Relocating abroad can be daunting for many students. Apart from coping with a new culture and an unfamiliar neighborhood, you would also be coping with a sudden financial and educational responsibility. This is overwhelming, and we understand if you don’t know what to look for while scouting for student housing.
Living in a bad accommodation can cause severe psychological stress to some. This may further affect the studies of the students. On the other hand, if you live in a house, dorm, or flat that matches your expectations, you are more likely to be happier, relaxed, and full of confidence.
This article lists down a few helpful tips for students searching for safe, and reliable housing in Australia and New Zealand.
Know your expectations and manage them
It is important that before arriving in Australia you acquaint yourself with the nitty-gritty of all things related to accommodation. You have to be aware of the various legal issues that would impact your life. Please look up and read the various kinds of rental agreements on student accommodation. Some of the clauses may not be applicable in your home country, but those can be very important in Australia.
Many overseas students might be disappointed at seeing the cultural mismatch between them and their new neighbors, so it would be worthwhile to manage this discordance.
Types of accommodations
Before flying over to Australia, please know the various kinds of accommodation. You can choose one of the following places to stay;
- Purpose-built Student Accommodations
- College Dorms
- Hostels
- Rental properties i.e. apartments and flats
- Service apartments
- Homestays
While most students prefer dorms and hostels, there are others who would like to live privately in a homestay, in an apartment or a flat. Some students who are married would like to live in a homestay during their studies in Australia.
Convenience and Conveyance
As an overseas student, you might be interested in exploring your city. There are so many libraries, parks, beaches, etc. that you might want to check out. For this purpose, is your flat, hostel, dorm, etc. located close to a bus or train station? How far is your accommodation from the airport? You need to ask these questions before finalizing your accommodation.
Commute time
It is important that your commute time to your classes is as little as possible. Surely, you would not want to arrive late in your class. You would like to arrive in your class fresh and full of energy. Therefore, please choose your room, dorm, flat, etc. that is close to your college or university. Some online portals like Iglu Student Accommodation could help you get your dream house in a click!
Housemates
Your Australia experience will largely be fashioned by your immediate company. You would probably need a person who compliments your personality. There is no way you can keep up with a person who has aggressive behavior, or bad personal hygiene, or someone who is just odd.
We understand you have little means of ascertaining the right housemate, but you can wait for a few months and check who in your class matches your temperament. Until then, please consider staying alone in a rented room.
Avoid shady providers
It’s perfectly natural to scout for cheap accommodation while in Australia, and you can get several of these in crowded neighborhoods. But many of these ‘inexpensive’ and ‘value for money’ rooms or flats might be run by illegal and un-regularized providers.
One way of identifying them is to check with your local student union. You could also do a simple online check on the authenticity of your accommodation provider.
