STUDENT SUPPORT

Getting ready to arrive and while you are here

Accommodation

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New Students

In Australia, most students and staff live off campus in the suburbs of the city. Those single students who are living away from their parents' home (including international students) usually like to live either in houses shared with other students or in the University accommodation which is either on campus or situated close to the campus. Married students with or without children will need to rent a house or flat (apartment), as the university does not have accommodation for couples or families.

Temporary accommodation on arrival

Please note that International Services does not arrange accommodation. If you have not arranged permanent accommodation before you arrive, you must pre-book temporary accommodation. There is a range of temporary accommodation options for Hobart students and Launceston students.

International Services will then help you decide what type of accommodation you would like on a long term basis and help you locate it and settle in.

University Accommodation

Please refer to Accommodation Services for information about university owned/managed accommodation. There is also information about alternative accommodation.

Shared Houses and Flats

You may decide that you want to live with a friend or friends in a flat or house. Flats and houses close to the University are in great demand and are not easy to find.

Shared houses are usually single storey buildings set on a block of ground, the remainder of which is garden and lawn. The standard will vary from very well maintained in the more expensive houses to less well maintained in the cheaper houses. Usually, the older the house the larger the rooms.

Flats around the University may be newer in construction than houses and usually are in blocks of several side by side. Usually there is a small garden and parking spaces.

In shared houses and flats, each person has his or her own bedroom and the kitchen, bathroom and living areas are shared. Students in this situation share the cleaning and often also share costs for food and take turns in cooking and washing up.  Some landlords allow students to share bedrooms, but this must be discussed with the landlord before the lease is signed. If a landlord finds that more than one person is living in each bedroom without his/her permission, the landlord may terminate the lease.

Flats and houses on the private market may be unfurnished or partly furnished. Many items of furniture can be bought second-hand. Stoves (oven/cooker), fridges and washing machines are referred to as whitegoods.  All rental properties will contain a stove. Furnished houses and flats usually contain only basic furniture, and will not include such things as TVs, microwave ovens, etc.  Some furnished properties include everything that is needed, including kitchen ware (plates, cutlery, etc.) and bedding, but the rent for such houses or flats will be more than for unfurnished flats or houses.

Houses have several bedrooms (usually 2, 3 or 4), a kitchen, dining area (sometimes a separate room, sometimes part of the kitchen or the lounge room), a living area (the lounge room) a bathroom with a bath and/or shower and a laundry. Most houses of this age have one toilet which is either in the bathroom or in a small separate room near the bathroom.

Flats are usually 1 or 2 bedrooms. They may combine the dining area with the living area, and the kitchen may be only partially separated from these rooms by cupboards. In a flat, the washing machine may be in the bathroom or in separate communal laundries used by several flats.

Private rent ranges from $65 - $125 per room when the accommodation is being shared.

In both houses and flats, house members share the cost of electricity and other utilities.

Married couples, with or without children, would need to consider flats or a smaller house on the private market. A smaller house or flat may cost A$140, or more per week. Food and electricity may be twice the single cost, or a little less for a couple.

If you are considering renting a flat or house in the private market it is best to stay in temporary accommodation at first while you look around for an appropriate permanent place.

Tenancy agreements in Australia can be either verbal if the tenancy goes from week to week or written (called a lease) for longer periods. A lease is usually for a whole property, either a house or flat, and lasts for six or twelve months from the time of signing.

In the private market either one of the residents usually signs the lease and takes responsibility for collecting the rent from the other residents and it paying to the landlord, or all residents sign the lease jointly.

Before signing a lease, it is very important that you understand what your responsibilities are.  If you have any concerns, or do not understand a lease, ask an International Student Adviser to check the lease and explain it before you sign it.

A lease legally binds the tenant (you) to pay the rental on the property for the period of the lease and binds the landlord (the owner) to allow the tenant to remain in the property for that period unless the tenant breaks the lease. The Tenants' Union of Tasmania provides a number of useful information sheets to help people undersatnd their rights and responsibilities as tenants, as well as assistance if there is a problem between tenants and landlords.

The University Accommodation Service and house or flat owners require a 'bond', equivalent to four weeks' rent, which is paid to the Accommodation Service or the landlord before the tenant moves in and may be used by the landlord to pay for damage, breakages or unpaid rent when the tenants leave. It should be returned to you when you leave if you have not incurred these extra expenses.