HOW TO Here’s one way to avoid moving into a cockroach-infested Sydney share house sight unseen
BY: Kartya Vucetic
Moving to Sydney for uni is exciting in theory.
In practice, it can involve messaging strangers on Facebook, and trying to decode whether a “cosy room” really means “is an enclosed balcony”. The result? Seriously considering signing a lease for a place you’ve never seen because you’re arriving in two weeks and panic has taken the wheel.
This is especially true for international students, who are often trying to find accommodation before they have even landed.
Now look, speaking from personal experience, Sydney share houses can be great. But they can also be damp, overpriced, and strangely far from public transport.
In some cases? They’re a total fucking nightmare.
That is not even us being dramatic. Scape’s own origin story is tied to exactly this kind of student housing mess. Co-founder Craig Carracher has spoken about seeing overcrowded, pest-ridden terraces of Sydney and realising how bad the situation can be for non-local students trying to study here.
Which is why purpose-built student accommodation exists in the first place.
Image: Scape
Unlike a random share house, Scape is designed specifically for students. Rooms are furnished, bills are included, Wi-Fi is sorted. All the locations are built around access to universities, transport and student life. There’s also shared spaces and community events, something particularly useful if you are moving to Sydney without knowing anyone.
The point is not that every student needs to live in student accommodation forever. Some people love the share house life. Good for them.
But if you are arriving in Sydney for the first time, do not know the suburbs yet, and would rather not make your first major life decision based on three blurry photos and a landlord who says the room has “character”, this is one way to make the landing softer.
Because starting uni in a new country is already a lot, you probably do not need to add cockroach roulette to the list.
Explore Scape’s Sydney student accommodation here.
Editor’s Note: This article contains affiliate links, meaning So Sydney! may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.
