Students struggle in Ballarat's tough rental market

Juggling assignments, exams, and part-time work as a new migrant to Australia was stressful enough for 22-year-old Federation University student Raghavvi Mehrotra - then she moved into a Lake Gardens sharehouse and things took a turn for the worse.

The Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) student describes her month in the private rental as a "scarring" experience - far from the smooth transition she was hoping for after relocating from India for her studies last August.

Her two housemates - found through a local community association - seemed great at first: eager to share meals and household items, and happy to agree to a bills-included month-to-month rental arrangement.

That all changed after Raghavvi moved in.

Within the first few days, she found out she'd be paying bills on top of her rent; sleeping on a blow-up mattress; and things she'd been promised, like a simple table and chair for her room, would not be provided.

Sharing anything was more trouble than it was worth, so to protect her personal belongings, she requested a lock for her bedroom door.

Not only was that request ignored, her housemates began spying on her when she was home alone.

"They installed a CCTV camera in the house and told me it was for 'security purposes'," Raghavvi said.

"They'd travel to Melbourne a lot and they would call me asking 'why have you switched on the heater?' 'can you please clean the house?', 'can you vacuum?'.

"It just struck me that because I'm a student and they were older, they must have thought I'm a very vulnerable person."

Raghavvi moved out as soon as she could, without getting her $300 "security deposit" back, and spent the next two months in a different sharehouse, found via online platform 'Flatmates'.

She had a much better experience the second time around, she said, but only because she'd learned the hard way how to better protect her rights and ensure a comfortable stay.

"For my second house, I knew exactly what questions I needed to ask," she said.

"I knew I needed to be very meticulous about inspections and signing a formal contract and be very sure about who I was living with."

She's now secured a place in Federation University's Mount Helen on-campus accommodation, which she recommends to other students as the most convenient, "student-friendly" option.

"It is more expensive [than sharehousing] but at the same time, you don't have to pay additional charges again and again - they're all included in the amount you pay at the start of the month or the year," she said.

"And university is a place where they're always supportive of students' financial positions so if a student wants to pay it in instalments, or if they need some sort of a concession or a scholarship, they'll try their best to accommodate for that."

Federation University's Acting Dean Lucinda Bilney confirmed more students were turning to on-campus accommodation amidst the rental crisis, with Ballarat student residences "much busier" in 2023 than in previous years.

Ms Bilney said the 330 Fed Uni students living on-campus this year could count on a safe environment, producing better academic outcomes, but acknowledged such accommodation was "not the answer for everyone".

"Our students are not all coming straight out of high school - we've got people returning to studies later in life who have families and responsibilities who will also be impacted by low [housing] stock.

"We need to be mindful of people's different needs."

Ms Bilney said uni staff became "acutely aware" of issues in the private rental market such as overcrowding and poor quality accommodation during Covid lockdowns, when outreach services ramped up to support student wellbeing.

With the situation seemingly not improving, the uni continues to offer hardship grants and financial counselling, and is also considering expanding its accommodation offering.

"We're looking at different strategies for housing, especially for those students lacking a rental history," Ms Bilney said.

"There is some thinking about a managed property approach as as one of the ways we could help out.

"We don't want housing stress to be a barrier to students reaching their goals."

Australian Catholic University's Living and Learning Communities manager Simone Gallo said ACU had seen "steady interest" this academic year from students looking for the best options for accommodation while they study, including campus-based residences, managed residences off campus, and other rental properties.

Ms Gallo said ACU offered flexible options to meet changes in demand and offered housing "at a subsidised rate that is more affordable for our students".

"Not only are there still some places available in our own accommodation, but we also provide a rental advisory service that supports all ACU students, whether they are living in residences managed by the university or by other providers," she said.

Harcourts Ballarat real estate agent Peter Ludbrook was not surprised students were struggling in the current rental market.

The region's growing population, combined with a trend for landlords exiting the market due to tenancy law changes, created the perfect storm of soaring rent prices, stiff competition and "people getting left behind".

"I've never seen it like this before - it's incredibly tight," Mr Ludbrook said in his 20^th year in the industry.

"We could get 30 applications on one property at times. Rental prices have probably gone up 10 per cent year on year for the last three years.

"And the biggest issue is that there's been a reduction in the overall number of rental properties available, because the ability to manage them has become much, much more difficult.

"I would suggest that somewhere between five and ten per cent of all the available rental stock has been sold in the last three years - that could be up to 3000 properties that have left the rental market."

Raghavvi said her experience had taught her valuable lessons.

"It has prepared me for further on, if I ever have to move into a [rented] house and if it ever comes down to me leasing a house to anyone in the future," she said.

"I wouldn't want to exploit that person, especially if that person is a student."

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