Accommodation Service / Types / Off campus

Off-campus accommodation

The Accommodation Service can help you find off-campus accommodation. You can access the database listing off-campus accommodation by visiting the Accommodation Service Office or via the On-line search facility.

Other off-campus accommodation options, as well as helpful information about living off-campus, are included below:

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Off-campus student hostels and residences

Alternative off-campus accommodation is available at student hostels and residences, which offer single or twin-share rooms, shared facilities and a safe living and study environment.

While some accept only female or male students, others are co-residential.

Some offer cooking facilities for residents, but most provide meals.

Most of these residences are affiliated with religious denominations and while this gives each a special character, students do not have to be a member of the denomination to apply.

Some are within walking distance of the Camperdown and Darlington campuses, and all offer good access via public transport to the University.

To find the location of a particular residence in relation to the University, use the website Where Is, where you can view maps of the area, or search for particular locations.

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Arundel House
29 Arundel Street
Forest Lodge 2037
Phone: 02 9692 6783
Fax: 02 9660 4881
Email:
Women: full board
$238 - $248.50 per week single room
$196 per week shared room		 Flo Harris Lodge
11 The Boulevarde
Lewisham 2049
Phone: 02 9569 7421
Fax: 02 9568 6235
Email:
Women/men; full board
$180-$200 per week single room
Epworth House
5 Wetherill Street
Leichhardt 2040
Phone: 02 9564 0808
Email:
Women/men;part/full board
$150/$200 per week single room
$90/$140 per week shared room		 Moore Theological College
1 King Street
Newtown 2042
Phone: 02 9579 999
Fax: 02 9577 9988
Email:
Men; full board
$245 per week single room
Kriskindl Residence
22A Hillcrest Street
Tempe 2044
Phone: 02 9558 3332
Fax: 02 9559 5797
Email:
Women/men; breakfast included
$190 per week single room
$140 per week shared room		 Stead House
PO Box 3015
Marrickville 1475
Phone: 02 9557 1276
Fax: 02 9519 2380
Email:
Salvation Army; women; partial board
$175 per week single room
$145 per week shared room
St Barnabas Terraces
76 Glebe Point Road
Glebe 2037
Phone: 02 9660 6762
Fax: 02 9552 2580
Email:
Women/men; self-catering
$125-$145 per week single room
$100 per week shared room
You must be under 23 years of age to apply.		 Montpellier House
39A Elizabeth Bay Road
Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011
Phone: 02 9291 9307
Fax: 02 9283 3302
Email:
Women/men; self-catering
$250 per week single room
$220 per week shared room
Tony Mundine Hostel
(part of Aboriginal Hostels Limited)
203 Catherine Street
Leichhardt NSW 2040
Phone: 02 9550 0178
Fax: 02 9560 5061
Email:
Indigenous women/men; full board
Under 21 years old $119 per week single room
Over 21 years old $147 per week single room		 UniLodge Sydney
cnr Broadway & Bay Street
Glebe 2037
Phone: 02 9338 5000
Fax: 02 9338 5111
Toll free: 1800 500 658
Email:
Women/men; self-catering
UniLodge is not owned by the University of Sydney.
$242 per week for a studio apartment
Casual rate is $125 per night for a single room.
Mark Ella Hostel
(part of Aboriginal Hostels Limited)
18 Hewlett Street
Granville NSW 2142
Phone: 02 9637 0932
Fax: 02 9637 0934
Email:
Indigenous women/men;full board
$110 per week shared room

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Low-cost accommodation with special eligibility criteria

This section includes accommodation that has special eligibility criteria (for example, Selle House is available to disadvantaged students).

SELLE House and Low-Cost Terrace Housing
Selle House and the low-cost terrace houses are located near the Camperdown campus. They are owned by the University, and administered by the Properties Office.

Selle House offers single and twin-share accommodation ranging from $65 twin-share to $82 per week for a single bedroom. Rooms are fully furnished, with self contained kitchen and bathroom, and shared laundry facilities.

Low-cost single rooms are available in some of the University terraces. Prices range from $141 per week for a single room. Rooms are fully furnished, with shared kitchen, bathroom, living and laundry facilities.

Note: special selection criteria applies for Selle House and the low-cost terrace housing. These residences are not available to international students.

Contact:
The University Properties Office
Phone: 02 9351 3490
Fax: 02 9351 9877
Email::

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STUCCO
STUCCO is a housing co-operative for full-time University of Sydney students. The co-operative is run by the residents and is geared towards low-income shared housing where people work together to manage the building in terms of maintenance, finance, and structure.

The property is situated a few minutes' walk from the Camperdown campus and has been extensively renovated. It is divided into eight fully self-contained units arranged around a leafy courtyard. It has a number of communal areas including a large meeting/common room, a roof-top entertainment area, a common laundry and a large storage space. Each unit consists of four or five bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, two bathrooms and study. To become a resident, you need to be prepared to become involved in the running of the co-operative. A single room costs $65 per week.

Contact:
STUCCO Co-op Ltd
197 Wilson Street
Phone: 02 9550 4089
Fax: 02 9550 4015
Email:

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Types of off-campus accommodation available through the Accommodation Database:

The Accommodation Service manages an extensive database where people list offers of off-campus accommodation to students. The listings include detailed information about the accommodation on offer, and provides the name and telephone number/s of the person offering the accommodation. Students are able to search the Accommodation Database on-line via the University intranet, or visit the Accommodation Service and have an Accommodation Officer assist with a search.

Types of accommodation listed on the Accommodation Database include:

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Full board or homestay

This type of accommodation consists of your own furnished bedroom with all or most meals provided. This is usually in a family home and sometimes it is possible to participate in family activities if you wish. Some homestay providers are happy to offer assistance with conversational English, if you are an international student.
Cost: You can expect to pay from $180 to $260+ per week. This price usually includes all bills except telephone.

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Share accommodation

This is the most common type of accommodation for Sydney students. It consists of your own bedroom (and sometimes bathroom), in a house or flat, where you share facilities (bathroom, kitchen, living room, laundry, garden) with other tenants or the property owner. Your "sharemates" may be students, people who work or families. Sometimes the available bedroom is furnished. Although arrangements differ from place to place, they usually include sharing rental, gas, electricity, telephone and internet expenses. In some situations you may have independent arrangements for buying and preparing food, while some households may share a food "kitty" and other resources. Sharing accommodation with others also means sharing responsibility for cleaning communal areas, such as the kitchen, loungeroom, bathroom and yard. Some households have a roster for housework. For information about your legal rights and responsibilities in share accommodation, see the section on tenancy information, below.
Cost: You can expect to pay from $90 to $200+ per week for a bedroom. Price tends to reflect quality and location. Sometimes utility bills are included in the rent.

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Renting a property

This option means renting a flatette, studio, flat, apartment or house by yourself or with a group of friends or other students. Close to the University competition for rental accommodation can be fierce, so rents can be expensive.

Definitions:

  • A flatette (also called a bed-sitter) usually consists of a single bed-sitting room, with simple cooking facilities (called a kitchenette) but no private bathroom. The bathroom is shared with other tenants, usually also occupying flatettes in the same building.
  • A studio (also called a bachelor flat or granny flat) usually consists of a single bed-sitting room with a small kitchenette and a private bathroom.
    Flatettes and studios should include a kitchenette, which offers simple cooking facilities. Often located in an alcove or corner of a flatette or studio, it may include only a microwave oven, bar fridge (small refridgerator) and sink. Additional equipment, such as a bench-top electic oven with hotplates, rice cooker and cupboards may be included.
    Cost: For a flatette or studio expect to pay from $120 to $260+ per week.
  • A Flat, unit, or apartment all refer to self-contained properties of one or more bedrooms in buildings made up of multiple residences. Some flats are in converted houses, others are in purpose built buildings or complexes. These will include a bedroom or bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and living room. Most will also include a laundry, but some have common laundries, shared with other residences in the building.
    Cost: Expect to pay from $160 to $250+ for a 1 bedroom property, adding $80 to $200+ for each additional bedroom. Price reflects quality and location.
  • A house is a self-contained residence. It may have one or several levels, and often will have a private garden or courtyard. Common styles for houses in Sydney are terraces, town houses, semi-detached, and free-standing houses.
    Terrace houses are identical houses built in a row, and sharing a common wall with the houses on either side. They may be single storey or have several levels. Occasionally this style of house will be free-standing.
    A townhouse is a modern name for terrace-style houses. Sometimes townhouses are built within security complexes.
    Semi-detached houses (called semi's) are pairs of identical houses sharing a common wall.
    Free-standing houses have no wall in common with other properties, and may have a garden, and a driveway leading to garages or carports.
    Cost: Expect to pay from $160 to $250+ for a 1 bedroom property, adding $80 to $200+ for each additional bedroom. Price reflects quality and location.
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Accommodation in exchange for work

This type of accommodation consists of free rent or free board, usually in a family home, in exchange for about 10 to 20 hours of work per week. Duties may include child minding, tutoring, cooking, cleaning, gardening or providing some care or company for an elderly person. Sometimes an additional wage is offered if extra hours of work are required.

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Temporary or casual accommodation

Sometimes students need accommodating for short periods of time. The Accommodation Service has lists of local hostels and hotels, as well as listings of people offering temporary share accommodation in their homes, or short term leases on rental properties.

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Tenancy information and advisory services

It is important to be informed about your legal rights and responsibilities before moving into share accommodation, a homestay or boarding situation, or committing to a Residential Tenancy Agreement.

A number of organisations provide thorough and detailed information about the processes involved in finding a place to live, applying for a tenancy, paying a rental bond, and ending your tenancy, as well as general information about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or share householder under The Residential Tenancies Act.

  • The Office of Fair Trading administers the Residential Tenancies Act. Its main role is to safeguard consumer rights, and to advise business and traders on fair ethical practice. In the Tenants section of their website, they offer information about the rights and responsibilities of tenants under NSW tenancy laws - from beginning through to ending a tenancy, how to get repairs done etc, privacy and what to do if you have a problem.
  • The Office of Fair Trading’s Renting Services Branch provides rental bond lodgement, custody, refund and information services.
  • The Tenants Union of NSW publishes the very useful Tenants Rights Manual as well as Tenants Fact Sheets, dealing with everything from how your Rental Bond should be managed to how to end your tenancy agreement. The website also includes Sample Letters you can download and edit to suit your particular situation, dealing with common tenancy problems.
  • The Share Housing Survival Guide provides detailed information and advice about living in, and managing relationships in share housing. The Guide includes information about your legal status in various types of accommodation, as well as information about living in University accommodation and "homestays".
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Tenancy agreements and rental bond forms

The three Services above provide detailed information about Residential Tenancy Agreements on their websites. Agreements come in a standard form, can be purchased from most newsagencies and stationery stores, and should be provided to you by your landlord or agent. A sample copy of a Standard form of Residential Tenancy Agreement is available from the Tenants Union Website.

All rental bond forms can be obtained free of charge from:

From the Department of Fair Trading website, you can download the following rental bond forms, in PDF format:

Please note: The Bond Lodgement Form is not available for downloading as it has a unique barcode required for internal processing purposes only.

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Free legal advice for tenancy matters

The Accommodation Officers are available to offer advice and information about issues relating to share housing and rental accommodation. If your problem is a legal one the officers will be happy to refer you to the appropriate organisation.

For undergraduate students:
The University of Sydney Students Representative Council (SRC) has experienced caseworkers able to advise you about Tenancy issues or problems. Make an appointment to see a caseworker or the solicitor. The SRC can help with private rental and University related accommodation.

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For postgraduate students:
if you are a postgraduate student and a member of SUPRA, a Student Advice and Advocacy Officer (SAAO) is able to assist you with tenancy related matters. Please note that SAAOs are not lawyers, but are well-trained & experienced.

  • SUPRA
    Visit: Raglan Street Building (G10), Darlington Campus, University of Sydney
    Phone: 9351 3715
    Toll-free: 1800 249 950 (free call for anyone outside the Sydney Metro area)
    Email: admin@supra.usyd.edu.au

The Community Legal Centre in the area where you live offers free legal and tenancy advice. If you live in the suburbs near the main campus of the University you will most likely be represented by:

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Homestay Agencies

You can use the Accommodation Database to find full board (or homestay) accommodation. Other agencies and individuals also offer "Homestay" or Full Board accommodation on a short or long term basis to visiting students.

Carrycord
Phone +61 2 93985103 or Fax +61 2 93998861
Mobile: 0416 219 627
E-mail:

Stay Downunder
Phone +61 2 89014499 or fax +61 2 89014599
Postal address: PO Box 423, Killara, NSW, 2071, Australia
E-mail:

You may wish to do your own internet search for additional websites offering this type of service.

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Other websites and organisations advertising off-campus accommodation

Students seeking off-campus accommodation may also be interested in looking at the 'Share Accommodation' and 'Houses/Flats to let' sections of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, particularly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Daily Telegraph newspaper may also be helpful, especially if you are looking in the western suburbs of Sydney.

There are other websites listing off-campus accommodation that may be of use in your search for accommodation. These websites are often used by the general public in Sydney when looking for a place to live or when finding a new flatmate:

Real estate
These websites advertise rental properties throughout Sydney:
www.justlisted.com.au
www.domain.com.au
www.realestate.com.au
www.gumtree.com.au

Share accommodation
These websites advertise share accommodation throughout Sydney:
www.domain.com.au
www.realestate.com.au
www.gumtree.com.au
www.flatmates.com.au
www.flatmatefinders.com.au
www.shareaccommodation.com
www.share-house.com.au
www.bondiaccommodation.com
www.sydneyexchange.com.au

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Accommodation Service disclaimer

Inclusion on this website:

  • is not an endorsement by the Accommodation Service of a particular accommodation provider, organisation, or website.
  • is not a warranty as to the suitability or condition of any accommodation listed. The Accommodation Service does not inspect any of the accommodation listed on this website. It is up to students to make their own inquiries about the suitability and condition of accommodation.
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