Shared Accomodation Vacancies vary and may be in houses, flats or units and sharing with one or more students or working people.

The usual procedure is for you to first make telephone contact with the person making the accommodation offer and arrange a suitable time to inspect the property and meet the members of the household.

Typically in a share accommodation situation, each person has his/her own bedroom and the rest of the facilities in the household are shared. Household chores and cooking are normally shared though cooking is sometimes done individually. Costs vary according to the location and quality of the accommodation. Share vacancies would generally fall within $70-$110 per week per person On top of this would be the cost of bills, on average around $15-$20 per week.

Sharing accommodation is one way of coping with your daily cost of living. In addition to the financial benefits sharing can also offer a way of meeting new people and making new friends, a way of learning about different cultures and a way of developing your own independence as well as a support network In addition to the housing notice boards, you may also like to look at the Wednesday and Saturday editions of The Age and The Herald-Sun newspapers. There are also share accommodation agencies but these charge a registration fee and may not be suitable if you’re on a tight budget. Go to the web site listings to find the web addresses for the newspapers and share agencies. In order to make sharing a success you need to establish your house rules with those with whom you will be sharing. Some important considerations when seeking shared accommodation are:

1. Cost
2. Number of people in the household and their ages
3. Male/Female ratio
4. Proximity to campus and public transport
5. Special dietary requirements such as vegetarianism
6. Smokers-Non-smokers in the household
7. Cultural differences
8. Common interests of those in the household
9. The condition and features of the property itself. Use the renters' checklist to help you with this

You should always meet everyone in the property and thoroughly discuss things before you agree to move in. Use the Occupancy Agreement to help you with this. Having things in writing before you move in can avoid arguments and disputes later on. Also, you should always ask for a receipt whenever you hand over any money to move into a place.

Friends visiting or staying over:

Guests are usually a bone of contention in most share households. You will need to discuss with those you are sharing with about having friends staying over or a guest for dinner. One’s person’s dinner guest can be quite expensive. If you are having a friend stay regularly it may be a good idea to offer to pay a little extra when it comes time to pay the utility bills. It is therefore a good idea to work out the rules before you invite someone over.

Food, chores and bills

FoodMany households prefer a kitty system when it comes to buying food as it is cheaper to share the expense between a number of people and each person can then take their turn at cooking. However, this does not suit all households and you will have to come to your own arrangements with the others in the household. Some share households just have a kitty for communal expenses such as toilet paper, washing powder, and other cleaning products and each person buys their own food.

General Chores

Depending on the number of people you are sharing with will determine how often you will have to do chores. Inevitably, a set of house rules is the only way of eliminating a situation where one person is left to do everything. A roster system is probably the best away of allocating the work. It should include things like shopping, dusting & vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and toilet, putting the rubbish out for collection, cooking/dishwashing duties, and periodic jobs such as cleaning the fridge, stove, windows and maintaining the garden. Each person should be responsible for his or her own laundry and bedroom. It is important to work out how often each chore is to be done. What you do with people who do not do their share of work is up to you. Like all things the roster should be open to suggestions and changes.

Bills

It is usually your responsibility to pay your share of the bills such as gas, electricity, telephone and possibly water. You will need to come to some arrangement with those you are sharing with as to how you will share these bills. For example, keep a tally sheet or a money box by the phone for people to either tick off their local calls or put their money in the box. STD, Mobile & ISD calls are now itemised on the back of your phone account. (Please note you may be eligible for a health concession card which entitles you to a 17.5% discount on your gas and electricity bills between May and November)