The gaping hole in the hallway floor may be a hazard, the
four rats in the lounge may be disgusting, and the
graffiti-covered walls could make your nana blush, but for
five flatmates on Union St West, their flat is simply home.
The flat, "Bonnie Doon", was named by the Otago University
Students' Association (OUSA) as the worst in Dunedin, an
"honour" for which it will get a full professional clean.
Tenant Rhys Kelly said they entered the competition because
they were proud of their flat, despite its many, and varied,
flaws.
For $90 each a week they rent the house, which, if it were
anywhere other than North Dunedin, "would no way comply to a
single required safety standard", he said.
The house is on a lean, the carpet in the lounge is moist and
sticky, a drain overflows when the toilet is flushed, and the
backyard has been treated as if it were a landfill.
However, the flat's redeeming features include a
well-established vege garden, a fire and a sunny deck.
"You only get to live like this once," Mr Kelly said.
The award simply "put a title to what we already know".
Property manager Jenny Martin said the tenants were a great
group of guys, but she declined to comment on the state of
the flat.
The flat's "gems" were some of the many the judging panel,
made up of OUSA president Harriet Geoghegan, welfare officer
Claire Jackson, accommodation office manager Adele Evans and
Dunedin City Council local body candidates Jinty MacTavish,
Jono Clark, Andrew Eames and Aaron Hawkins saw yesterday.
Ms Jackson said about 20 flats entered the competition, which
celebrated the best, and highlighted the worst, of the city's
flats.
The best flat went to "The Picnic Table" on Albany St, which
won $150 worth of grocery vouchers.
Tenant Paul Lawrence believed it was the best flat because it
boasted 13 couches, four of which made up a grandstand in the
lounge; it had a vege garden, was a social hub, and was
sunny.
They overlooked the worst aspects of the flat - parts leaked
when it rained heavily, the bathroom floor had rotted out and
one room had a "garden growing out of its walls" - because
they simply loved living there with each other.
Attempts to contact the owners of both the best and worst
flats were unsuccessful.
Other flats in the running for best flat were 17 Bath St, 48
Howe St, and 624 Castle St.
Worst flat contestants were 53 Bond St and 17 Ethel Benjamin
Pl.
- ellie.constantine@odt.co.nz
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