Students shocked by ‘indefensible’ rent hikes at Curtin accommodation

Young people living at Western Australia’s biggest university will be hit with a steep hike in accommodation fees next year, with the guild warning students are being “priced out of their own education”.

Curtin University’s Student Guild claims students living at Guild House, Erica Underwood and Vickery House face rent hikes of up to 23 per cent on current costs for the start of 2026.

Curtin Student Guild President Dylan Storer outside UniLodge’s Kurrajong Village.

The rooms at those locations have been advertised as “refreshed” accommodation options, but Guild president Dylan Storer said that did not mean better security, air conditioning, nor upgrades to bathrooms or kitchens.

He said it was instead referring to repainted walls, and described it as “cynical and dishonest”, particularly when guild temperature monitors had recorded rooms staying above 30 degrees for weeks on end during summer.

“The so-called ‘refreshed rooms’ are a perfect example of how students are being ripped off – nothing more than a coat of paint dressed up as an upgrade worthy of thousands of dollars a year,” Storer said.

“This is the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, and instead of helping Curtin’s accommodation, providers are piling on.

“Students are being priced out of their own education, forced into unsafe housing and treated like second-class citizens. It’s cruel, it’s unfair and it must stop.”

Storer also claimed students must pay extra to use washing machines and parking spaces at the facilities, which has made the increases even worse.

He said the university had previously stepped in to stop rent prices from significantly increasing, and should do so again, claiming the vice chancellor had a duty to stand up for students, not “stand by while they’re bled dry”.

“This is cruel, it’s indefensible, and … Curtin can’t just shrug its shoulders,” Storer said.

“Students are being pushed to the breaking point – rents keep going up, but the conditions keep going down.”

A Curtin University spokesperson said they were “acutely aware of the financial pressures facing students” and that “demand for student accommodation remains extremely high”.

But they refuted the guild’s claims, and said recent refurbishments to accommodation included full kitchen replacements, bathroom upgrades, new furniture, LED lighting, window coverings and painting.

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The spokesperson also said the average increase for accommodation across the university was 2.8 per cent, equating to $8 to $14 per week.

“These remain well below Perth’s private rental rises, where the median weekly rent is around $685 for houses and $650 for units,” they said.

“The guild’s claim of a dramatic percentage rise since 2023 is not accurate. Since 2023, the largest cumulative increase across any Curtin residence has been about 61 per cent.

“These increases largely reflect the phasing out of temporary COVID-era discounts of up to 50 per cent, which were introduced to support students during and after the pandemic.”

They said while air conditioning was available in many of their accommodation, it was possible they would consider adding it to cheaper options as part of future refurbishments.

Students experiencing hardship are encouraged to apply for the Curtin On-Campus Accommodation Equity Bursary, which provides up to $3000 per year.

The spokesperson said further support was available through dedicated accommodation coaches, the university’s food pantry and other wellbeing services.

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