KEY POINTS:
Students devalue neighbouring properties by up to 10 per cent and living next door to them is only slightly worse than having a doss-house next door.
So says a survey from allrealestate.co.nz, which said students were second only to squatters in a worst-neighbour poll.
"Doof-doof parties, long lie-ins and dirty dishes piled around the sink - these are the characteristics plaguing the residential reputation of students," said Shaun Di Gregorio of the website.
"Having students as neighbours could devalue a home by up to 10 per cent.
"The findings reveal not everyone loves their neighbours, with 59 per cent of New Zealanders claiming students to be the worst neighbours, second only to squatters in a roll-call of undesirables that included residents in share houses and families with teenage kids."
Andrew King, vice-president of the Property Investors Federation, took issue with the survey, saying students had changed. They tended to have fewer parties and put their education well before their social life.
Childless couples were not necessarily the best neighbours, he said, questioning the size of the poll and its results.
"One person's bad neighbour could be someone else's good neighbour. It comes down to perception," Mr King said.
Retirees could be horror neighbours, Mr King said, citing the case of one elderly man who stabbed a rugby ball with a knife in front of horrified children who had accidentally kicked it into his property.
The online survey of 242 New Zealanders was conducted during the first week of this month. Mr Di Gregorio said with the average New Zealand home now priced at $337,500, the financial cost of living next door to a neighbour from hell could have dire consequences for lifestyle and for a home's value.
One in 10 potential homebuyers believe squatters next door devalue properties by up to 15 per cent, and almost a quarter believe students could wipe off a sizeable $33,750 or 10 per cent from the average house price.
"Party-prone young ones living in a share house are also considered to knock 5 per cent off a home's value, with a quarter of respondents citing the lack of interest in the upkeep of a rented property, such as rubbish over-spills, headaches caused by loud music and rowdy revellers heading home after a night out as key drivers."
Other residents could also slash thousands of dollars off the value of a property, he said. "Slamming doors, arguments and musical instrument practice put families with teenagers in the top five neighbours from hell. On the flipside, childless couples, retirees and singles were voted the perfect neighbours.
"Students are notorious for having a good time and living in messy conditions, but our results show a greater concern among householders regarding the detrimental effects different types of neighbours can have on the price of their property," he said.
Neighbours have a significant influence on our quality of life, especially in suburban areas and increasingly house hunters are prepared to pay a premium for a quiet, trouble-free life.
Auckland University Students' Association president David Do yesterday defended students, claiming the survey was evidence that its authors had "fallen for the usual stereotypes", and were "using a few bad apples to generalise".
Students were often at the mercy of bad landlords, who did not worry about the state of the homes they rented out. "It is unfair to put all the blame on to students for that. There is a variable quality of landlords, hence varying quality of housing."
Students lived on limited incomes, which made it hard for them to "maintain immaculate lawns".
'WE TRY TO KEEP IT DOWN'
Batten down the hatches if you find yourself spending a Wednesday, Friday or Saturday night in King St, Arch Hill.
Those are the evenings the five occupants of No 17 - all university students aged 18 and 19 - usually decide to put the books aside and have a few drinks at their Auckland flat.
"This is probably the best flat to come to," says commerce student Jeff Lind, 19, though he admits there is a girls' flat up the road that also knows how to party impressively.
The boys' five-bedroom, $800-a-week miner's cottage looks just the sort of place where students might like to relax like students.
The front of the house, which sits very close to the street and the neighbours, is a little overgrown, and there are the telltale signs of student habitation: empty stubbies, some sort of rack and a clump of burned paper.
The back of the section has clearly seen a party or two, with an abandoned barbecue-like contraption in the middle of the yard and a pile of what looks to be pallet timber lying close by.
"If we find wood, we burn it," says Hugh Gardiner, 19.
But opinion seems to be divided among the young men as to the validity of a real estate survey claiming students are considered neighbours from hell.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was true," says Mr Gardiner, though he does not elaborate.
But visitor Pagen Plaizier, 18, reckons the boys try their best to be considerate of others by ensuring any noise is contained "mostly inside".
And tenant Mack Lind insists the household is quick to respond if neighbours do raise concerns about the noise level.
"Every now and again, we get texts about the parties. They just text us, and we turn it down."
But he believes anyone who gets too worked up about the noise must appreciate the fact that noisy neighbours can be a fact of life anywhere - particularly at the weekend.
"On a Saturday night, nowhere is going to be quiet."
WORST NEIGHBOURS
* Squatters 83%
* Students 59%
* Share-house 44.5%
* Families with teenagers 27%
BEST NEIGHBOURS
* Childless couples 55%
* Retirees 52%
* Families with young children 36%
* Singles 31.4%
* Pet owners 23%
