Help for community services
Advice or support for community service workers assisting tenants.
Advice or support for community service workers assisting tenants.
Rooming houses and rooming house residents
rooming house: a building where one or more rooms are available to rent, and four or more people in total can occupy those rooms. See: What is a rooming house? (Consumer Affairs website).
rooming house resident: a person who rents a room in a rooming house as their only or main residence.
A resident does not need to have a tenancy agreement to live in a rooming house.
If you have a written agreement with a start date and end date (a fixed term), contact us for advice.
Information for rooming house residents in Victoria.
Rooming House Residents’ Handbook
Rooming house operators must have a license. Before you sign, pay or move in, check if the rooming house operator is licensed:
Public register of rooming house operators (Consumer Affairs Victoria website)
Rooming houses must be registered. Before you sign, pay or move in, check if the rooming house is registered:
Search registered rooming houses (Consumer Affairs Victoria website)
Check if the rooming house meets minimum standards:
Minimum standards in rooming houses (Consumer Affairs Victoria website)
It’s a good idea to sign a written agreement when you move into a rooming house.
This standard agreement includes the main legal rights and duties, what the resident must do and what the owner must do:
Rooming house residency agreement (Consumer Affairs Victoria website)
If you live in a rooming house and you need information or advice call us on 9411 1444 and ask for Outreach. Or leave a message and the Outreach worker will contact you. We are closed weekends and public holidays.