The Worst Hostel in Australia: Canberra City YHA

Canberra City YHA is quite possibly the worst hostel in Australia. A fan of Bad Landlord has written in with a litany of complaints about the hostel. With the current poor housing market, people are finding accommodation where they can. They are staying at hostels if they cannot find other more secure forms of housing. 

When I first moved to Canberra for a job, I stayed at the Canberra City YHA for a few months. The gloss wore off very quickly.

• The hostel is completely over priced. The price per night for a 10-bunk dormitory can be as much as $40 per night. For other comparable hostels in other states, the going rate would be about $20 per night. Plus breakfast is not complimentary. You have to pay for it. 
• The pricing is dodgy. The price per night can change from day to day with no adequate explanation. In my time there, the pricing for a 10-bunk dormitory fluctuated between $30 and $40. There are many people staying there on a long-term basis. They are not offered a reduced rate. 
• When booking accommodation, reception will routinely quote more than the available online price. The practice is completely dodgy. The way they treat international visitors is disgusting. There can be a considerable difference in what they are quoted (up to $100 for long stays).
• The manager will leave notes on your account. This is always checked by staff members when you book accommodation. I am not sure but I think the manager leaves instructions on what to charge you. If they are doing this, it's probably illegal. There is no transparency or accountability. 
• They are breaking the law. Under Australian Consumer Law, businesses must provide receipts. They don't give people receipts, let along itemised receipts. They get away with doing this because most customers are from overseas. If you book for a block of time, you can't see what you are paying per night. 
• The staff treat people staying there with complete contempt. Complaints are not an opportunity for improvement. There is no such thing as customer service at the Canberra City YHA. This is probably because they have a monopoly on the market - there are only two hostels in Canberra.
• According to YHA policy, there are restrictions on long stays. However, people often stay on an ongoing basis because accommodation options in Canberra are so limited. The policy is only applied if you piss off management. If you complain, you run the risk of being evicted. People are often evicted for arbitrary reasons sometimes with no notice. For example, paying 'rent' a few hours late.
• The hostel asks for a $1 contribution to the sustainable hostel fund for 'eco-projects'. I did not see any special projects but I did see them install new curtains. How dodgy is this. They probably use this for ongoing maintenance that they should be funding out of their profit margin. 
• No one uses the pool or the spa advertised as a 'sauna and spa and wellness centre' because they aren't heated (unless they are completely nuts! Canberra is freezing at the best of times).
• I signed up to be a member years ago and I paid a fee to access a discount. Upon arrival, I was told that the system had changed and people were automatically members. I would have loved a refund. 
• The hostel advertises a nightclub DJ and live music/performance. There is a bar next door and it is run completely separately. There is no social director like what you would find at other decent hostels. The third floor balcony is great but they kick you out at 10pm every night. 
• A young lady was sexually assaulted on the premises while I was there. Still in shock, she went and reported this matter to reception. Instead of calling the police to have the perpetrator arrested, they kicked him out! He was located and charged by the police at a later date. 
• I was asleep in my dormitory once. I woke up and my belongings were gone. The staff had had broken into all of the lockers using a bolt cutter to take off the padlocks. They didn't even wake me up to check which locker was mine! It felt like a complete violation of my privacy. 
• The hostel charges for storage. Unbelievable. I have travelled the world and I have not encountered a hostel or hotel that charges for something this basic. It's expensive and there are no other options/solutions for people who stay there on an ongoing basis. About $9 per day on top of accommodation. This caused heaps of problems for me because I worked and stayed somewhere else on a part-time basis. 
• One time they threw out my food. About $20 worth. I can't remember if I had labelled my food but there were unopened items like coffee. I went and complained. They didn't give a shit. They didn't even offer to give me credit. 
• There are ongoing issues with the heating. Heating is critical in Canberra because it can get as low as minus five degrees. They either don't have heating (air conditioning only) or they don't supply heating to the large dormitories. I saw people going to bed in their jackets and beanies. They don't even supply extra blankets. 
• The staff. A mix of inexperience and incompetence. But a few happy smiling faces. I think the problems stem from management/ownership to be honest. 
• One time the washing machine ate my gold coins. Do you think I could get a refund? No. Not possible. She said and I quote, 'I don't owe you anything'. 
• The hostel has been around for a long time and is run down. It definitely needs to be renovated. To be fair though, they keep it relatively clean. 
• The reviews. Don't trust them. They're fake. 

Vote with your feet. Don't book there. You have options. The other hostel Dickson Central is in Dickson. If you are traveling as part of a group, you can book an Executive apartment for about $100 per night. You can also book relatively cheap stays on AirBnB. 

😡😡😡

Residential tenancy laws do not regulate hostels. For people living in hostels because they have no choice, there are implications for their legal rights. There is no security of tenure. The hostel policy applies. Is this a gap? Should the law change? 

While policies may state otherwise, the actual practice of permitting long-term stays may create a reasonable expectation that the service may continue. The argument could certainly be made that guests staying on a continuous basis should be entitled to some form of protection. 

It would seem unfair that guests staying on a long-term basis (not night to night) can be evicted at will. Particularly considering that homelessness may result.

It's definitely food for thought...