Ōtepoti students have undoubtedly had their fair share of flatting horror stories. However, Otago graduate Ryan Cole is here to help lessen that with Flatchat. Boasting “honest flat reviews from real NZ tenants”, this platform is designed to increase visibility around the Aotearoa rental market, and “bring some of the power away from the landlords and back to the tenants”.
Ryan graduated from the University of Otago in 2022, with a degree in software engineering, but while he was here he had his fair share of flatting nightmares. From living in a shed with his only flatmates being mice and a “random in the shed next door”, Ryan explained that people end up in these flatting situations because the rental market naturally gives landlords a lot of power: “they’re the ones with all the properties – but we’re the ones looking for places to live.”
According to this year’s Critic Census, average weekly rent in Ōtepoti was about $200, with many students seeing more than solid increases to this going into next year. Despite this, a large number of flats still don’t even meet Healthy Homes Standards, and are the root of all worry for parents when students don’t manage to clean all the mould off the windowsill before the family visit.
It’s actually the second time Critic Te Ārohi has interviewed Ryan this year, but with many tauria still looking to sign, his work is more important than ever. Flatchat gives the students a voice against less-than-average flats, and Ryan hopes the platform will make “landlords feel a bit more responsibility around their properties” and the living conditions that tenants deal with. By gathering firsthand reviews of flats and landlords from tenants themselves, students (and all renters) can make more informed decisions.
Each review is scored across four ratings – value, condition, warmth, and landlord – as well as a short written section of any additional information about the flat that you think should be shared with future tenants. These are the small details that can make a disproportionate effect on the flatting experience, such as the water pressure of showers, or how responsive the landlord is about fixing issues. This process is anonymous and can easily be done in just a few minutes, although you must have lived at the property to review it.
While most landlords have been really good about the platform, Ryan noted that the “hate and aggressiveness from some caught him off guard”. Despite some emails from landlords in all caps “like they’re yelling at me… which I find quite funny”, Ryan firmly emphasised that Flatchat is not about blaming landlords, and that there are “always gonna be bad actors on both sides”. Instead, it really is about swinging that power dynamic a little more in favour of renters, and highlighting the good landlords as well as the bad ones.
Starting out, Ryan knew there would be some controversy around this platform, and so he walks a fine legal line – “if there’s a mistake made along the way it could cost the whole website.” There is a legal process outlined on the website for landlords to dispute reviews if they believe them to be false, misleading, or not firsthand experience. Ryan said he’d been through this process at least ten times, and though he believed some of the disputed reviews to be valid, he ensured that he followed the process and deleted them if there was no proof. Under no circumstances does Ryan or Flatchat share the identity of a reviewer.
As well as the main basis of reviews, Flatchat also offers a number of resources, including a simple breakdown of those ever elusive Healthy Homes Standards, and tenant guides to bonds, repairs, and ending a tenancy. Although it began in Ōtepoti, Flatchat is getting more and more attention, covering the six major cities (Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North and Hamilton) and being available nationwide. There's also a brand-spanking-new Flatchat app.
As you sign your flats for next year, take a moment to flick through the site and see what past tenants think, and add your own experiences as well. Ryan hopes that with more reviews, a clearer picture will be painted of both landlords and properties, allowing renters, and students in particular, to make better informed decisions and therefore have better flatting experiences.
Flatchat Website: https://flatchat.co.nz/
Get in touch: support@flatchat.co.nz
