There are plenty of flats around that are named for their state of preservation or lack of heating: The Fridge, The Fridgette, The Heap, The Manor all spring to mind. You might not be able to do much about the size of your flat, but you can have a say in it’s quality through a new site called Rate My Flat.

If you’ve not heard about Rate My Flat, do check out this article from the ODT.  The lovely people from The (Shit Show) Chateau (rated the OUSA Worst Flat in 2012), are behind this venture through Live the Dream. Rate my Flat is about making a change for good and improving living conditions for students.

“Know what you’re getting BEFORE you sign the lease. Rate My Flat is an online database of ratings, comments and insider knowledge from previous tenants, so you can have the power to decide if your next flat is worth it.” Source: Rate my Flat Facebook page

You can hear Lindsey Horne and Leander Schulz talking with Kim Hill on Radio NZ (8 February 2014).

You can register your flat online, over 1000 folk have,  and it may well make a difference. Landlords who look after their flats will benefit, and landlords who don’t may receive some constructive feedback. The Chateau team have plenty of experience with crappy living conditions having taken on a house in dire need of TLC. You can read more about that experience here, and bless them, they are still living there.