University students vulnerable in Wagga’s tight rental market

University students are among those most vulnerable to the tight rental market in Wagga - where the vacancy rate is at an all-time low of around two per cent. Read their stories.

University students are among those most vulnerable to the tight rental market in Wagga - where the vacancy rate is at an all-time low of around two per cent.

Charles Sturt University nursing student Josie Moore has been forced to lean on her family after applying for over 40 rentals in the past five months.

“My partner and I rent together now but it took us five months trying to find a unit in Wagga that was priced around $300 to $350, and we kept getting knocked back. It was really scary,” she said.

Ms Moore said being a first time renter made it harder to break into the rental market in the area.

“Looking for places, myself and my partner sent off over 40-odd applications to different real estate agencies and it just didn’t feel worth it because we were first time renters with no rental history and it made it hard in getting through the application process,” she said.

“It just felt pointless because you would be trying your hardest to persuade them but you would get a generic email back and you would start the rollercoaster again.”

Ms Moore said the only way they found a place to call home was through a family member, who halted their own sale to allow her and her partner to rent the unit.

“I was in a fortunate position that my aunt lived here and she was going to sell the unit but she was happy to rent the place to us if we didn’t find a place. I think we would be still looking for places now if my aunt didn’t bring that proposal up,” she said.

Best friends Josie Moore and Sam Mulligan said trying find a rental has been a challenging experience. Picture: Patrick Morrow

Currently in Wagga, the vacancy rate is around two per-cent according to the real estate website Inverstar, with the average weekly rent ranging from $350 to $700.

Another nursing student Sam Mulligan found similar challenges to finding a place to call home.

“I live on campus currently but the previous rental applications that I have done in the past have been long and tedious and it is just so hard to find a place,” he said.

Mr Mulligan said the biggest issue that renters were facing was around rules, such as allowing pets in the home.

“I think taking things that should not matter like pets into consideration, then it would allow people to find a place to stay,” he said. “I think if the dog for example is well trained why should that be an issue for a successful application?

“The conversation with my mates is they don't know if renting is worth it and think maybe student accommodation is the best option as it is more stable and priced at a similar range to a rental on the market.”

Agriculture student Holly Coulthard said the rental process was daunting. Picture: Patrick Morrow

Agriculture student Holly Coulthard, originally from Armidale, said the process to find a rental in Wagga was daunting.

“If you want to apply, well you have to make a day trip out of it to look at a house and it was tough finding a place that suited my circumstances,” she said.

Ms Coulthard’s original plan was to move in with a friend, but they couldn't find anything that suited their budgets.

“I was hoping to live with my friend, but we found it really hard to find a place and in the end I had to go out on my own and it has worked out but it was really tough,” she said.

Senior property manager at Kitson Property, Jay Thomas, said the students’ experiences were all too common in the current rental market.

He said the market has changed drastically since he started in the real estate sector 14 years ago, and it had become much harder to find affordable options for prospective tenants.

“The market has properties that are priced higher than normally in the past and this has led to people being priced out of the market,” Mr Thomas said.

Lower socio-economic areas such as Ashmont and Tolland which had been cheaper options in the past were no longer so reasonably priced, with rents increasing in some cases to $400 per week.

The rising cost of living is having a major impact on young people. Picture: Weekly Times

Mr Thomas said a major contributing factor to the current rental shortage was regional migration - and the constant movement of people from the capital cities.

“With the population of Wagga growing with many people moving from the cities we seeing a very similar situation where locals are being priced out of the market,” he said.

He believes the best solution is through government intervention to help people find a place to live through housing subsidies.

“The best solution to help this issue is for the government to create subsidies, and the right funding into the rental market so people can be able to afford a place to live,” he said.

Wagga’s rental vacancy rate is at all time low of two per cent. Picture: Supplied

Best friends Mr Mulligan and Ms Moore believe one solution to solve the rental shortage could be to limit rent increases so more people can afford the weekly rent.

“I think it needs to start the conversation with the real estate sector and maybe just lock the prices like a supermarket would with essential items so it could cap it at a certain amount,” Mr Mulligan said.

“It may help and needs to be considered as it would allow for a wide range of people to have a chance of finding a place to stay.”