Student accommodation in Australia — how to find a place

Start with the university

Every Australian university runs or partners with student accommodation, and most reserve a share of it for commencing international students. It costs more per week than a sharehouse, but the price includes utilities and internet, the contract is straightforward, and — critically — you can secure it from overseas without a rental history or an Australian guarantor.

Apply as soon as you accept your offer. Places at the older residential colleges and at the popular on-campus halls are allocated well before semester starts.

Understand the vocabulary before you sign

• Rent per week. Australian listings quote weekly. Multiply by 52 and divide by 12 for a monthly figure — not by four, which understates it.
• Bond. A security deposit, usually four weeks’ rent. By law it must be lodged with the state bond authority, not kept by the landlord or agent. You get it back at the end less any agreed deductions.
• Lease / residential tenancy agreement. The written contract. Six or twelve months is standard, and breaking it early has costs.
• Condition report. The document listing the state of the property at move-in. Fill it in carefully and photograph everything — it is what your bond is judged against.
• Inspection (or "open home"). The scheduled viewing. Competitive markets have queues at these, and applications are decided quickly afterwards.
• Furnished vs unfurnished. Most Australian rentals are unfurnished — often without even a fridge or washing machine. Student accommodation is the exception.

Avoiding the classic scam

The pattern is always the same: an unusually cheap property, an owner who is "overseas" or "away for work", and a request to send the bond before you can inspect it. Never send money before you or someone you trust has inspected the property and you hold a signed tenancy agreement, and never pay by gift card, cryptocurrency, or a wire transfer to an individual. A legitimate agent will lodge your bond with the state authority and give you a receipt for it.

If something feels wrong, your university's accommodation service and the student union will both check a listing for you for free. That is what they are there for, and your SSAF already paid for them.

A realistic plan from overseas

1. On accepting your offer, apply for university accommodation for your first semester or two. Treat it as buying time, not as a permanent decision.
2. If nothing is available, book purpose-built student accommodation, or a short-stay place for the first two to four weeks.
3. Once you arrive, inspect sharehouses in person. You will get a far better result, and a far better price, than anything you could arrange from abroad.
4. Before you sign anything, check the commute. Australian cities are spread out, and a cheap room 70 minutes from campus is rarely a saving once you add transport and time.
5. Lodge your bond properly and complete the condition report on day one.

Know your rights as a tenant

Residential tenancy law is state-based, and every state has a tenancy authority and a free tenants' advice service. Your visa status does not reduce your rights: bond must be lodged, rent increases and evictions must follow process, and repairs are the landlord's responsibility. If you are in a dispute, contact the state tenancy service before you agree to anything.