As Auckland's property market heats up, students could be left out in the cold.

Property Investors Federation chief executive Andrew King has told the New Zealand Herald many landlords in Auckland are choosing to cash in on booming house prices, rather than settle for steady incomes by renting to students.

That leaves the city's 40-thousand strong student population fighting for scraps, with many having to move to far suburbs, or stay at home with parents.

20-year-old science student Taylor Green says he has looked at 16 flats in the past fortnight, one of which had almost 150 people queued outside.