Responsive landlords of cosy Dunedin flats were celebrated and an indifferent property manager of a rat-infested student abode was denounced at the Best and Worst Landlord Awards yesterday.
Students of four Dunedin flats nominated their landlord for the annual award - three nominations for the best landlord and one for the worst.
The judges included Otago Polytechnic Students' Association president Rebecca Swindells, University of Otago vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne, Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull, Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) president Francisco Hernandez, Dunedin North Labour MP David Clark, Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei and Otago Property Investors Association president Wendy Bowman.
OUSA student advocate Philippa Keaney said the judges scored the flats on their external appearance, heating, appliances and furnishing, walls and floors, kitchen, bathroom, windows and doors, security and mould and damp and the landlord's responsiveness and communication.
The winning landlord was nominated by University of Otago third-year students Rachael Frear (20), of Christchurch, Georgia Collett (20), of Timaru, Olive Price (20), of Christchurch, and Chelsea Goldfinch (20), of Palmerston North, because he quickly fixed problems with his Queen St flat.
Ms Frear said they each paid $130 a week for big rooms that were free of mould and damp. Student Olly Morrison (20), of Havelock North, said he was the only male in the eight-person Howe St flat whose landlord was placed second.
The flatmates nominated him because he was trusting and had never instigated a flat inspection of the well-insulated, fully-furnished, $138-per-room, flat, Mr Morrison said.
During the judging, Mr Clark asked if mould was growing on the curtains.
''That's not mould, that's food splatter,'' Mr Morrison said.
Student Jeremy Gardner (22), of Waihaorunga, said he nominated the landlord of his Cosy Dell Rd flat, who was placed third, as she had given the five male tenants a box of beer and homemade cookies after a successful flat inspection.
The house was cold and had a ''wee bit of mould'', but the rooms were worth the $85 a week.
On the tour, judges stopped to inspect a Castle St flat that had not been nominated but showed the dire state of some student accommodation.
Student tenant Tom Holden (19), of Waipukurau, said the owner of the flat was too ''anal'' and the flat was tidier than normal yesterday.
Prof Hayne said she was ''afraid'' to inspect the flat, where seven males lived, too closely.
The only landlord nominated for the worst category lived in Australia and used a Dunedin property management company.
Student Olivia Hay (21), of Auckland, said the property manager was ''completely unresponsive'' to problems with the St David St flat.
Rats lived in the roof and walls were covered in mould, she said.
The four female flatmates, who each paid $115 a week rent, wanted the manager to keep his promises of maintaining the property.
''We respect the flat but he doesn't respect us.''
