Accommodation

Table of Contents (Click to skip to your question):

What kinds of accommodations are available?
What is off campus accommodation?
What is an on campus accommodation?
What’s the difference between vacant, share and board accommodation?
Do I need to buy furniture?
What is the estimation of rental in Queensland per week?
Are electricity, water and gas included in the payment of the rent?
Is internet included in the payment of the rent?
When should I start looking for accommodation?
Apartments/units or houses?
Do I need to pay rental bond?
How much is the rental bond?
Do I get my rental bond back?
How do I pay my rent?
Will there be any increase of rent?
How long is usually the lease or tenancy agreement?
Can the length of the contract be changed?
What happens if I want to end the tenancy early?
Am I allowed to have pets?
If I have a problem with my lessor/agent, whom do I go to?
If a natural disaster strike (Taken from RTA’s website ):
Does the tenancy agreement end during a natural disaster?
The premises are totally non-livable and I need to end the agreement. How is this done?
Do tenants have to pay rent when they’ve been evacuated?
Can the rent be reduced?
Can the lessor/agent put the rent up?
Can a tenant be evicted to make way for another who will pay higher rent?
Useful links

General Information on Accommodation

What kinds of accommodations are available?

There are two types. Off campus accommodation and on campus accommodation.

Off campus accommodation is an accommodation of which you are responsible to find your own apartment house and also your own housemate or roommate. You might also need to buy your own furniture, but this depends on your agreement with your lessor or agent

What is an on campus accommodation?

Union College UQ, example of colleges available in UQ

On campus accommodation is living on campus, most probably in university dorms or residential colleges. Sometimes this type of accommodation includes a meal plan, of which meals are prepared for you. Do re – check this with your respective universities, especially regarding your meal diet (Halal, Vegan etc) and also regarding female and male shared rooms.

What’s the difference between vacant, share and board accommodation?

Vacant is when a property is currently vacant and you start a lease on the property.

Share is when someone already is living in a property and they have a vacant room they want to fill. It is also called shared if you have some friends who you want to live with then you may look at the rentals together and find something that suits your needs.

Board usually involves staying in a room of a private home, often with a family. Rooms are usually full or part furnished and sometimes meals are included in your boarding fee

Do I need to buy furniture?

Some accommodation is already fully furnished (all basic furniture’s are provided), where as some are partially furnished and unfurnished house. Do check this while you are scouting the property. You will also need to check what are the basic supplies provided and what are not included.

What is the estimation of rental in Queensland per week?

Union College UQ building

The usual rent will be around AUD130 – AUD 250 per week. But this depends on the type of accommodation you are looking for (vacant, shared..Etc)

Are electricity, water and gas included in the payment of the rent?

Usually no. At most times, you will have to arrange and pay this separately then your rent. There is however, some accommodation, which includes them in. You will have to re check this with your agent or proprietor

Is internet included in the payment of the rent?

It depends on your accommodation. Usually you will need to arrange for internet yourself, though some locations do provide internet service as a package.

When should I start looking for accommodation?

We encourage students to look for accommodation about a month before university starts, especially if your targeted locations are near (walking – distance) to your campuses. These are very high in demand. If you are opting for on campus accommodation, it is advisable to apply when you got your offer letter. There are processes that needs to be followed if you are applying for on campus accommodation (do check this with your respective universities).

Apartments/units or houses?

Apartments can usually accommodate up to 4 – 5 people. Houses can accommodate more. It’s your choice and convenience.

Do I need to pay rental bond?

Yes. Rental Bond is an amount of money that is paid by the tenant as a form security for the lessor just in case there are breaches in the rental agreements. An example of the situation will be, if you broke the furniture of your house that belongs to your landlord, an amount of money from the rental bond might be deducted as a replacement. A bond is also to cover up any cleaning or maintenance cost needed (If any).

How much is the rental bond?

The rental bond is a percentage of your actual rent. This depends on the agreement that you have with your lessor or agent. The maximum amount that a lessor/agent could charge you is a 4-week rent.

Do I get my rental bond back?

Google maps is one of a good way of looking at houses in Australia try it!

Yes. When you vacate the accommodation, you will get your rental bond back. The amount is in full if there are no breaches in the agreement.

How do I pay my rent?

Usually the lessor/agents required the rental payment to be paid in advanced, or on time. You can pay your rent in various ways; cash, cheque, debit/credit card or bank transfer.

Will there be any increase of rent?

Sometimes. However, the rent cannot be increased within 6 months since the current amount becomes payable by the tenant. ( http://www.rta.qld.gov.au/paying_the_rent.cfm)

How long is usually the lease or tenancy agreement?

The lease or tenancy agreement can be as short as monthly, or 6 months, or annually. Please re – check this with your lessor/ agents.

Can the length of the contract be changed?

Yes. You can extend your contract by renewing them with the lessor/agent. The termination of contract also needs to be discussed with your lessor/agent.

What happens if I want to end the tenancy early?

If you would like to end the agreement earlier than stated, as much notice as possible should be given to the lessor/ agent and they should be notified as early as possible. Do note that breaking an agreement can be very costly and it might cause some consequences. You might lose your entire rental bond and the lessor/agent can claim compensation for any loss caused by the early termination.

Am I allowed to have pets?

Only a limited property is allowed to have pets. You will need to check this with the lessor/agent.

If I have a problem with my lessor/agent, whom do I go to?

If you are having problems with your lessor/agent, you can contact RTA. The RTA provides dispute resolution advices. Link to the website is provided below.

If a natural disaster strike (Taken from RTA’s website ):

Does the tenancy agreement end during a natural disaster?
The tenancy agreement does not automatically end during a natural disaster, even if the premises are totally destroyed. A tenancy agreement will only end if one of the parties (tenant or lessor/agent) has taken action to end it.

Ray White, one of the real estate agents in Queensland

The premises are totally non-livable and I need to end the agreement. How is this done?
Where the premises are considered non-livable, either the lessor/agent or the tenant can give a notice formally ending the tenancy on the grounds that it is non-livable. This will end the tenancy agreement on the same day the notice is served, but you must give the notice within one month of the disaster that made the premises non-livable.

Do tenants have to pay rent when they’ve been evacuated?
This would need to be considered on a case-by-case basis, and depends on a number of factors, such as whether or not the premises are non-livable. The best solution is for the lessor/agent and tenant to come to an agreement about the future of the tenancy and rent payment arrangements such as rent reductions.

If the lessor/agent and tenant are unable to come to an agreement, the RTA can provide a free dispute resolution service to help the parties reach an agreement.

Can the rent be reduced?
If the lessor/agent and tenant come to an agreement to reduce the rent during evacuation, or for the period the property is damaged, the agreement should be put in writing.

First national, another real estate agent.

Should the property be damaged or partially damaged, then the tenant and lessor/agent may be able to come to an agreement regarding a reduction in rent until the premises are returned to the condition prior to the disaster occurring. Again, any agreement should be put in writing and signed by all parties.

If an agreement cannot be reached between the parties about a rent decrease, or the amount of decrease, then the RTA’s Dispute Resolution Service may be able to assist.

Can the lessor/agent put the rent up?
Queensland tenancy law sets out when and how rent can be increased. Two months notice of a rent increase must be given to a tenant, and it must have been at least six months since the last rent increase. The rent cannot be increased during a fixed term agreement unless the tenancy agreement already allows for it.

If the tenant believes a rent increase is excessive, either during a tenancy agreement or between successive fixed tenancy agreements, they can dispute it.

If the lessor/agent and tenant decide to end the agreement for non-livability and then start a new tenancy agreement some time later after the premises is fixed, a new tenancy agreement may include a higher rate of rent.

Can a tenant be evicted to make way for another who will pay higher rent?
It is an offence to evict a tenant in a way that does not comply with the Act. If the lessor/agent and tenant do not agree about the ending of an agreement, the RTA’s free Dispute Resolution Service may be able to assist.

Attention: Any other details regarding the rental of the accommodation such as finding roommates, furnished or unfurnished etc, depends on the lease agreement.

Useful links:

Residential Tenancies Authority – RTA (more information regarding renting in Australia)

http://www.rta.qld.gov.au/

University of Queensland:

http://www.accommodation.uq.edu.au/

Queensland University of Technology:

http://www.qut.edu.au/

https://www.accommodation.qut.edu.au/

Griffith University:

http://www.griffith.edu.au/

http://www.griffith.edu.au/accommodation

Bond University: