Accommodation

A healthy part of growing up and becoming independent is moving away from the family home. It’s a pretty exciting time and also extremely daunting time for most people and it helps to have some family or friends to help you out.

Most people usually rent to start off with, either on their own, with friends, or in a sharehouse.

We have listed some useful websites for finding rental properties and sharehouses below.
-   Realestate.com
-   Domain

    Some excellent websites on sharehousing:
-   Share-House
-   Flatmates
-   Share Accommodation

Renting for the first time can be difficult as most rental agents want proof of your rental history. It’s pretty difficult to have a good rental history when you’ve never rented before! What can be used instead, if the parents are willing, is a signed letter from mum or dad to say they will pay the rent or damages in the unlikely event that you aren’t able to. For other alternatives ask the rental agent of the property.

For more information on the legal rights and responsibilities of tenants, and the reality of renting, visit the Rental Tenancies Association website.
When you take up a lease on a property, beware there are some big upfront payments to make. Bond is usually equivalent to 4 – 6 weeks rent and is payable before moving in to the place. You may also have to pay 2 weeks rent upfront as well to secure the lease.

For information on emergency accomodation, please visit our Crisis Housing section.

Generally speaking, moving house is probably up there on most people’s most hated things to do. It certainly is an onerous task but usually it’s not too bad when you’re young, as generally you haven’t had enough time to amass enough furniture to make it really painful.

It is also a considerably expensive exercise, though how much will depend on how many of the big necessary items you do or don’t have. For things like whitegoods, beds and sofas, make sure to ask around any family or friends, many people are just waiting for an excuse to get rid of their perfectly good, but older appliances. Give them an excuse and offer to take the old one off their hands! Shop at charity shops, second-hand stores and flea markets for bedframes, cupboards, desks and chairs. Op shops are also great places to find a decent set of curtains, rugs, sheets, cushions etc for a great price. The big department stores like Kmart and BigW now stock a very basic cheap range of kitchen appliances, with toasters, kettles and irons all between $10-20 brand new!

To actually move all of your stuff is the next fun part. Hiring a van can be quite harsh on the wallet, if you have a car just DIY and move the stuff yourself, or if it’s possible ask if any family or friends can give you a hand by doing a few trips in their car. You can also hire trailers at a reasonable rate but you will need a car with a tow bar and reasonable weather!