Shared private rental accommodation in New Zealand is commonly known as a flat. Each person usually has their own bedroom and shares the bathroom, kitchen, laundry and living areas.
Please note: The links and contacts listed on this site have not been vetted by the University of Canterbury's Accommodation Services team.
Studentpad
Check out our online resource to assist:
- students looking to rent a room
- students looking to rent a whole property
- landlords wanting to list a property
Who flatting is suitable for
Flatting is popular with students, particularly in their second year and above, as it offers an independent lifestyle and can be a great way to meet new people. Students new to New Zealand are recommended to live in halls of residence for their first year before deciding to flat off-campus.
When to look for a flat
If you are arriving from outside of Christchurch and plan on finding rental accommodation, it's a good idea to arrange temporary accommodation for at least two weeks but ideally 3-4 to give yourself time to find a property or room you will be happy in. Temporary accommodation may be available on campus for individual students at Sonoda. The casual rate at Sonoda is $427 (2025 rate) per week - email sonoda@unilodge.co.nz.
If moving into an empty property, you will need to budget for set-up costs:
- Up to 4 weeks' rent as bond
- 1-2 weeks' rent in advance
- Power and internet
- Furniture and/or whiteware (if unfurnished)
- Contents and liability insurance.
You also need to budget for ongoing monthly expenses such as power, internet, transport, food and personal items.
Rental homes must meet minimum healthy homes standards for heating, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping - your landlord should provide you with a healthy homes compliance statement as part of your tenancy agreement. View healthy home standards and what a tenant needs to know on the Tenancy Services website. An additional useful resource is Healthy Home Hacks - tips for New Zealand students living in unhealthy homes.
If you are new to renting in New Zealand, review information on the Tenancy Services website including starting and ending a tenancy, market rent, and rights and responsibilities for you as a tenant and your landlord.
Locations in Christchurch
The UC campus is located in Ilam, about five kilometres west of the city centre. Most students live in rental accommodation within a 15 minute bike ride to the campus. Popular suburbs with students are:
- Avonhead
- Bryndwr
- Burnside
- Fendalton
- Ilam
- Riccarton
- Upper Riccarton
How to find a flat
A handy guide that covers a range of topics to help you get started when you're considering renting or flatting. Topics include:
- What to look for in a flat or house
- Tenancy agreements
- Keeping your flat warm and dry
- Eco your flat - sustainable flatting
- Food for flatters
- Communication and relationships in flats
...and more!
Properties are typically leased from a real estate agent or private landlord on a periodic or fixed term contract.
You will need to decide if you want to start a new property and find other people to share with you, or move into an established shared house.
Move into an existing shared house
Rooms in existing shared houses are usually advertised online. Once you are here, you can view properties in person and meet potential flatmates to see if you'll get along.
Check the following websites for flatmate wanted ads:
- Trademe – Flatmates wanted
- nzflatmates
- Roomies
- UCSA Noticeboard
- Roomlala
- Roomster
- Zoeken New Zealand
- Shared Living NZ
Find a new rental property
If you want to establish your own shared house, you will need to start a tenancy with a real estate agent or private landlord. Setting up your own house gives you more freedom to choose your location and who you want to live with.
Check the following resources for properties available for rent:
- A1 Property Managers
- Bayleys Property Management
- Braziers
- First National Real Estate
- Harcourts Grenadier Accommodation Centre
- Harcourts Holmwood
- Irelands Property Management
- Quality Property Management Limited
- Quinovic
- Ray White - McPherson Property Management
- The Good Girls
- Warwick Todd Limited
- Whittle Knight Real Estate
- Saturday edition of The Press
Advertise a vacancy
If you have a house to rent or a vacancy in your flat that you would like to advertise to students, you are welcome to register with Studentpad. Studentpad is a dedicated online tool for landlords to advertise properties and students to find rentals and/or rooms to rent.
Costs
Flatting is generally the cheapest accommodation option, but properties do range in price depending on location size and condition. Also be aware that the cheapest rent may not necessarily be the cheapest option as heating and insulation can have a big impact on your costs during the cooler months.
You will need to factor insurance into your budget for your contents and car. MoneyHub helps you find the right financial services and products - see renter's insurance for safeguarding your possessions while renting.
The University's default insurance provider is StudentSafe. Take a look here for car insurance comparisons.
Fast Connect offers a free moving home service to assist in new connections, disconnections or transfers of your existing services for power, gas, phone, broadband and Sky.
Need help moving? Should you need assistance moving house, there are a number of moving companies in Christchurch that can help. Find and compare moving quotes by contacting MovingPros. Wise Move can help with moving a couch to moving a whole flat. Contact Wise Move for a free quote.
| Weekly costs based on a 4 bedroom flat Costs split equally between four people | Annual ($NZ) | Weekly ($NZ) | |
Rent Average cost for a property within 15 minutes of the university. Find more information about market rates on the Tenancy Services website. | $10,192 | $196 | |
Electricity Average cost for electricity in Christchurch. Find more information about energy providers on the Consumer powerswitch website or at glimp.co.nz/power. Be aware that heating and insulation can affect electricity costs in colder weather. | $1,040 | $20 | |
Telephone/Internet Average cost for a landline and broadband internet in New Zealand. Some providers also change additional connection fees. Compare prices on the Kiwi Money Saver website or glimp.co.nz. | $832 | $16 |
For further information on costs, refer to Cost of Living.
Bond
Most tenancies will ask you to pay a bond. If you don’t pay all of your rent or if you cause damage to the property, the landlord can keep some or the entire bond when you leave. The landlord is able to ask for up to four weeks' rent and this is usually paid before you move into the property.
Your landlord may also ask for one to two week's rent in advance.
Find more information about bond and renting on the Tenancy Services website.
Furniture
Many flats in New Zealand are unfurnished so you will need to be prepared to buy items like a bed, desk, couch, whiteware, cutlery and appliances. EcoShop, Restore or Trademe are good options for second-hand furniture and whiteware.
Other costs
You will also need to consider other costs, for example food, transport, entertainment, contents insurance, medical expenses and other personal items. Bed or bathroom linen and kitchen items can be purchased from nearby retailers such as The Warehouse, Briscoes or Kmart. Or you may prefer to order a linen or kitchen pack online from suppliers such as Unistarterkits.
For more student budgeting information, check out the cost of living calculator on the StudyLink website. UCSA can also help with budgeting and financial assistance.
Christchurch has an excellent Metro bus service.
