When she first came to Sydney to study in 2018, Jiaying Wan was tricked into paying up to $ 8,000 in deposits and renting a cramped, shabby motel.

The 24-year-old Chinese girl and an accounting student studying abroad also has to pay an additional 165 USD weekly cleaning fee and 75 USD fee of the mattress protection for the owner.

"When I moved in, I realized I was cheated. I've never seen the mattress protector the landlord once said," Wan said.

This hostel was Wan searched online before coming to Australia. She contacted the inn owner via the WeChat social network. Upon learning of being cheated, Wan went to the Redfern Legal Center to seek help. Wan's complaint was filed with the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Court and her landlord had to appear in court later.

According to the court ruling, the inn owner must return Wan 3,600 USD as an additional deposit and rent.

"Now I am always wary of renting," Wan said. The international student also said that renting accommodation also causes a lot of financial and mental stress while studying in Sydney.

However, Jiaying Wan is not the only international student who has this problem. According to a recently published report, international students often become "prey" of the inn owners in Australia.

Research results from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) show that nearly half of the 2,440 international students asked were victims of abusive and fraudulent cases. motel, or living in shabby rooms. They have to rent houses at exorbitant prices, live in crowded and unsafe accommodation, and are even harassed and intimidated by tenants and houses.

Law instructor at UTS and author of the study, Dr. Laurie Berg, said the condition was not under control.

"International students are vulnerable, because they have to live away from home and do not know their rights. They do not have family or friends here to tell them," Berg said. "They need an affordable motel in the crowded crowded rental market now. Lax regulations allow landlords to stay afloat, because they know it's easy to get away with the crime."

Akanksha, a former Indian student, said she had lived in a cramped motel room with two other people for several months, after coming to Melbourne to study project management in 2016.

The kitchen there didn't have a sink, and she always lived in fear of being hurt at any time in that cramped space. "I don't feel safe living there," Akanksha said.

Dr Berg said that stories like Wan and Akanksha's share in the media were just the tip of an iceberg, and the authorities needed a solution to this problem.

"The government has done almost nothing to stop the scams, or there are very minor penalties. Therefore, it is not strong enough to stop them," Berg said.

The report also provides seven recommendations for universities and governments, including the development of housing services for international students, providing better legal support and deterrence to employers. motel.

In 2018, 876,000 international students attended universities, vocational colleges or English language schools in Australia.

"If we want to bring more students from other countries to Australia, we need to urgently make changes to ensure they are not being taken advantage of and have the opportunity to thrive in this country," said Dr. Berg. identify.