Accommodation Providers

Thank you for considering to offer accommodation to students and/or staff of The University of Western Australia. If you choose to use the Housing Database, this listing service is a free service designed to assist students and staff to secure suitable accommodation in a timely and effective manner. Before proceeding to list your property on the Housing Database, we encourage you to take the time to read the following information.

Demand for Accommodation
Students’ Preferences
Insurance
How the Listing Service Works
Terms of Use
List your Property

To list your property for staff /academics ONLY, please speak to one of the Housing Officers on 6488 2423 or 6488 3547 or send an email to: housing@uwa.edu.au 

You can get copies of Rental Agreements and other useful documents here.

If you are considering offering Homestay accommodation, please be aware that our service is an information only service. While our Housing Database can list your accommodation free of charge, unfortunately we are unable to select individual students to place with families. If you would prefer a managed placement service, the UWA Housing Service is unable to provide this. If you would like a supported service we recommend you talk with a provider of homestay arrangements, such as WA Homestay Network or Talkabout Tours, local businesses who place international students in local accommodation.

• WA Homestay Network - www.wahomestaynetwork.com.au / Ph: 1300 697829

• Talkabout Tours - www.talkabouttours.com.au / Ph: 9438 2747

If you prefer to go it alone and want to know how the Housing Database listing service works, follow this link.

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Demand for Accommodation

All students, staff and academics of The University are entitled to use the Housing Service.  Staff and students will look for accommodation all year round, but the peak demand for student accommodation is as follows:

Semester 1 - from mid-January to the first week in March. From mid March, demand for housing usually drops and remains steady until the completion of first semester exams in late June.

Semester 2 - During the mid-semester break (usually the first 3 weeks of July) there is a small increase in demand for accommodation as some students may wish to relocate during this period and also there is typically a small number of new students arriving for the second semester.

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Students' Preference

Location

Students prefer to be within easy walking or cycling distance of the Crawley campus. Properties within 1-10 kilometre radius of the campus which are on a direct bus route to campus are, in general, the most popular properties. However students are willing to travel up to 15 kilometres if public transport links are good.  Commuting distance/time is particularly important as many students wish to access library and computing facilities on campus after hours and on weekends.

Properties in the following suburbs are usually the most popular: Crawley, Nedlands, Dalkeith, Shenton Park, Swanbourne, Subiaco, Daglish, Claremont, Cottesloe, South, East and West Perth, Victoria Park and Como. We will accept listings for properties in other suburbs, particularly those close to rail links.  However, the further away a property is from the University, the less attractive it is to students.

Share Accommodation

Share accommodation includes:

- Room only (students pay for the room - utilities may be included or extra)
- Full board (breakfast and dinner each day plus lunch on weekends and utility charges are included in weekly rent)

In general, students prefer 'Room Only' accommodation over 'Full Board' as it's cheaper. During 2008 'room only' accommodation ranged from $110-$170 per week for properties within 15kms of The University.  Full board (including 'Homestay') ranges from $220-$300 per week.

Homestay Accommodation

Homestay Accommodation is similar to share accommodation.  It is usually full board, providing most meals, and also covers the cost of electricity, gas and water. Students are usually welcome to join in family activities.

If you are considering offering Homestay accommodation and would like a supported service, unfortunately the UWA Housing Service is unable to provide this. We would advise you to talk with a local provider of homestay arrangements, such as Talkabout Tours or WA homestay Network, local businesses who place international students in local accommodation.

Vacant Properties

A 'Vacant Property' is any accommodation that is completely unoccupied.  Vacant properties include granny flats and self contained studios which are completely separate from the main residence. These properties are usually managed by the owner or an agent e.g. Real Estate Agent.

All vacant properties close to campus are of interest to students. A one bedroom unfurnished unit close to the University can rent for upwards of $220 per week.  Vacant one bedroom fully furnished (and ideally fully equipped – i.e. including cutlery, crockery etc.) flats, studios, bedsitters, granny flats etc. close to campus are usually in high demand.

If you have a property on offer with two or more bedrooms, students do have a tendency to group up with friends and lease the property.  Students have been known to sub-let rooms, so please make the conditions of tenancy very clear before entering into a contract.  More information can be found further down this page at Other Useful Information and Links.

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Insurance

If you are considering taking in a boarder or a lodger you should contact your insurance company to let them know. Some insurance companies will charge you an additional premium to safeguard your property while you have a paying guest in your home, but you need to speak to them about this. Your home insurance will probably not cover the possessions of your paying guest, so they will need to take out a separate policy.

If you register as a host to provide homestay accommodation through WA Homestay Network, they will provide insurance for both you are your boarder or lodger as part of the package. Please contact them directly for more information.

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How the Housing Database Listing Service Works

UWA offers an off-campus Housing Database to UWA students and staff. This is a free service but is operated on a self-help basis. Properties (either on a vacant or share basis) available for rent in surrounding areas are listed with the Housing Database. Students or staff may then access the information and contact you directly to arrange a viewing.

• Information submitted by accommodation providers is displayed on an online database which students and staff of The University can access.  
  
  
• Anyone interested in your accommodation listing will contact you directly. Contact will be made by whatever contact method you state on your listing.  The Housing Office does not screen nor match students to any preferred listing or accommodation provider.  Therefore negotiations made are entirely between yourself and the student or staff member.
  
  
• If you are interested in pursuing the potential occupancy, it is up to you to arrange a suitable time for both yourself and the student or staff member to view the property. This way you can 'gauge' the suitability of the potential occupant.

Your listing will remain current for 2 months unless you delist it at an earlier date. You are welcome to relist your property again at any time but you may have to re-enter the information as old listings are deleted periodically. To enable us to keep our listings up to date (and to avoid you getting unnecessary telephone calls) please delist or delete your advertisement immediately your accommodation has been taken.

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General Information

Setting Your Rental Amount

The Housing Office does not view, inspect or manage any properties listed on the Housing Database. Accordingly, as we are unaware of how your property compares to other accommodation offered, we cannot provide any advice as to what rent you should charge. Therefore, to help you decide what to charge students for their accommodation, it will be beneficial to consider the following:

- current rental market (including rent or mortgage you may pay yourself)
- proximity to services and the University (e.g. transport, shops)
- facilities you provide or allow access to (e.g. own bathroom, internet)
- existing furnishings or partial furniture in room

Dispute Resolution

The Housing Officers do not screen students, nor do we manage their tenancy. Any agreement made is solely between you (the accommodation provider or managing agency) and the student or staff member. Students may, however, consult with us to clarify terms and conditions and discuss any issues which may arise between you and them.  When disputes arise we will act on behalf of the student and do our utmost to help find a quick, equitable resolution that all parties are happy with.

On rare occasions when an equitable resolution cannot be reached, we may advise a student to seek legal assistance.

The majority of students who use the Housing Service are from overseas or outer state.  We at the Housing Office endeavour to inform students, especially international students, of their rights and responsibilities as tenants, boarders and lodgers.  The courts do not take kindly to any accommodation provider who appears to have taken advantage of overseas students in the course of their tenancy.  The Residential Act 1987 is very clear on what to do and not to do as an accommodation provider or tenant.

More information can be found at:

www.taswa.org
www.docep.wa.gov.au

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Other Useful Information and Links

You can find examples and copies of general tenancy forms e.g. lease agreements, bond lodgement and dispersal forms etc. through the TASWA and DOCEP websites.  We have also provided some sample forms and information sheets on our website.

To assist you with your tenancy arrangements you may find it useful to read the information contained in the following information sheets:

Room Rent Providers
Full Board Providers
Accommodation Agreement (for Full Board & Room only rentals)
Information for Property Owners (for renting vacant properties)

Additional information regarding renting out your property may be obtained by visiting www.taswa.org or www.docep.wa.gov.au

Other websites:
www.SabbaticalHomes.com
www.roomstolet.com.au

If you have any questions regarding the listing procedure or tenancy arrangements in general, please feel free to email your query to us (housing@uwa.edu.au) or telephone the Housing Office 6488 3547 or 6488 2423.