One in four international students were in a highly or extremely precarious financial situation even before the pandemic and current rental crisis,a recent study shows,and it is feared the situation could worsen as international students flock back to Australia this year.
International students are returning to Australia in the middle of a rental crisis.Joe Armao
Tenants across the country are affected by the rental crisis,but international students can be particularly vulnerable,says Professor Alan Morris,from the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at the University of Technology Sydney,who co-authored.
Students arriving from overseas are less likely to have local support networks and knowledge of their rights,and are ineligible for government support payments,Morris said.
One in four international students were in a highly or extremely precarious financial situation in 2019,when more than 7000 Sydney and Melbourne international students were surveyed for the study.
The situation worsened with the pandemic in 2020,a second smaller survey of about 750 students showed,and Morris suspected there had been little improvement since then because of the rental crisis.
“A lot of students will find it very hard to find accommodation … and will find themselves in quite precarious situations because they’ll be in homes that may be very unsatisfactory,maybe with people that are unsavoury,and they could find themselves in very vulnerable situations because of their lack of knowledge[of their rights].”
Even before the pandemic,more than one in five students had gone without meals. A similar number had been unable to cool or heat their home adequately,and could not afford textbooks.
Hundreds reported sharing a room with someone who was not their partner,or living in a makeshift bedroom in a garage or balcony. Some resorted to sharing a bed on a roster basis. One student reported paying $180 per week for a bed in a two-bedroom inner Sydney unit shared with at least 10 others.
About 6 per cent reported their landlord or agent had taken away their passport,and 4 per cent had been threatened with a visa cancellation.
Students and experts want more affordable student accommodation to be built.Louise Kennerley
“Students find themselves in situations where their landlord has a lot of power over them ... the incredible scarcity[of rentals] does create situations of great vulnerability,” Morris said.
“It’s a recipe for a lot of anxiety,extreme stress and mental illness,and also impacts on university performance.”
Morris said education providers needed to provide more subsidised student housing.
Recently graduated international student Tanay Sanjay Shah arrived in Melbourne in early 2020,weeks before the first lockdown.
International student Tanay Sanjay Shah spent months sleeping on a friend’s couch when he first arrived in Australia.Paul Jeffers
Unable to afford pricey student accommodation,the 25-year-old searched for rentals without luck. He had funds and references from his home country of India,but it took time to find a job as lockdowns closed businesses.
He spent months sleeping on a couch in a Hawthorn apartment rented by an acquaintance. It was cold,damp and had several leakages. He has since moved to a better unit.
“When living on a couch,as I was,it’s a bit disturbing,and you feel like why did you come over,” he said.
“The student housing is so expensive,most students ...[can’t] afford it. In India,student accommodation is cheaper than private accommodation,but here it’s the opposite.”
Shah said universities and government needed to build more affordable accommodation.
National Union of Students president Bailey Riley said member organisations were getting calls for support from domestic students struggling to find housing as rents increase. She expected the situation to worsen as international students returned.
“The rental crisis is terrifying,especially for students,” she said.
Riley said education institutions should have a duty of care for students,and commended universities like ANU,which provides an accommodation guarantee for international students.
Riley said universities needed to provide more affordable housing. She also wants more financial support for students.
Joy (Jiacong) Xu,the international students’ officer at UTS Students’ Association,said strong competition meant rents were rising,and real estate agents had their pick of tenants,often prioritising those with good incomes over students — particularly those from overseas.
“Landlords’ attitudes[have also changed],they know the market is thriving,so they’re not worrying about a lot of issues with properties,” she said.
Xu said international students were struggling to keep up with increased costs,and worried the situation would worsen when caps on work hours — lifted during the pandemic – were reintroduced.
She wants better university support for students,and better protections for renters.
Universities Australia acting chief executive Peter Chesworth said securing a rental anywhere in the nation was challenging.
“This is a national issue and universities are continuing to support students by providing information on accommodation options before they arrive in Australia,along with various other support services,” he said.
Chesworth encouraged students to contact their university for assistance if they were struggling to secure housing or facing financial pressures.