Dunedin - for rent. No respect needed.

[Learning]

I've just spent a couple days in Dunedin and couldn't help notice the range of properties with for rent/rented for next year, signs. Obviously most if not all of these are student accommodations and quite a few of them are really going for the stereotypical unkept and unrespected, "We don't care so why should you give a damn" feel.

Over grown gardens, 3 foot plants growing out of chimney tops and gutters, the dermatitis flaky paint look, open garages full of debris and the odd bit of graffiti on the wall. This is only from the street so maybe they are all immaculate palaces on the inside but one could only guess.

Are these places rented out sight unseen with photos of what it should look like or is it explained to the perspective tenants that "the place looks like a dump now but as our tenants you would look after and respect it for us"?

I would never list a property for rent looking like some of these places.

[PC]

Feel free to put a bunch of 18yr old students into your nice rental.
Won't be nice for long...

If all the slums are fixed up - where will the feral slum dwellers live?

[Learning]

It doesn't need to be nice. Reasonably tidy and respected would do. If you advertise a pigsty you'll only get pigs.

How does the end of tenancy inspection go? "Heavily stained carpets, 4 shades of white paint on the walls, missing door knobs, cupboard doors with holes in... Brilliant, you've made improvements. Here's your bond back in full."

[jimO]

I've just spent a couple days in Dunedin and couldn't help notice the range of properties with for rent/rented for next year, signs. Obviously most if not all of these are student accommodations and quite a few of them are really going for the stereotypical unkept and unrespected, "We don't care so why should you give a damn" feel.

Over grown gardens, 3 foot plants growing out of chimney tops and gutters, the dermatitis flaky paint look, open garages full of debris and the odd bit of graffiti on the wall. This is only from the street so maybe they are all immaculate palaces on the inside but one could only guess.

Are these places rented out sight unseen with photos of what it should look like or is it explained to the perspective tenants that "the place looks like a dump now but as our tenants you would look after and respect it for us"?

I would never list a property for rent looking like some of these places.

over the xmas break the student area turns into tradesman land, fixing all the damage etc getting them ready for next years tenants who will have been signed up for months, lots have absentee landlords who will probably never have set foot in the hovel and run by PMs who do nothing regarding repairing problems. a LL with lots of student flats once told me...They NEVER get their bond back....there is fault on both sides

[Learning]

They NEVER get their bond back.

I hope a few Mummy and Daddy Pigs encourage their little darlings to challenge that. With photo/video evidence of the stys they signed up for they could argue that the expectation had been set before they moved in.

[artemis]

I hope a few Mummy and Daddy Pigs encourage their little darlings to challenge that. With photo/video evidence of the stys they signed up for they could argue that the expectation had been set before they moved in.

Is there a shortage of conveniently located and reasonably priced accommodation for Dunedin students? Those factors may be more important to some than overall condition.

Relative was for a while doing maintenance at a relatively recent student accom complex in Wellington. Pretty bad some of them.

[jimO]

Is there a shortage of conveniently located and reasonably priced accommodation for Dunedin students? Those factors may be more important to some than overall condition.

Relative was for a while doing maintenance at a relatively recent student accom complex in Wellington. Pretty bad some of them.

The prime student area is concentrated around the university, there are no reasonably priced student flats

[Courham]

The prime student area is concentrated around the university, there are no reasonably priced student flats

Agreed.

Dunedin always has had more than its share of poor quality $hitholes. Old, drafty, cold, damp, poorly maintained, uninsulated etc etc- all the crap that tenants have been complaining about for the last few months in the papers around the country are deemed to be part of the student experience in Dunedin. In winter the city is bloody cold as are many of the older houses. The healthy homes legislation & minimum insulation standards is aimed directly at the absentee landlords of Dunedin AFAIK.

However, there are more and more “Auckland” students coming down and not prepared to put up with the crap living conditions and new accommodation is being built but usually rents are at a premium- on top of the already expensive rents.

Part of the reason the Otago Uni is so involved with the drive for the WoF/healthy homes is no doubt due to the poor quality of a large percent of the housing stock in South Dunedin & around the uni.

Craig

[artemis]

Agreed.

Dunedin always has had more than its share of poor quality $hitholes. Old, drafty, cold, damp, poorly maintained, uninsulated etc etc- all the crap that tenants have been complaining about for the last few months in the papers around the country are deemed to be part of the student experience in Dunedin. In winter the city is bloody cold as are many of the older houses. The healthy homes legislation & minimum insulation standards is aimed directly at the absentee landlords of Dunedin AFAIK.

However, there are more and more “Auckland” students coming down and not prepared to put up with the crap living conditions and new accommodation is being built but usually rents are at a premium- on top of the already expensive rents.

Part of the reason the Otago Uni is so involved with the drive for the WoF/healthy homes is no doubt due to the poor quality of a large percent of the housing stock in South Dunedin & around the uni.
Craig

So student renters will be quite Ok to pay more rent for better quality. All good then.

I note that according to the Trademe monthly rental index published last week -

''The median weekly rent in Dunedin was up 8.3 per cent on last year to $390''

and

“Otago’s rental shortage is keeping prices high - in November there were 20 per cent less rental properties onsite than the year prior as the region struggles to keep up with demand.”

[Nick G]

I lived in a scarfie flat, it was awful. Dunedin was fun because it had student pubs back then.

[jimO]

I lived in a scarfie flat, it was awful. Dunedin was fun because it had student pubs back then.

the student pubs have all ben snaffeled up by the uni apart from the Ori which has just been bought by the student assn

[Nick G]

They should have kept them as pubs and the beer reasonably cheap :-)

[jimO]

They should have kept them as pubs and the beer reasonably cheap :-)

they all close because there is no money in pubs, students drink at home then go out and drink very little, also i think otago uni is trying to move away from the boozing heritage

[eri]

in the 80's

the dunedin "sound" was all the rage in local popular music

they used to say that during band practices if it was cold

they'd turn up the old valve amps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96cFKd4irY