Property managers Cutlers Ltd have apologised and taken down a Facebook post calling for tenders to rent a notorious flat after backlash on social media where it was labelled by some as exploitative.
The company put out the Debacle, on Cumberland St, to the highest bidder, a move the Otago University Students' Association said it "strongly condemns".
On social media, property consultant Matt Cutler said "we knew that we would have multiple groups wanting it and the only real way to separate them was to give them a chance to make their best offer".
Choosing based on the quality of the tenant was not really an option for the flat, he said.
"We could just randomly select but then the groups that missed out get upset because they didn't get the chance to make their best offer," he said.
"For that particular flat we know that we aren't going to be getting groups looking to have a quiet year so regardless of the quality of the applicants on paper, there are always going to be few things to deal with throughout the year.
"We used to run competitions to decide who got a flat but decided to stop this due to complaints so price became the next option."
Offering for tender would "just speed up the process and make it transparent from the beginning", Mr Cutler said.
"This was 100% my idea, I apologise to those offended and take full responsibility. We won't try this again."
The Debacle belongs to company TDub Limited, directed by rugby players Michael Leitch, who plays for Japan, Johan Bardoul, France-based Maama Vaipulu and the Chiefs' Brad Weber, who played several games for Otago in 2012.
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There's nothing morally wrong about the tender process! It's undoubtedly the most fair way to sort the problem. I think Mr Cutler should have stood his ground. Don't apologize if you've done nothing wrong.
'The problem' is the captive market. Cutler's can fool around with rental accommodation in Dunedin, not so much elsewhere.
"On social media, property consultant Matt Cutler said "we knew that we would have multiple groups wanting it and the only real way to separate them was to give them a chance to make their best offer"
Rubbish!!, you lot just got greedy.
And, of course, if you had the chance of making a few extra dollars, there’s no way you’d consider it. Yeah right.
You assume I'm a money hungry individual, luckily I'm not like you then and don't see dollar signs everywhere I go.
If more money was presented to me, I wouldn't necessarily accept it as of right.
I've dealt with one of the selling agents from Cutlers for some time. The person would ring me up and say they had an interested party to take through if I wanted to sell. Noting ever came of that.
I had to cut ties with the agent when our property manager said he would no longer be our property manager if we continued to deal with this agent, who the manager called a liar. I understood the manager's issues as what I had seen from this agent left me cold. I subsequently did not deal with the person again. Best day's work I ever did.
Sorry Cutlers. You need to vet your selling agents.