Off Campus Accommodation

Off-Campus Flatting (Sharing a House)

Students studying at Waikato are very lucky that the University is surrounded by a large amount of inexpensive private student accommodation very close to the University campus. More than 90% of the student population lives off-campus, and most live within a 15 minute walk of the campus. The University only offers single-person Halls of Residence accommodation so all couples or families must live off-campus. In New Zealand, the leasing / renting of a house or apartment of your own, or more commonly with other students, is known as “flatting”. Older style apartments are known as “flats”.

Where to Live in Hamilton

The University of Waikato is located between the two suburbs of Hillcrest and Silverdale. When searching, note that the following suburbs are within a 15-minute bicycle ride from the university campus: Claudelands, Enderley, Fairview Downs, Hamilton East, Hayes Paddock, Hillcrest, Knox Street, Newstead, Peachgrove, Riverlea, Ruakura, Sherwood Park, Silverdale.

Finding a Place To Live

Students who have not pre-arranged off-campus housing prior to arrival can request to be placed into temporary accommodation for a few days until they find a flat / house to live in. The University of Waikato Accommodation and Conference Services Office (ACSO) offers an Accommodation Advisory Service where you can gain assistance in finding private off-campus housing if you are not living in on-campus Halls of Residence.

The Accommodation Adviser keeps up-to-date listings of houses, flats, rooms in flats and boarding situations. Outside the Accommodation and Conference Services Office are large noticeboards which are continually updated with listings of available off-campus accommodation. Local newspapers and rental estate agents also carry listings of flats / houses available for rent.

Cost of Off-Campus Accommodation

Cost of flatting (house sharing) per week per person, based on recent figures with 2-4 flatmates:

• Rent $90 - $120
• Food $40 - $50
• Electricty $15 - $20
  

Single students living off-campus should expect their accommodation to cost approximately NZ$200 per week for (basic) food, utilities, and accommodation, and between $50-$100 per week for personal spending money.

If you are living in shared rental accommodation such as a house or flat, remember that rent still has to be paid over the holidays, especially over the Christmas break, if you want to keep the flat for the next year and you are on a fixed term agreement. If a vacancy occurs in the flat, the remaining tenants have to pay proportionally more until the room is filled, as the full rent still has to be paid to the landlord.

A number of self-contained one-bedroom studio rooms are available very close to the university. These are suitable for one person only and have been developed specifically for international students. Rooms are furnished, include private bathroom and basic cooking facilities and utilities (power and water) and are available for NZ$200 per week. Meals are not included. For more information on furnished studio rooms contact the University of Waikato Accommodation and Conference Services Office.

Searching Online for Off-Campus Accommodation

Prior to commencing your studies at Waikato it is possible to search online for houses flats or available rooms. The following websites are useful for finding accommodation online:

• Lodge Real Estate Rental Search
• Waikato Real Estate Rental Search
• Trademe Flatmate Search - choose “Waikato / Hamilton City / Hillcrest” then tick the box “Search surrounding suburbs”.

As much as possible, avoid rooms in houses that have a room rental price of less than NZ$100 per week, as these tend to be “old and cold” in the winter. Email the current tenants to introduce yourself, and set up a meeting when you arrive in Hamilton. Trademe.co.nz is also a very useful website for determining the cost of living in New Zealand, buying cars, furniture, and all manner of other household items.

Check out the Student Rent website which provides a free service for students who are looking for houses and flats to rent. All listings of the Waikato University accommodation office can be found on the Student Rent website too. This is a great site which is run by two Waikato graduate students, for students.

Bond / Key Money

A bond is an initial payment required for security by landlords when offering their premises for rental. Bonds are refundable at the end of the tenancy if accounts are paid in full and the flat or house is well maintained. Landlords can request a sum of money as a bond equivalent to 1-4 weeks' rent. Extra fees that can be added to the bond payment include 2 weeks' rent in advance or/and a Real Estate Agent's fee which is usually equivalent to 1 week's rent. In New Zealand, the bond is not held by the landlord, but is deposited in trust with the Department of Building and Housing.

Furniture

Students should check if the flat / apartment or house is fully furnished e.g. beds, fridge, washing machine, semi-furnished or unfurnished. Most houses for rent in New Zealand are unfurnished but there are plenty of ways to buy cheap, quality secondhand items. In most houses for rent students will need to provide their own basic necessities: bed, linen, chest of drawers, desk and light, etc. www.trademe.co.nz is a useful website for buying both secondhand and new furniture.

Household Appliances

Most houses for rent do not provide whiteware (fridge, washing machine, etc). Students need to decide if these items are going to be rented or provided by individual flatmates. There are many companies in Hamilton that lease whiteware at an affordable price.