Four Wellington students homeless after flat is red-stickered

Four Wellington students are without a home after abandoning their rickety Aro Valley flat during Monday's 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

Pre-carpentry Weltech student Bailey Watson, 19, shared the first floor of the two level flat with three other student friends.

Watson said when the quake struck, the flatmates immediately evacuated the house - for which they were paying about $175 a week each - as it was already on a "major lean."

It's since been red stickered and the boys are left with a few clothes, some valuables, and little else.

"I left without some of my stuff - my flatmates are worse off," he said.

They're now without beds, and all their other furniture, and kitchenware and Watson is sleeping on an air mattress in a stranger's flat in Haitaitai.

"The landlord put two of up in this flat that had three spare rooms upstairs," he said.

Watson said he had no idea who the people who lives in the flat were, but said they were aged between about 25 and 30.

"It's better than nothing," he said.

"But it's a bit weird."

He's been at the flat for three days, and he and his flatmates are desperately hunting for a new, four bedroom home.

"We looked at a four bedroom place in Brooklyn, the landlord really seemed to like us, but he gave it to someone else," Watson said.

And though his mum Amanda lives in Nelson, Watson doesn't have the option of just going home for summer as many students would.

"I've got course all the way through to March," the carpentry student said.

Amanda Watson said her son had no contents insurance, as its was a luxury he could not afford.

After rent, his student allowance of $220 a week left him with $45.

"There doesn't seem anywhere for them to get assistance. They desperately need to find a new flat, but there is not much available," she said.