Rental assistance
Students receive rental advice
Make sure you understand your rights and responsibilities before you rent a house or apartment, or board in a rooming house or shared accommodation.
Understanding lease agreements, rental bonds, property inspections, and obligations regarding repairs and maintenance to the property is essential to protecting your rights and obtaining stable accommodation during your studies.
Make sure you understand the cost of living, prepare a budget and obtain financial advice before you search for suitable accommodation. If you need advice about renting or are having difficulties paying your rent, utility or other expenses contact us so we can help.
On this page
VU Support programs
Searching for accommodation with a friend
If you would like to look for accommodation with other students, join the House Hunting Friends group on Facebook. This is where you can meet other students online and help each other find suitable housing.
International students - getting help finding accommodation
If you are a new international student and need help finding accommodation, register for a housing mentor. Our housing mentor program is designed to help you look for accommodation in the first few weeks of semester.
We will email you the name and contact details of a Housing Mentor so that you can start communicating online. Housing Mentors are existing VU students, trained to provide practical support to new international students searching for accommodation in Melbourne.
Become a housing mentor
The Housing Mentoring Program is looking for volunteer mentors to support our new international students in their search for housing.
We will provide you with full training and ongoing supervision and support. All students applying will need to meet the following selection criteria:
- be a currently enrolled Victoria University student
- lived in Australia for at least 6 months
- have had experience in finding accommodation for yourself.
- be interested in assisting new students to find accommodation
- be available to attend training
- be available to assist 1 hours per week during the first 4 weeks of the semester.
- be good at working in a team
- available to be rostered for a drop in service based at Footscray Park
If this sounds like you, register to become a Housing Mentor.
Financial assistance
Australian students may be eligible for subsidised housing from the Victorian Government Office of Housing, or an interest-free loan to cover the cost of the bond if you are renting privately.
Australian students may also be eligible for a housing emergency fund or one-off utility grant. If you receive Centrelink benefits, you may also be eligible for fortnightly rent assistance.
You may also be eligible for a Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarship. Contact the Scholarship office for more information on eligibility and how to apply.
Choosing a suburb
Use our campus maps to find a suburb that is close to your campus, or public transport that provides easy access to where you are studying.
You might also like to get directions and approximate travel times from a suburb to your campus at Google maps.
Your rights and responsibilities as a tenant
Before you rent accommodation make sure you are aware of your legal rights and responsibilities. Renting a home: A guide for tenants and landlords provides a summary of the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. The landlord must give you a copy of this guide before you sign a lease.
You can also contact the Tenants Union of Victoria and Consumer Affairs Victoria for further information and assistance before you sign a lease or if things go wrong during the lease.
The Equal Opportunity Act 1995 makes it illegal for Landlords to discriminate against you. If you feel that you have been discriminated against, contact student equity or the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission or no cost, confidential legal advice, representation and arbitration.
Consumer Affairs Victoria
Consumer Affairs Victoria provides valuable information for students trying to access accommodation in Victoria.
This video covers advice on how to commence, maintain, and end a tenancy within Victoria. This video is offered as a valuable tool for students to help understand their rights and responsibilities as a residential tenant.
Duration: 32 minutes 24 seconds
Language: English
Transcript: Currently unavailable
Last updated: 16/10/2008
Tenant Union of Victoria
Tenant Union of Victoria provides information to inform and educate you as a tenant about your rights and how to improve your conditions. They provide this information in multiple languages and provide free and confidential telephone, drop-in and email advice
Contact us
We provide independent, confidential advice on a range of housing issues.
ASKVU Find answers and ask questions
Phone +61 3 9919 8801, 9919 4418 or 9919 2399
Email housing@vu.edu.au