'm pleased to see it's here at last," he said.
Councillors at yesterday's meeting voted to support the student rating system's development, and to investigate a wider scheme at a later date.
The student rating system was expected to be operational by 2011, and was being developed as part of work on the wider tertiary precinct development plan involving the council, the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic and other parties.
