Remi Prica has been living in a frozen state for the past two weeks.
Prica is a member of the Canberra Student Housing Co-operative that occupies five units in Turner's Havelock House.
At $373.10 per fortnight, it's the most affordable student housing in Canberra.
But the co-op says its relationship with Havelock Housing has broken down.
The co-op directors were told via email the five residents of its largest unit would need to relocate to vacant rooms in the other four units.
They were told the residents would get written notice on July 1 to move out by July 14.
The email also said the co-op owed Havelock Housing more than $24,000 in vacant room fees.
"I have been in freeze for the last almost two weeks. I've been struggling to do uni work, to sleep, to do my actual job," Prica said.
"It's been really tough. When your housing isn't stable, it really bleeds into everything."
A Havelock Housing spokesperson said unit 16 would be repurposed to support homeless people.
"No student is being asked to leave the Havelock community, and there is sufficient vacant student accommodation available to ensure all affected residents can be accommodated elsewhere on site," the spokesperson said.
They said the vacant room fees were designed to encourage rooms to be filled in a timely manner.
"We encourage the student co-op to seek out other students in need and get the vacancies filled."
As one of the unit 16 residents, Prica does not want to move out and said the co-op has already interviewed new people to move into the vacant rooms in the other units.
"I think it would be very detrimental to my studies and my mental health if I was made to move out of my housing," Prica said.
"It's also quite important that the student co-op keeps the five units that we manage. Housing is becoming quite unaffordable, and there are a lot of students in need."
The co-op has been struggling to fill some vacant rooms which they say is due to maintenance issues, such as mould and broken doors. At one point three of the four washing machines for the entire building were broken.
"We have people who move in, stay for a couple of days, maybe not even that long, and actually move out because they don't want to live in the quality of housing that Havelock is providing."
The Havelock House spokesperson said it prioritised maintenance requests relating to safety, security and habitability.
They said mould was the responsibility of the tenants along with general cleaning but some bathrooms had been repainted in the ageing building. They said there was adequate washing facilities for all tenants.
The co-op is unique in the student housing landscape. Students collectively manage the application process for new residents. They share bulk foods across the units and members have roles and responsibilities in maintaining the common areas. It can house up to 29 students across the five units.
Prica said the co-op took into account people's circumstances when interviewing new residents and aimed to create a safe space for marginalised students.
"I've lived in quite a few share houses around Canberra and I quite liked the way the community of the co-op was set up and how central the location was," Prica said.
"As someone with a disability, getting to campus can be quite hard, so being this close to public transport, and ... [the ANU] makes it more accessible for me."
The co-op had a memorandum of understanding with Havelock Housing which determined the roles and responsibilities of each entity. Each student also signs an occupancy agreement with Havelock Housing.
A new proposed collaboration agreement removed unit 16 from the student co-op. Havelock Housing has also proposed a new fee structure that would charge students 28 per cent of their incomes plus rental assistance rather than the flat rate of $373.10 per fortnight.
The Havelock Housing spokesperson said all potential tenants, including students, had to provide their income statements to make sure they were suitable for the low-cost housing.
"The students that are accepted in the co-op pay less than most other residents who come to us. The income assessment requirement is that if they cannot provide income statements, they will be charged the full market rent, like other [Havelock House] residents."
The co-op has launched a petition and is planning a protest on July 9.
Havelock House was opened as a hostel for public servants in 1951.
In 1983 the Australian Federal Police took over the whole building, prompting backlash from community and union groups.
Protesters picketed the building for 16 weeks, prompting the government to move the AFP out and retain Havelock House as affordable accommodation.
"We need to fight for this housing ... We can't let it go into disrepair," Prica said.
"People need housing. Housing is a human right."
