Accommodation guide

On-campus

Off-campus

Other options

On-Campus

Postgraduates can be accommodated at the Halls of Residence and/or share student apartments near their campus. Costs vary slightly depending on the type of accommodation and, in some cases, on the length of stay. Generally the agreement is for the academic year (10 months), however shorter term stays can be catered for at some campuses.

Berwick

North Flats and Berwick Hall of Residence

Caulfield

International Mews

Clayton

On-campus at Clayton there are five Halls of Residence plus Normanby House as well as the South East Flats.

Mannix College is a residential college affiliated with Monash University (rates include most meals).

Gippsland

North Units, South Units and West Houses (large/double bedrooms, or smaller single).

Peninsula

There are four areas of on-campus accommodation at Peninsula:- Bloom St, Lardner Rd, Samada St and Student Village

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Off-Campus

The following information is courtesy of Monash Residential Service. The MRS off-campus accomodation homepage also has links to multilingual vidoes on Renting in Victoria.

• Before you start

• Ready to look

• Searching for accommodation

• Getting help with problems

Before you start

Plan your housing budget

Costs on establishing a rental property include advanced rent, security deposits (or bonds), electricity/other utilities. Shared accommodation is generally cheaper than renting on your own as you can share costs.

MRS has a guide to budgeting and a guide to rental accomodation costs.

Establishment costs

It is common to pay one month’s rent in advance plus a bond (usually an additional month’s rent). The bond is repayable in full at the end of a tenancy, providing there is no damage to the property and no outstanding rent. Local students on low income, may be able to borrow the bond money from the Victorian Department of Human Services (international students do not qualify).

Most flats/houses are unfurnished, so buying certain items will be necessary. They can be bought cheaply from other students or second-hand shops. Usually in share households, each tenant is responsible for supplying furniture for their own bedroom, and everyone contributes to furnishing communal areas. Some share houses are already established but some extra items may need to be bought.

Rental payments

Each month’s rental payment is due in advance. Be aware that your tenancy does not automatically finish on the last day of your lease. You are required to give the landlord notice of your intention to vacate. Usually 28 days notice is required, but it varies according to your reasons for vacating. Tenants are entitled to a receipt upon payment of rent. Always request a receipt and keep it as your payment record. Receipts may be needed if a dispute arises regarding overdue rent, etc. Tenants do not have the right to stop paying rent if the landlord/agent won’t do repairs on a residence.

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Ready to look!

Learn about your legal rights and responsibilities

Renting in Melbourne is regulated by the State Government and all tenants must abide by the tenancy laws. Go to the Consumer Affairs information page for tenants.

The tenancy agreement

The Residential Tenancy Agreement is a legal contract between you and the landlord, setting out the terms and conditions. This is also referred to as the 'lease'. It should include: Property location, total rent amount, amount of the Bond money, start and end date of the tenancy term and the landlord's name. Read it through carefully and never sign a blank form. Ask for help if you are not sure. You must be aware that paying a 'holding deposit' may not guarantee you the property, but it could commit you to a lease.

Rental accommodation should require you to sign a lease/tenancy agreement, legally binding tenants to pay rent for an agreed length of time (usually 10-12 months). It is very difficult to get out of a tenancy agreement if you find the property is not what or where you expected it to be. You cannot just change your mind. So don’t agree to take on a property before you see it.

Privacy of information

Landlords/real estate agents have the right to request information from tenants. They could insist on seeing photo identification, perform background checks, ask for a bank statement once you have established one upon arriving or a reference/proof of your enrolment. However, ensure that the landlord certifies the level of privacy of the personal information provided and make sure it includes a privacy statement about how your information will be used.

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Searching for accommodation

The MRS website has a number of links to accomodation databases in Melbourne.

The Monash Marketplace often has listings for accommodation/house-shares as well as ads for furniture, white goods and other household and student items.

Tips on how to search for off-campus accommodation

Each database functions slightly differently. We suggest:-

• searching under your preferred suburb and clicking the "include surrounding suburbs" box where it is available.

• don't search under the Monash Univeristy dedicated postcode - this is a mailing postcode only and rental databases will either come up with no results at all, or try and find you accomodation in remote country towns.

Other tips:-

• ‘To share’ means that others already live there and you would be sharing the common areas only. ‘To Let’ means that the entire property will be leased to you.

• If the property is ‘To share,’ check the preferred gender, how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are and how many bedrooms are still available. Ask who the current residents living there are and what are the house rules. Be informed so as to save time.

• Be aware that not all real estate agents are student friendly and may waste your time. Ask what properties they could suggest would be appropriate for you to apply for.

• Check your rights and responsibilities. You should be aware of:- what a bond is and that it should be sent to the Bond Authority; about the condition report that should be given to you and a receipt should be given to you for every payment you make.

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Getting help with problems

Monash Residential Services can assist with: Bond disputes; getting repairs done; privacy; rent increases; breaking a lease; notices to vacate and other housing-related matters. MRS offers tenancy advice and an advisor is available at each of the campuses for a personal appointment.

Appointments can be arranged at any campus convenient to you regardless of where your course is based.

More information including a list of common abbreviations used in rental advertisements, how to connect utilities, tips on moving, etc. can be found on the MRS off-campus wepage (see left-hand nav bar).

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Other options

Homestay

The Homestay Accommodation Services (HAS) is a Monash College Pty Ltd company which offers international students the opportunity to live in a local home while studying in Australia.

Homestay families provide single room accommodation that includes linen, bed, desk, lamp and clothes storage facilities and three meals a day, seven days per week. All your utilities costs are covered, except for telephone and internet

See the Homestay website for more details.

Wesley Homeshare

Students with an interest and commitment to caring for older or disabled people might like to consider the Wesley Homeshare program.

The program matches householders who are looking for help and companionship with people of integrity who are able to provide this assistance in return for affordable accommodation.

The householder provides a bedroom and shared facilities. In exchange, the companion provides approximately 10 hours per week of practical assistance such as cooking, cleaning, shopping and gardening, as well as the added security of having someone else sleeping in the home.

For more details visit the Wesley website.

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