Finding a housemate in Melbourne: what to ask in your first chat

1Which four facts should you agree on first?

Budget, move-in date, term and campus. If these do not match, a great chat will not save it.

Weekly budget. Rentals in Australia are quoted per week, so say what you can pay each week (weekly rent × 4.33 is roughly the monthly rent). Then ask whether that number is rent only, or includes power, gas and internet. Whether bills are included makes a real difference to what you pay at the end of the month.

Move-in date and term. You want to move in on 20 February and the other person only arrives in mid-March. Who pays for the three weeks in between? Also ask how long each of you plans to stay. Leases are commonly 6 or 12 months. If you only want six months but sign a 12-month lease, you will need someone to take over if you leave early (see Transferring a rental agreement).

Campus and commute. A maximum commute works better than a suburb name, for example “under 30 minutes by public transport to campus”. One university can have several campuses (Monash has Clayton and Caulfield, for instance), so ask where their classes are.

2Where do you find a housemate, and what should you watch for?

Each channel has its own traps.

Here is a post that does the job. It puts the four hard facts and your routine in one message: “Starting Monash Clayton (masters) in February 2027. Budget about A$220 per week, bills included preferred. Moving in around 20 February for 12 months. Looking around Clayton or Huntingdale, within 30 minutes of campus by public transport. I'm an early sleeper (lights out before midnight), cook occasionally, don't smoke and don't have pets. I speak Chinese and English.” Leave out your name, passport number, religion and health. If you have a gender preference, you can state it plainly, or save it for the private chat.

3What should you actually ask in the first chat?

Ask about specific habits, and people can answer.

These are not an interrogation. They find the places where you might clash later. Answer them yourself first, because the other person will ask back. Do not cover everything in one go: start with the first three, and carry on if it feels right. Many people skip this and find out after moving in that one of them goes to bed at 10 pm and the other at 3 am.

4When should you walk away?

Three situations where it is better to keep looking.

Money and dates stay vague. You have asked twice how rent will be split and when they move in, and the answer is still “we'll see”. On a joint agreement every renter is responsible for the whole rent, so if they cannot pay, you may have to cover it.

The other person will not budge on hard limits. You said smoking, pets or overnight guests bother you, and they said “you'll get used to it”. You will run into it every day, and it will not fix itself.

They push you to pay quickly, or will not let you inspect or meet. “Transfer A$500 today to hold the room, or it's gone” is a classic scam line. If you have not inspected the place and met the person, do not pay anything, and do not send a bond to someone you have not met (see Rental scams).

5How do you meet and decide, and how do you say no?

Messages first, then video, then in person. Check three things before you commit.

Video call first, then meet somewhere public, and tell a friend the time and place. Do not decide on the spot. Talk at least twice, and if you can inspect the place together, even better. It shows how they treat the house and the shared areas.

Before you commit, ask three things: who is on the agreement right now, and has the rental provider agreed in writing to you moving in; who pays the bond and how it gets paid back; and what happens when someone wants to leave. The first one matters most. Joining a joint agreement needs the rental provider's consent, and renting a room from a head renter needs their written permission. Without it, the rental provider can ask everyone to leave within 14 days (see Co-renting, sub-letting and rooming houses).

To say no, one line is enough: “Thanks for your time. I'd like to look at a few more options, so I won't keep you.” You do not need to explain, and do not comment on the person in the group.

6How does Yeeliving's housemate matching work?

Fill in a form that takes about 3 minutes, an adviser talks to you first, and contact details are shared only if everyone agrees.

We do not act as head renter and we do not collect rent or bond. An introduction does not vouch for anyone: the adviser checks your details and the card carries a “verified by adviser” tag, but meeting the person, inspecting the place and reading the agreement are still up to you.

The questions an adviser asks (sleep, cooking, visitors, cleaning and so on) are the same ones as in the table above. Answer them in your head first and the housemate form will go much faster.

7Once you have found someone, what are the next three steps?

Inspect the place and read the agreement, write down your house rules, and decide what happens when someone leaves.

Inspect the place and check the agreement. Find out who is on it and whether the rental provider agrees. On a joint agreement, check whether the other person is a new applicant or an existing renter. Renting a room from a head renter needs written permission.

Put money and routines in writing. How rent is split, who opens the bill accounts, who fronts the bond, cleaning and visitors: use dates, amounts and frequencies. See 12 things to agree on before sharing a house. Do it even if you get along.

Decide what happens if someone leaves. While a name stays on the agreement, the responsibility stays too. A replacement needs the rental provider's written consent first (see When a housemate leaves).