Having spent a very short time in Weir House while studying at Victoria University, I can't really speak from experience, and I was lucky to find alternative accommodation when the hall life didn't suit me. But it was a lot easier way back in the 1980s. Ultimately, the issue of student accommodation, or lack of it, is a housing issue, and there are just not enough places. Students are being encouraged to do further study, and not a lot of thought has gone into where they'll live. Housing and the hall stock are just not keeping up. Lack of competition in the rental market has flow-on effects, and correcting this imbalance is a huge part of ACT's housing policy.