Share Accommodation

[fenix]

Hello all,

We're about to rent out 2 rooms in the top storey of a high-set house (1 room will continue to be occupied by a family member).

Just wondering what kind of formalities we should be worried about.

We have sorted out public liability insurance, talked to council on their requirements, figured out what the ATO want etc.

I'd like to know more on the agreements between you and the share tenants. Do you make them sign an official RTA lease or a general agreement? What happens if you need to kick them out or they're no good tenants.

Anything anyone knows about share accommodation, I'd like to know hehe.

Kind regards.

 

[WinstonWolfe]

Been a while since I did something siimilar.

There's two courses you can go- play up the boarder or the sublease angles.

The RTA in Qld I believe requires you to collect a bond if subletting, and to lodge it with them. My cynical side believes the RTA get a little self financing from the interest they earn on the security deposit.

I am unsure on the laws regarding boarders, but consider this:

Doesn't matter how well you think you know these occupants, they have absolute access to your property, and your family member's stuff.

In that respect, there's potential for them to create hell on earth.....stealing cd's one at a time, stealing cash from his wallet a little at a time while he sleeps, having visitors of dubious character, getting up to all sorts of mischief while your relie is away.....the downside has a very deep bottom....

if bad blood descends on the household, you want to be in a position to deny the occupants access to the property, and that's a legal minefield.

I don't believe the RTA has any say over boarders, and I am unsure of what boarder's rights are. However, if someone is subletting, then the RTA can help.

Don't leave this to chance. It;s a totally differnet kettle of fish to allow someone into a property as a share mate.

 

[fenix]

Thanks for the reply.

Upstairs and downstairs are totally separate (no internal stairs), so they wouldn't have access to any downstairs stuff.

All 3 rooms have locks on them (not crazy ones of course - just standard ones).

Just wondering how I can kick someone out, even if I've made them sign a personal agreement where they sign they understand the rules etc.

Pick wisely? That is a given. But further to that, what if they choose not to pay for a couple of weeks.

Haha.

So many people let rooms out to students, I'd like to know how you manage this.

 

[Xenia]

There is some information on student accomodations on our information brochure which you can download from our web site www.adprop.com.au email me at [email protected] if you can't find it.

It's written for SA so it may need some tweaking, you may however get some good ideas that can be implemented anywhere!

 

[WinstonWolfe]

Don't think students are any less trouble.....

Consider what you will do when a boarder :

- rapes another boarder but the other boarder out of being threatened of her life, doesn't want to press charges.

- the student boarders mates drive all over your lawn ripping it up.....

- the boarder's mates decide to throw beer bottles at a street light, then your letter box, then your driveway.....and don't clean it up properly......if a child collecting money for the Salvation Army cuts their barefeet on your driveway, who is responsible??????

- one of the boarders during a particularly stressful exam period has a psychotic breakdown, and decides to trash your place and set fire to all his worldly possessions in the backyard..........freaking out all the other boarders......who leave within 2 weeks....

- you also want to take on board how busy the police are in your neck of the woods....cos the busier they are, the less inclined they are to intervene when your place gets trashed, by a boarder student.......and your insurance agent will just love that the police told you "if you didn't see em do it, we can't do nothing...make an insurance claim".....

If you find a forumite or solicitor with answers to these scenarios, I am all ears.....cos these are choice bits from my life.....

Now consider the advantages of equities

 

[fenix]

Everything one can do, contains an element of risk. The idea is to minimise this as much as you can, hence my post.

If those are choice bits from your life (I assume your share accommodation life), then you have certainly experienced some extremes in that environment.

Do you have any ideas as to what kind of agreements owners make the share tenants sign?