Charles Darwin University student accommodation crisis sparks urgent call for spare rooms

The tragic death of a Bangladeshi student in Darwin last month has sparked an urgent search for safe student accommodation. Read what the university is calling for.

An urgent call is out for spare rooms and granny flats as hundreds of international students prepare to travel to Darwin in coming weeks.

With CDU’s second-semester beginning on July 10, up to 700 foreign students are expected to arrive in Darwin over the next month or so, with the long-forecast student accommodation cliff expected to make finding private accommodation a challenge.

The requirement for safe student housing was thrust to the front of public debate last month when 23-year-old Bangladeshi student Isfaqur Rahman Sifat was killed in his bed.

University vice chancellor Professor Scott Bowman has been lobbying governments since last year, along with housing campaigners including Warren Ebert from Sentinel Property Group, to develop more student housing in the Top End.

Charles Darwin University vice-chancellor professor Scott Bowman. Pic: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

With CDU’s new Darwin city campus due to open in 2024, potentially hundreds of additional student rental properties will be required.

To help meet demand CDU is boosting the use of StudyStays, an online platform that provides lists of accommodation vacancies, and is calling for Top End residents with a spare room or granny flat to open it out for a foreign-student side hustle.

Property owners can potentially make hundreds of dollars tax free, simply by renting out a room to international students.

“When the students arrive to start the semester, demand for housing will be strong at a time when availability is low,” Professor Bowman said.

“These students are making one of the hardest, bravest, and most critical decisions of their lives – moving to a foreign country to pursue their education. One of the difficult decisions these students will have to make is where to live.

UniLodge student accommodation in Darwin.

“For those wanting to fill a room and receive extra income, welcoming an international student into your home can offer consistent income and the chance to get to know someone with unique life experiences and perspectives.”

CDU accommodation services manager Dr Philip Mosley said StudyStays began in Brisbane in 2009 and enables universities across Australia to run off-campus accommodation websites.

“When the portfolio for CDU’s accommodation services was recently expanded to include off-campus accommodation, CDU StudyStays was seen as an opportunity to offer new and extra accommodation options,” Dr Mosley said.

“CDU StudyStays allows flexibility with the range of properties or rooms that students can choose from. Property owners, students, and real estate agents, whether private or commercial, have the option to register their properties for listing on CDU StudyStays.”

Rents are determined by landlords and leases can be as little as three months.

Dr Mosley said StudyStays meant students would not be alone in their search for suitable accommodation.

“The website is a valuable resource, providing information to guide students and help them find the right property that meets their needs, while also assisting them in understanding accommodation practices and regulations in Australia,” he said.

“Staff members are available to provide support and help students navigate Australian accommodation practices and regulations, which may not be available if they were to search for accommodation through other methods.

“Additionally, landlords have the opportunity to convert their spare room into a source of additional income.”

CDU’s International House and the UniLodge building in Casuarina, which has capacity for 300 people, are the Top End’s only dedicated housing.

For more information and to find/register accommodation, visit CDU StudyStays.