Renting and Sharing The style of long-term accommodation that is best for you will depend on you budget and your personal preferences.
Share Accommodation
This means sharing a house or apartment with other students or local
residents. Students and local residents advertise vacant
rooms and properties on the Swinburne
Student Housing Database.
Rooms may become vacant at any time during the year, especially at the
end of each semester. Check the Student
Housing Database regularly. If you find accommodation that seems to
suit you, be sure that you understand the terms of the arrangement and
what you will be
paying for and what your responsibilities will be.
Information
and advice on sharing accommodation.
Renting
This means renting a vacant house or apartment through a real estate
agent.
The easiest way to find vacant rental properties is by using the Internet:
www.domain.com.au
www.realestateview.com.au
www.realestate.com.au
We recommend that international students live close to their campus
as this allows them easy access to the campus facilities and to other
students. Although these may not be the cheapest areas the advantages
and the reduced travel cost/time are worth the extra expense.
Properties in Melbourne are advertised with a weekly rent, which is
then due as a monthly payment (pcm). To calculate, multiply your weekly
rent by 52 and then divide by 12.
Bond payments are normally required in advance and are usually equivalent
to one month’s rent.
It is your responsibility to make your payments on time. Keep copies
of all your receipts. Many real estate agents can provide you with a
Rent card so you can pay your rent at a post office or by telephone.
Sometimes you can arrange for monthly deductions from your bank account,
but check to see what fees are associated with this service.
It is important you understand fully what is expected of you as a tenant
and what rights and responsibilities you have, as well as those of your
landlord. The Rights and Responsibilities booklet at your Real Estate
agent office will tell you what you need to know. Read it carefully.
Comprehensive
information on renting a property
Accommodation Assistance Program
Swinburne International offers a free Accommodation Assistance Program during the January/February and June/July intakes.
Download the Swinburne International Accommodation Guide PDF (206KB)
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