Researchers from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney surveyed more than 2400 students about their housing market experiences.
Students aged 17 or older were asked about their housing experiences and report co-author Bassina Farbenblum says overcrowding was a common complaint. She says they face a range of exploitative practices.
"Like paying for accommodation that didn't even exist or that was completely different from what was advertised online or landlords stealing students bonds, charging an exorbitant amount of rent upfront which then makes it difficult for them to leave and find a safe place because they've handed all their money over."
"Some landlords will just suddenly increase the rent in the middle of the rental period, for example, around exam time and then would say to the students 'well either pay the increased rent or you can leave.' We saw intimidation and harassment, moving extra people into the apartment that the student hadn't agreed to and things like unfair eviction as well with a very short notice period," she says.
The Chief Executive of Shelter New South Wales, Stacey Miers, says students often find themselves in difficulty because they're unaware of their rights.
She says those knowledge gaps need to be addressed through information campaigns in multiple languages.
"More information distributed by universities and educational institutions about the rights of tenants in multiple languages, particularly in Mandarin. One would think seeing a lot of the students were Chinese. I think there's a much stronger role for institutions to actually provide more information to students on their rights and also probably to set up services linked with tenants advice services where students can get support and information," says Ms Miers.
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