The tenants of this London St flat were greeted by rotten window frames, holes in the walls and mouldy ceilings. The house has harbour views but renovating the property has been harder than the tenants imagined. : Transforming the house of horrors

Dunedin students have a long history of naming their flats. : Transforming the house of horrors

Rubbish dumped on the section by previous tenants included a mattress, a couch, a television, a microwave oven, toasters, heaters and road signs. : Transforming the house of horrors

When Letisha Nicholas (23), removed scrim from her bedroom four months ago, she found the outer wall was rotten right through and there were no foundations. She hasn't been able to use the room since. : Transforming the house of horrors

Gib board is stacked in the ground floor hallway but work on the adjoining bedroom has not yet started. : Transforming the house of horrors

Letisha Nicholas (23), inspects the insulation used to line the basement. The material makes use of recycled fibre from plastic bottles. : Transforming the house of horrors

The kitchen-dining area. : Transforming the house of horrors

Leander Schulz (25) and his fellow flatmates lived most of last winter without any form of fixed heating in the house. The pellet burner was installed in the living room in August. : Transforming the house of horrors

Cutting down trees near the house allowed light in and air through. Photos by Linda Robertson. : Transforming the house of horrors