Chinese students scramble to secure housing in Australia

For Zoey Zhang, a student from China who is heading to a top Australian university, finding accommodation in the country has been tough – so much so that she has even considered sleeping “rough on the streets”, reports Reuters.

Like Zhang, around 700,000 students from China enrolled to study overseas have been left in the lurch after a surprise January edict by Beijing said they would have to return to on-campus learning for their education to be recognised back home. This has triggered a rush for accommodation even as housing markets worldwide grapple with surging rents. But the crisis is more acute in Australia because its academic year starts in February, not September as in North America and Europe.

Highlighting the rush for accommodation, Louis Liu (22) a Chinese student in Brisbane, and others have started attending property viewings on behalf of students in mainland China. Liu said she films two viewings per day, for up to AU$40 (US$27) a piece.
Full report on the South China Morning Post site