Consumer Affairs defines a rooming house as follows: a building in which there is one or more rooms available for occupancy on payment of rent in which the total number of people who may occupy that room or those rooms is not less than 4.

For every 10 tenants, a minimum 1 toilet, 1 bath or shower and 1 wash basin is acceptable.

The most common lease periods Fox First Real Estate manage are 12 months. 12 month lease periods helps filter through longer term tenants, and generally means there is less turnover. Some leases are less, either 3 or 6 months.

Government authorities inspect rooming house properties. Generally, there are 3-4 inspections per property annually, this includes: a Health Inspector from the local Council, a Building Inspector from the local Council and Consumer Affairs.

Yes, all Council and Consumer Affairs inspections are managed as part of the Fox First Real Estate property management service. There are no additional costs associated with Fox First Real Estate managing these inspections on the Landlord’s behalf.

A Landlord can have all rooms occupied by couples as long as the total number of people is a maximum of 12 people per property and the rooms are a minimum size of 12.5sqm.

To date, the most expensive rooms are leased out at $390 per week. This is possible when all the variables offer great value to the tenant, i.e. Location, facilities, local amenities, size of the rooms, rooms that have ensuites and the general cleanliness of the property.

The application process to place new tenants is very important as dynamics are essential for harmonious living.