Student housing in Australia

14 February 2016 by News Desk   |   SHARE  

Australia is among the top three destinations in the world for international students.

Australia: Finding suitable student housing can be challenge, unless you plan your study visit well in advance. Western Australia in particular has seen a big rise in overseas students attending its three most popular universities.

And this growing popularity has put pressure on available housing. At Murdoch University last year there were seven students for every five available rooms. For Curtin University the ratio was five students for every three rooms.

For the University of Western Australia there were three students chasing every one room available. And in the area around Edith Cowan University at Joondalup there were seven students for every three rooms available.

In suburbs near Curtin University – such as Karawara and Bentley – housing can be hard to find with just four per cent of rented properties currently available.

In the suburb of Crawley near the University of Western Australia just 3.8 per cent of properties are available to rent.

To help you stand the best chance of finding suitable student housing in Australia, here’s some useful tips:

Social Media: Keep a respectable social media profile. Property agents, managers and landlords check Facebook and other social media pages of prospective tenants to gauge their suitability. It does not look good if you are pictured drunk and unruly.

Get references: Teachers and employers are a good place to start. A number of good character references will show you’ll be a good tenant.

Prove you can pay the rent: Make pay slips and bank statements available to show landlords you have enough money to pay rent and bills during your stay. Some landlords might ask for a parental guarantor contract.

You get what you pay for: Expect to pay more rent for fully furnished properties and housing with ‘luxury’ domestic appliances.

Plan your visit in advance: Many student properties are empty in December and during university holidays. Housing can be easier to find and sometimes cheaper to rent during these periods.

Click here for more info: Study in Australia