Student accommodation
As a university student, sometimes it is necessary for us to seek accommodation near the school. However, there are countless rent advertisements on the Internet. So how do we find a place to live that is both convenient and economical, while avoiding renting scams. In my opinion, the key is based upon the information collected on the property.
When we are choosing the accommodation, there are several factors that need to be taken into our consideration. Firstly, is the expenditure for renting. The cost for us to rent can be divided into three parts: the rental charge, the security bond and other relative household expenditures. Ordinally, the weekly rent should be around 150-300 AUD. This amount varies to depend on we are renting along or sharing with the others. In addition, the lessor will ask for a security bond in case the tenants breach the contract, normally it is 2 to 4 weeks rent charge. This prepayment is the precautionary for the tenant end the lease before the agreed date, therefore, the additional compensation may be applicable for any damage to the property. In most cases, the household expenses such as electricity, water and gas are included in the rent. However, some lessor may only cover part of these amounts, thereby we have to estimate these charges into our cost calculation.
We take accommodation near the university because it is convenient for our study. Hence the second feature we are interested is the location. When we meditate on this section, we should not only focus on the physical distant itself. Other factors like public transport availability, safety and daily life convenience should be considered as well. For example, the student accommodation provided by the university will certainly have the shortest physical distance to the school, but if the commute time is insignificant, there will be little difference for us to live in the suburb. The living environment around the property is important. A mature, safe social community allows us to prevent unexpected loss and dangers. If the accommodation site is near the town-centre, it will be easier for us to attain a part-time job in the area.
Comparison makes perfect, hence before we make any decision, we have to do our own investigation. Every property for rent will open for inspection, so what we have to do is to attend it by ourselves. The property can look entirely different than the picture. When we take the inspection, we must gather the following information: Is there anyone else sharing the rent, if does, how many, and what are other tenants’ background? Furthermore, is there a parking space available, or how far is the property away from the public transport station?Moreover, how is the interior condition of the building, is it furnished and is there any other specific requirements by the landlord? We should cover all of our interested topics during the inspection, due to the information is valuable in the decision process.
After we chose the accommodation, make sure we sign a contract with the lessor. This contract will clarify the uncertainties though out our rent and provide legal protections to our rights. In this contract, we should explicitly state: all the rental charges, including rates, security bonds,penalties, payment and other utilities expenses if applicable; Security, safety, maintenance and entry rights; the tenancy terms, the rent increase agreement and any other precautionary terms we would like to mention. Keep the contract within duplicate copies as well as the payment receipts, thus we will have evidence when there is a problem. In my opinion, we should always use a regulated real-estate agent to find renting information. For instance, http://www.realestate.com.au/, http://www.domain.com.au/ are the two available options. Even though the sub lessor is our friend, we still require a contract to avoid any unexpected situations.
In conclusion, the process of choosing accommodation is a process of gathering information. The more accurate and sufficient information we collect, the more choices will be available for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment