ACCOMMODATION DIRECTORY
Emergency Accommodation : If you are homeless or about to become homeless ring the
Salvation Army Crises
Accommodation Centre on
ph : 95367777 Freecall 1800 627 727 (state wide)
Or
Hanover (Opening
Doors ) 1800 825 955 (Free call 7
days 24 hours ) phone redirects to above no
The Salvation Army Crises Centre can offer emergency
and crises overnight accommodation in the immediate short term They can also then refer you on toTransitional and Community Housing Centres in your local area who can assist you with finding other
transitional housing or longer ongoing accommodation options such as boarding and rooming house accommodation or share housing or private rentals .
There is kindness in the world
and wisdom and courtesy and love
In city tenements ,in deserts ,
forests ,villages_
in this town
This street.
Never forget !
Pam Brown B 1928
Two useful websites
People suddenly finding themselves in crises situations include information for people experiencing homelessness or other crises situations are:
Crises Help
Network http://www.melbourne.homeless.org.au
And the Salvation Army data bank
www.cris.crisesservices.org.au
This particular site is really a practical and useful site which enables you to search for a particular service or resource by entering details of the suburb and the particular service you are
looking for Useful to Know …Financial Assistance for private rentals
Transitional and Community Housing Support services Listed by region
Organzations which can assist you with finding other transitional housing such as temporary refuges and shelters or longer ongoing accommodation opti_ons such as boarding and rooming house acommodation public housing or share housing or private rentals.They can also provide information about how to apply for Bond Loans and Rental assistance as you may be eligible for
Abbeyfield Melbourne Active Property Services Management
Australia , Yarraville Ph : 93148555
Collingwood ,
PH: 94198222
Argyle Street Housing Community Housing Pty Ltd
Box Hill Ph 95377797 Epping PH: 98560050
Homeground Services MetroWest HOusing Services Footscray
Collingwood PH: 94172500, PH: 96892777
St Kilda East PH:95377711,
Preston PH: 94174522 free call PH: 1800 834 125
Hanover Support Services Cheltenham PH: 95565700,
Women only East St Kilda PH: 95258499
Hanover YOuth Support Services PH: 1800 800-531
Housing Choices Ltd Melbourne
PH: 1300 312 447
North East Housing Service Jubilee Housing
Preston
PH:98994356 PH: 947900700
Salvation Army Social Salvo Connect
Housing Geelong
Sunshine PH: 93125424, PH: 52449500
Hawthorne PH: 1300 558 484
Geelong PH:52232434
Salvation Army East care Yarra Community Housing
housing region specific Fitzroy Ph: 94190009
PH : 9851 7888 Footscray PH: 96879955
WAYYS LTD Dandenong Port Phillip Housing Association
PH: 97916111 St KIlda Ph: 95345837
South East Housing Cooperative Dandenong
PH: 97068005
The Victorian Office of Housing Office Of Housing ( www .vic.gov .edu.au/ housing )
The department of Housing offers a variety of programmes to assist people on low incomes to secure accommodation .These include :
PUBLIC HOUSING Public housing services for low-income Victorians and people in need, especially those who have been made homeless and need support. Includes information on applying for and living in public housing.
COMMUNITY HOUSING The Housing Department works directly in partnership with not-for-profit registered housing agencies that develop, own and manage rental housing for people on low incomes.
SHARED SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION PROGRAM aims to provide high-quality, supported housing in the community. Accommodation is usually offered in shared housing with up to five other people with disabilities.
HOMELESSNESS : Information for people experiencing homelessness and wishing to find support services or to apply for public housing.
HOME OWNER SUPPORT : Information for home owners needing assistance in mortgage relief and housing opportunities for independent living such as movable units and group self build.
PRIVATE RENTERS : Dept of Housing offers bond loan assistance to help people on low incomes to secure private rentals .
NOTE
If you are envisaging requiring longer term housing support Transitional and Community Housing offices can help you lodge an application for public housing .Public Housing requires you to list
specific areas in which you prefer to live and is means tested . Public housing usually entails being on a long waiting list although under certain circumstances of special hardship people can be fast tracked for early public housing
Offices
North Melbourne,33 Alfred
Street North Melbourne 3051
PH:03 93266377
South Melbourne, Level 2 Clarendon Street
South Melbourne 3205
PH: 86463600
Collingwood,229 Hoddle Street Collingwood
PH: 94175144
Fitzroy,90 Brunswick Street ,Fitzroy
PH : 90935000
Broadmeadows
56-58 Coleraine Street Broadmeadows
PH: 03 90935000
Footscray
71 Moreland Street Footscray
PH: 90935000
Dandenong
Level 4 311-319
Lonsdale Street Dandenong
PH: 97679777
Frankston: level 1/ 431 Nepean Highway
Frankston 3199
PH: 90969996
Hume
26 Church Street, Benella
PH: 57611222
Heidelberg 679-685 High
Street Preston
PH: 03 94790122
North Geelong Rental Housing Cooperative PH
52749933
Page
2
PUBLIC HOUSING Public housing services for low-income Victorians and people in need, especially those who have been made homeless and need support. Includes information on applying for and living in public housing.
COMMUNITY HOUSING The Housing Department works directly in partnership with not-for-profit registered housing agencies that develop, own and manage rental housing for people on low incomes.
Shared supported accommodation The Shared Supported Accommodation program aims to provide high-quality, supported housing in the community. Accommodation is usually offered in shared housing with up to five other people with disabilities.
Homelessness Information for people experiencing homelessness and wishing to find support services or to apply for public housing.
Home owner support Information for home owners needing assistance in mortgage relief and housing opportunities for independent living such as movable units and group self build.
Private renter
If you are envisaging requiring longer term
housing support Transitional and Community Housing offices can help you lodge an
application for public housing .Public Housing requires you to list
specific areas in which you prefer to live and is means tested . Public
Housing usually entails being on a long waiting list although under certain
circumstances of special hardship people can be fast tracked for early public
The office of Housing also offers Bond
assistanceif you intend to rent privately
.Your income needs to be less than $483 a week and the cost of the
accommodation you plan to rent to
be no more than 55% of your total income .4 weeks bond is provided which is
lodged with the bond Board and returned to the Department of Housing at the end
of your tenancy Bond Application
forms are available through the Office of Housing or online
.
Page 3
PRIVATE
RENTALS
Private rentals through a real estate usually require
6 month or 12 month lease
and require 4 weeks rental as a bond and 2 to4 weeks rental in
advance .Good sites to checkout
for private rentals include
www.Domain.com.au
www.flatmates.com
www.realestate .com.au
www.gumtree.com.au
www.share-house.com.au
www.noagentproperty.com.au
www.hotrentals.com.au
www.roomshare.com.au
au.easyroommate.com
www.ziggie.com.au
www.flatmate finders.com.au
www.melbourneexchange.com.au
www.homehound.com.au
Also Local Newspaper ‘ to let sections’ community
notice boards and
University Notice boards are a good source of possibility especially for
share housing options.
THE GUMTREE
ADVANTAGE
Accommodation Sites like Gumtree
offer home seekers a flexible
alternative option to renting through Real Estates in that it is possible to
find many different renting
options such as renting houses apartments for shorter terms or subletting a
house or a room while the owner or tenant is a way providing ready access to
furnished accommodation.Often landlords and homeowners may be negotiable and
flexible on the amount of bond to be paid .It is adviseable
to create a written agreement clearly spelling out the terms of the
tenancy arrangement prior to moving in which can act to protect the
legal rights of both tenant
and landlord if disagreements arise .
Click on the real estate wanted list
for 3 seperate categories of
short term ,share rentals and apartments houses to let .Gum tree also
conveniently has its ads listed regionally thus you need to make sure you
specify which region you are looking for accommodation in
.
PLACE YOUR OWN AD……
Gum Tree also offers people an amazing
opportunity to post their own
advertisement. You can specify
exactly what kind of accommodation you are looking for for
the price you want to pay etc .
It’s a bit like cosmic fishing as people can
respond to your ad if they have something which might suit.I have found Gum tree
to work very effectively in terms of generating a response of multiple offers of
accommodation
.
Page 4
Tenancy Rights and
Responsibilities
The Signing of a lease Agreement and payment of a Bond acts to protect the legal interests and
spells out clearly the rights and responsibilities of both homeowner and tenant
if disagreements arise
Here is a list of useful contacts for information about lodging
bonds,bond refunds , tenants rights and responsibilities and resolving tenancy
disputes
(1)
Consumer Affairs Victoria provides a range of consumer and tenancy
services and can provide
information and advice on residential issues
www.consumer.vic.gov.au
Phone
1300 558 181 (local
charge)
Phone
03 86846295
(2)
Residential Tenancies Bond Authority:
The RTBA holds all residential tenancy bonds for rooming
house
Residents and owners
.The RTBA can only repay bonds as agreed by the resident and rooming
house owner or as directed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal
www.rentalbonds.vic.gov.au
Phone 1300 137 164 (local charge
)
Phone 03 86846299
(3)
Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal (VCAT) deals with issues in many areas
including tenancy
Issues
www.vcat.vic.gov.au
phone
1800 133 055 ( Freecall outside Melbourne metro
area)
03 96289800
(4)
Tenants Union of Victoria :
Provides assistance and advocacy for tenants of private and public residential
properties and residents of rooming houses and caravan
parks
www.tuv.org.au
03
94162577
Page
5
Housing
for the
Aged
( 55 years and older)
H.A.A.G Housing for the Aged
Action Group
Older Persons Housing and Support service…1st floor Ross House
247 Flinders Lane Melbourne 3000
www.older tenants .org.au
Freecall 1300 765
178
This service offers free and
confidential advice to older people who are homeless or at the risk of
homelessness .They can also provide information about the range of housing
options for older people planning for their housing
future.
Wesley
Homeshare
148 Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria Phone 02
96661231
Matches older householders or people with a
disability who are looking for companionship and help around the home with
people of integrity who are able to provide this assistance
in return for free accommodation
Page
6
HOUSE
SITTING
Another
possibility for a fun combined travel and accommodation adventure is
housesitting
House sitting allows the housesitter an opportunity for rent free accommodation
to experience living in in
different locations all over Australia and even the world and also often allows sitters to
connect and enjoy the
pleasure of looking after wonderful pets and can be a win/win scenario for both
homeowner and house sitter.Housesitting agencies act as a register for
homeowners to list their housesitting requirements and opportunities and also
allows housesitters to list their availability profiles for the type of
housesitting they would like to do.The opportunity to search for available
housesits is often free However the
agency usually charges housesitters a fee to access the homeowners contact
details
Housesitting Agencies
the pros and cons
While housesitting can be a fantastic adventure which can be a
win/win scenario for both sitters and homeowners there can be some pitfalls
associated with the enterprise
.Some housesitting agencies
do not screen or check the credentials of either housesitters or homeowners before they list their jobs
and are reluctant to get involved in disputes between parties .Arrangements
are made between the two parties eg
homeowner and sitter rather than
through the agency and tend
to be made on the basis of trust and goodwill between the two parties Sadly
though despite the best of intentions on both sides
things can go wrong.
Agencies usually also recommend a written agreement be drawn up clearly
identifying the terms of the agreement and the rights and responsibilities of
both parties which can provide access tolegal recourse to resolve disputes if
required .
House Sitting
Agencies
www.housecarers.com
www.housesittersconnect.com.au
www.mindahome.com.au
www.happyhousesitters.com.au
www.housesitters.com.au
www.housesitworld.com.au
www.housesitaustralia.com.au
www.seniorsits.com( for the over
50s)
www.houseminders.com
Page 7
Bond
assistance
Setting up house can be a costly business
especially for people on low
incomes .its useful to keep in mind then that you may be eligible for both Bond
Assistance supplied through the
Office of Housing The office of
Housing also offers Bond assistanceif you intend to rent privately
.Your income needs to be less than $483 a week and the cost of the
accommodation you plan to rent to
be no more than 55% of your total income .4 weeks bond is provided which is
lodged with the bond Board and returned to the Department of Housing at the end
of your tenancy Bond Application
forms are available through the Office of Housing or online
.
Rent
Assistance
If you are on a low income and looking to go into a private rental
these organizations may be able to assist you with up to two weeks rental
in advance .They may also be able to assist with payment of rental arrears to
help you stay in a property if you are facing possible eviction due to rental
arrears
Salvation Army East care
housing region specific PH
: 9851 7888
Community housing Vic
Ltd
PH : 98560000
Womens Housing
Ltd
PH: 94126868
Page One
Transitional and Community Housing Support
services Listed
by region
Organzations who can assist you with finding other
transitional housing such
as temporary refuges and shelters or longer ongoing accommodation options such as boarding and rooming house
accommodation or share housing or private rentals.They can also provide
information about how to apply for Bond Loans and
Rental assistance as you may be eligible for
(See Notes )
Melbourne
Abbeyfield
Australia ,
Collingwood , PH:
94198222
Active Property
Services Management,Yarraville
PH:
93148555
Argyle Street Housing
Service St Kilda East PH:
95377797
Community Housing Epping PH:
84059700 Box Hill PH:
98560050
Homeground Services
:Collingwood PH:
94172500, St Kilda East PH:
95377711,Preston PH: 94174522 free call PH: 1800 834
125
Hanover Support
Services Cheltenham PH: 95565700, PH: Women only
East St Kilda
,95258499
Hanover Youth Support
services 1800
-800-531
Metro West Housing
Services Footscray
Housing Choices
Melbourne PH:
1300312447
Jubilee Housing :
PH:98994356
Metro West
Housing Services
Footscray PH: 96892777
North East Housing Service
Preston PH: 947900700
Salvation Army Social
Housing SunshinePH:
93125424, HawthornePH: 1300 558 484,Geelong
PH:52232434
Salvo Connect
PH: Geelong
52449500
Yarra Community Housing Fitzroy PH: 94190009 FootscrayPH:
96879955
WAYYS LTD DandenongPH:
97916111
Port Phillip Housing
Association,St Kilda,PH: 95345837
South east Housing
Cooperative Dandenong PH: 97068005
North Geelong Rental Housing
Cooperative PH 52749933
Page
2
PUBLIC
HOUSING
If you are envisaging requiring longer term
housing support Transitional and Community Housing offices can help you lodge an
application for public housing .Public Housing requires you to list
specific areas in which you prefer to live and is means tested . Public
Housing usually entails being on a long waiting list although under certain
circumstances of special hardship people can be fast tracked for early public
The office of Housing also offers Bond
assistanceif you intend to rent privately
.Your income needs to be less than $483 a week and the cost of the
accommodation you plan to rent to
be no more than 55% of your total income .4 weeks bond is provided which is
lodged with the bond Board and returned to the Department of Housing at the end
of your tenancy Bond Application
forms are available through the Office of Housing or online
.
Office Of Housing Contact
details : ( www.dhs.vic.gov.au/housing
)
North Melbourne,33 Alfred
Street North Melbourne 3051 PH:03 93266377
South Melbourne, Level 2
Clarendon Street South Melbourne 3205 PH: 86463600
Collingwood,229 Hoddle
Street Collingwood PH: 94175144
Fitzroy,90 Brunswick Street
,Fitzroy PH :90935000
Broadmeadows
56-58 Coleraine Street PH: 03
90935000
Footscray
: 71 Moreland Street Footscray
3011 PH 90935000
Dandenong :Level 4 311-319
Lonsdale Street Dandenong PH
97679777
Frankston: level 1/ 431
Nepean Highway Frankston 3199 PH 90969996
Geelong Level 2 State Govt
Offices Corner of Fenwick and
Little Mallop Streets Geelong PH
52264540
Hume
26 Church Street, Benella
57611222
Heidelberg 679-685 High
Street Preston 03
94790122
Page 3
PRIVATE
RENTALS
Private rentals through a
real estate usually require 6 month or 12 month lease
and require 4 weeks rental as a bond and 2 to4 weeks rental in
advance .Good sites to checkout
for private rentals include
www.Domain.com.au
www.flatmates.com
www.realestate .com.au
www.gumtree.com.au
www.share-house.com.au
www.noagentproperty.com.au
www.hotrentals.com.au
www.roomshare.com.au
au.easyroommate.com
www.ziggie.com.au
www.flatmate finders.com.au
www.melbourneexchange.com.au
www.homehound.com.au
Also Local Newspaper ‘ to let sections’ community
notice boards and
University Notice boards are a good source of possibility especially for
share housing options.
THE GUMTREE
ADVANTAGE
Accommodation Sites like Gumtree
offer home seekers a flexible
alternative option to renting through Real Estates in that it is possible to
find many different renting
options such as renting houses apartments for shorter terms or subletting a
house or a room while the owner or tenant is a way providing ready access to
furnished accommodation.Often landlords and homeowners may be negotiable and
flexible on the amount of bond to be paid .It is adviseable
to create a written agreement clearly spelling out the terms of the
tenancy arrangement prior to moving in which can act to protect the
legal rights of both tenant
and landlord if disagreements arise .
Click on the real estate wanted list
for 3 seperate categories of
short term ,share rentals and apartments houses to let .Gum tree also
conveniently has its ads listed regionally thus you need to make sure you
specify which region you are looking for accommodation in
.
PLACE YOUR OWN AD……
Gum Tree also offers people an amazing
opportunity to post their own
advertisement. You can specify
exactly what kind of accommodation you are looking for for
the price you want to pay etc .
It’s a bit like cosmic fishing as people can
respond to your ad if they have something which might suit.I have found Gum tree
to work very effectively in terms of generating a response of multiple offers of
accommodation
.
Page 4
Tenancy Rights and
Responsibilities
The Signing of a lease Agreement and payment of a Bond acts to protect the legal interests and
spells out clearly the rights and responsibilities of both homeowner and tenant
if disagreements arise
Here is a list of useful contacts for information about lodging
bonds,bond refunds , tenants rights and responsibilities and resolving tenancy
disputes
(1)
Consumer
Affairs Victoria provides a
range of consumer and tenancy services and can provide
information and advice on residential issues
www.consumer.vic.gov.au
Phone 1300 558 181
(local charge)
Phone
03 86846295
(2)
Residential Tenancies Bond Authority:
The RTBA holds all residential tenancy bonds for rooming
house
Residents and owners
.The RTBA can only repay bonds as agreed by the resident and rooming
house owner or as directed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal
www.rentalbonds.vic.gov.au
Phone 1300 137 164 (local charge
)
Phone 03 86846299
(3)
Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal (VCAT)
deals with issues in many areas including tenancy
Issues
www.vcat.vic.gov.au
phone
1800 133 055 ( Freecall outside Melbourne metro
area)
03 96289800
(4)
Tenants
Union of Victoria : Provides assistance and advocacy for tenants of private
and public residential properties and residents of rooming houses and caravan
parks
www.tuv.org.au
03
94162577
Page
5
Housing for the Aged
( 55 years and older)
H.A.A.G Housing for the Aged Action
Group
Older Persons Housing and Support service…1st floor Ross House
247 Flinders Lane Melbourne 3000
www.older tenants .org.au
Freecall 1300 765
178
This service offers free and
confidential advice to older people who are homeless or at the risk of
homelessness .They can also provide information about the range of housing
options for older people planning for their housing
future.
Wesley
Homeshare
148 Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria Phone 02
96661231
Matches older householders or people with a
disability who are looking for companionship and help around the home with
people of integrity who are able to provide this assistance
in return for free accommodation
Page
6
HOUSE
SITTING
Another
possibility for a fun combined travel and accommodation adventure is
housesitting
House sitting allows the housesitter an opportunity for rent free accommodation
to experience living in in
different locations all over Australia and even the world and also often allows sitters to
connect and enjoy the
pleasure of looking after wonderful pets and can be a win/win scenario for both
homeowner and house sitter.Housesitting agencies act as a register for
homeowners to list their housesitting requirements and opportunities and also
allows housesitters to list their availability profiles for the type of
housesitting they would like to do.The opportunity to search for available
housesits is often free However the
agency usually charges housesitters a fee to access the homeowners contact
details
Housesitting
Agencies the pros and
cons
While housesitting can be a fantastic adventure which can be a
win/win scenario for both sitters and homeowners there can be some pitfalls
associated with the enterprise
.Some housesitting agencies
do not screen or check the credentials of either housesitters or homeowners before they list their jobs
and are reluctant to get involved in disputes between parties .Arrangements
are made between the two parties eg
homeowner and sitter rather than
through the agency and tend
to be made on the basis of trust and goodwill between the two parties Sadly
though despite the best of intentions on both sides
things can go wrong.
Agencies usually also recommend a written agreement be drawn up clearly
identifying the terms of the agreement and the rights and responsibilities of
both parties which can provide access tolegal recourse to resolve disputes if
required .
House Sitting
Agencies
www.housecarers.com
www.housesittersconnect.com.au
www.mindahome.com.au
www.happyhousesitters.com.au
www.housesitters.com.au
www.housesitworld.com.au
www.housesitaustralia.com.au
www.seniorsits.com( for the over
50s)
www.houseminders.com
Emergency Accommodation : If you are homeless or about to become homeless ring the
Salvation Army Crises
Accommodation Centre on
ph : 95367777 Freecall 1800 627 727 (state wide)
Or
Hanover (Opening
Doors ) 1800 825 955 (Free call 7
days 24 hours ) phone redirects to above no
The Salvation Army Crises Centre can offer emergency
and crises overnight accommodation in the immediate short term They can also then refer you on toTransitional and Community Housing Centres in your local area who can assist you with finding other
transitional housing or longer ongoing accommodation options such as boarding and rooming house accommodation or share housing or private rentals .
There is kindness in the world
and wisdom and courtesy and love
In city tenements ,in deserts ,
forests ,villages_
in this town
This street.
Never forget !
Pam Brown B 1928
Two useful websites
People suddenly finding themselves in crises situations include information for people experiencing homelessness or other crises situations are:
Crises Help
Network http://www.melbourne.homeless.org.au
And the Salvation Army data bank
www.cris.crisesservices.org.au
This particular site is really a practical and useful site which enables you to search for a particular service or resource by entering details of the suburb and the particular service you are
looking for Useful to Know …Financial Assistance for private rentals
Transitional and Community Housing Support services Listed by region
Organzations which can assist you with finding other transitional housing such as temporary refuges and shelters or longer ongoing accommodation opti_ons such as boarding and rooming house acommodation public housing or share housing or private rentals.They can also provide information about how to apply for Bond Loans and Rental assistance as you may be eligible for
Abbeyfield Melbourne Active Property Services Management
Australia , Yarraville Ph : 93148555
Collingwood ,
PH: 94198222
Argyle Street Housing Community Housing Pty Ltd
Box Hill Ph 95377797 Epping PH: 98560050
Homeground Services MetroWest HOusing Services Footscray
Collingwood PH: 94172500, PH: 96892777
St Kilda East PH:95377711,
Preston PH: 94174522 free call PH: 1800 834 125
Hanover Support Services Cheltenham PH: 95565700,
Women only East St Kilda PH: 95258499
Hanover YOuth Support Services PH: 1800 800-531
Housing Choices Ltd Melbourne
PH: 1300 312 447
North East Housing Service Jubilee Housing
Preston
PH:98994356 PH: 947900700
Salvation Army Social Salvo Connect
Housing Geelong
Sunshine PH: 93125424, PH: 52449500
Hawthorne PH: 1300 558 484
Geelong PH:52232434
Salvation Army East care Yarra Community Housing
housing region specific Fitzroy Ph: 94190009
PH : 9851 7888 Footscray PH: 96879955
WAYYS LTD Dandenong Port Phillip Housing Association
PH: 97916111 St KIlda Ph: 95345837
South East Housing Cooperative Dandenong
PH: 97068005
The Victorian Office of Housing Office Of Housing ( www .vic.gov .edu.au/ housing )
The department of Housing offers a variety of programmes to assist people on low incomes to secure accommodation .These include :
PUBLIC HOUSING Public housing services for low-income Victorians and people in need, especially those who have been made homeless and need support. Includes information on applying for and living in public housing.
COMMUNITY HOUSING The Housing Department works directly in partnership with not-for-profit registered housing agencies that develop, own and manage rental housing for people on low incomes.
SHARED SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION PROGRAM aims to provide high-quality, supported housing in the community. Accommodation is usually offered in shared housing with up to five other people with disabilities.
HOMELESSNESS : Information for people experiencing homelessness and wishing to find support services or to apply for public housing.
HOME OWNER SUPPORT : Information for home owners needing assistance in mortgage relief and housing opportunities for independent living such as movable units and group self build.
PRIVATE RENTERS : Dept of Housing offers bond loan assistance to help people on low incomes to secure private rentals .
NOTE
If you are envisaging requiring longer term housing support Transitional and Community Housing offices can help you lodge an application for public housing .Public Housing requires you to list
specific areas in which you prefer to live and is means tested . Public housing usually entails being on a long waiting list although under certain circumstances of special hardship people can be fast tracked for early public housing
Offices
North Melbourne,33 Alfred
Street North Melbourne 3051
PH:03 93266377
South Melbourne, Level 2 Clarendon Street
South Melbourne 3205
PH: 86463600
Collingwood,229 Hoddle Street Collingwood
PH: 94175144
Fitzroy,90 Brunswick Street ,Fitzroy
PH : 90935000
Broadmeadows
56-58 Coleraine Street Broadmeadows
PH: 03 90935000
Footscray
71 Moreland Street Footscray
PH: 90935000
Dandenong
Level 4 311-319
Lonsdale Street Dandenong
PH: 97679777
Frankston: level 1/ 431 Nepean Highway
Frankston 3199
PH: 90969996
Hume
26 Church Street, Benella
PH: 57611222
Heidelberg 679-685 High
Street Preston
PH: 03 94790122
North Geelong Rental Housing Cooperative PH
52749933
Page
2
PUBLIC HOUSING Public housing services for low-income Victorians and people in need, especially those who have been made homeless and need support. Includes information on applying for and living in public housing.
COMMUNITY HOUSING The Housing Department works directly in partnership with not-for-profit registered housing agencies that develop, own and manage rental housing for people on low incomes.
Shared supported accommodation The Shared Supported Accommodation program aims to provide high-quality, supported housing in the community. Accommodation is usually offered in shared housing with up to five other people with disabilities.
Homelessness Information for people experiencing homelessness and wishing to find support services or to apply for public housing.
Home owner support Information for home owners needing assistance in mortgage relief and housing opportunities for independent living such as movable units and group self build.
Private renter
If you are envisaging requiring longer term
housing support Transitional and Community Housing offices can help you lodge an
application for public housing .Public Housing requires you to list
specific areas in which you prefer to live and is means tested . Public
Housing usually entails being on a long waiting list although under certain
circumstances of special hardship people can be fast tracked for early public
The office of Housing also offers Bond
assistanceif you intend to rent privately
.Your income needs to be less than $483 a week and the cost of the
accommodation you plan to rent to
be no more than 55% of your total income .4 weeks bond is provided which is
lodged with the bond Board and returned to the Department of Housing at the end
of your tenancy Bond Application
forms are available through the Office of Housing or online
.
Page 3
PRIVATE
RENTALS
Private rentals through a real estate usually require
6 month or 12 month lease
and require 4 weeks rental as a bond and 2 to4 weeks rental in
advance .Good sites to checkout
for private rentals include
www.Domain.com.au
www.flatmates.com
www.realestate .com.au
www.gumtree.com.au
www.share-house.com.au
www.noagentproperty.com.au
www.hotrentals.com.au
www.roomshare.com.au
au.easyroommate.com
www.ziggie.com.au
www.flatmate finders.com.au
www.melbourneexchange.com.au
www.homehound.com.au
Also Local Newspaper ‘ to let sections’ community
notice boards and
University Notice boards are a good source of possibility especially for
share housing options.
THE GUMTREE
ADVANTAGE
Accommodation Sites like Gumtree
offer home seekers a flexible
alternative option to renting through Real Estates in that it is possible to
find many different renting
options such as renting houses apartments for shorter terms or subletting a
house or a room while the owner or tenant is a way providing ready access to
furnished accommodation.Often landlords and homeowners may be negotiable and
flexible on the amount of bond to be paid .It is adviseable
to create a written agreement clearly spelling out the terms of the
tenancy arrangement prior to moving in which can act to protect the
legal rights of both tenant
and landlord if disagreements arise .
Click on the real estate wanted list
for 3 seperate categories of
short term ,share rentals and apartments houses to let .Gum tree also
conveniently has its ads listed regionally thus you need to make sure you
specify which region you are looking for accommodation in
.
PLACE YOUR OWN AD……
Gum Tree also offers people an amazing
opportunity to post their own
advertisement. You can specify
exactly what kind of accommodation you are looking for for
the price you want to pay etc .
It’s a bit like cosmic fishing as people can
respond to your ad if they have something which might suit.I have found Gum tree
to work very effectively in terms of generating a response of multiple offers of
accommodation
.
Page 4
Tenancy Rights and
Responsibilities
The Signing of a lease Agreement and payment of a Bond acts to protect the legal interests and
spells out clearly the rights and responsibilities of both homeowner and tenant
if disagreements arise
Here is a list of useful contacts for information about lodging
bonds,bond refunds , tenants rights and responsibilities and resolving tenancy
disputes
(1)
Consumer Affairs Victoria provides a range of consumer and tenancy
services and can provide
information and advice on residential issues
www.consumer.vic.gov.au
Phone
1300 558 181 (local
charge)
Phone
03 86846295
(2)
Residential Tenancies Bond Authority:
The RTBA holds all residential tenancy bonds for rooming
house
Residents and owners
.The RTBA can only repay bonds as agreed by the resident and rooming
house owner or as directed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal
www.rentalbonds.vic.gov.au
Phone 1300 137 164 (local charge
)
Phone 03 86846299
(3)
Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal (VCAT) deals with issues in many areas
including tenancy
Issues
www.vcat.vic.gov.au
phone
1800 133 055 ( Freecall outside Melbourne metro
area)
03 96289800
(4)
Tenants Union of Victoria :
Provides assistance and advocacy for tenants of private and public residential
properties and residents of rooming houses and caravan
parks
www.tuv.org.au
03
94162577
Page
5
Housing
for the
Aged
( 55 years and older)
H.A.A.G Housing for the Aged
Action Group
Older Persons Housing and Support service…1st floor Ross House
247 Flinders Lane Melbourne 3000
www.older tenants .org.au
Freecall 1300 765
178
This service offers free and
confidential advice to older people who are homeless or at the risk of
homelessness .They can also provide information about the range of housing
options for older people planning for their housing
future.
Wesley
Homeshare
148 Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria Phone 02
96661231
Matches older householders or people with a
disability who are looking for companionship and help around the home with
people of integrity who are able to provide this assistance
in return for free accommodation
Page
6
HOUSE
SITTING
Another
possibility for a fun combined travel and accommodation adventure is
housesitting
House sitting allows the housesitter an opportunity for rent free accommodation
to experience living in in
different locations all over Australia and even the world and also often allows sitters to
connect and enjoy the
pleasure of looking after wonderful pets and can be a win/win scenario for both
homeowner and house sitter.Housesitting agencies act as a register for
homeowners to list their housesitting requirements and opportunities and also
allows housesitters to list their availability profiles for the type of
housesitting they would like to do.The opportunity to search for available
housesits is often free However the
agency usually charges housesitters a fee to access the homeowners contact
details
Housesitting Agencies
the pros and cons
While housesitting can be a fantastic adventure which can be a
win/win scenario for both sitters and homeowners there can be some pitfalls
associated with the enterprise
.Some housesitting agencies
do not screen or check the credentials of either housesitters or homeowners before they list their jobs
and are reluctant to get involved in disputes between parties .Arrangements
are made between the two parties eg
homeowner and sitter rather than
through the agency and tend
to be made on the basis of trust and goodwill between the two parties Sadly
though despite the best of intentions on both sides
things can go wrong.
Agencies usually also recommend a written agreement be drawn up clearly
identifying the terms of the agreement and the rights and responsibilities of
both parties which can provide access tolegal recourse to resolve disputes if
required .
House Sitting
Agencies
www.housecarers.com
www.housesittersconnect.com.au
www.mindahome.com.au
www.happyhousesitters.com.au
www.housesitters.com.au
www.housesitworld.com.au
www.housesitaustralia.com.au
www.seniorsits.com( for the over
50s)
www.houseminders.com
Page 7
Bond
assistance
Setting up house can be a costly business
especially for people on low
incomes .its useful to keep in mind then that you may be eligible for both Bond
Assistance supplied through the
Office of Housing The office of
Housing also offers Bond assistanceif you intend to rent privately
.Your income needs to be less than $483 a week and the cost of the
accommodation you plan to rent to
be no more than 55% of your total income .4 weeks bond is provided which is
lodged with the bond Board and returned to the Department of Housing at the end
of your tenancy Bond Application
forms are available through the Office of Housing or online
.
Rent
Assistance
If you are on a low income and looking to go into a private rental
these organizations may be able to assist you with up to two weeks rental
in advance .They may also be able to assist with payment of rental arrears to
help you stay in a property if you are facing possible eviction due to rental
arrears
Salvation Army East care
housing region specific PH
: 9851 7888
Community housing Vic
Ltd
PH : 98560000
Womens Housing
Ltd
PH: 94126868
Page One
Transitional and Community Housing Support
services Listed
by region
Organzations who can assist you with finding other
transitional housing such
as temporary refuges and shelters or longer ongoing accommodation options such as boarding and rooming house
accommodation or share housing or private rentals.They can also provide
information about how to apply for Bond Loans and
Rental assistance as you may be eligible for
(See Notes )
Melbourne
Abbeyfield
Australia ,
Collingwood , PH:
94198222
Active Property
Services Management,Yarraville
PH:
93148555
Argyle Street Housing
Service St Kilda East PH:
95377797
Community Housing Epping PH:
84059700 Box Hill PH:
98560050
Homeground Services
:Collingwood PH:
94172500, St Kilda East PH:
95377711,Preston PH: 94174522 free call PH: 1800 834
125
Hanover Support
Services Cheltenham PH: 95565700, PH: Women only
East St Kilda
,95258499
Hanover Youth Support
services 1800
-800-531
Metro West Housing
Services Footscray
Housing Choices
Melbourne PH:
1300312447
Jubilee Housing :
PH:98994356
Metro West
Housing Services
Footscray PH: 96892777
North East Housing Service
Preston PH: 947900700
Salvation Army Social
Housing SunshinePH:
93125424, HawthornePH: 1300 558 484,Geelong
PH:52232434
Salvo Connect
PH: Geelong
52449500
Yarra Community Housing Fitzroy PH: 94190009 FootscrayPH:
96879955
WAYYS LTD DandenongPH:
97916111
Port Phillip Housing
Association,St Kilda,PH: 95345837
South east Housing
Cooperative Dandenong PH: 97068005
North Geelong Rental Housing
Cooperative PH 52749933
Page
2
PUBLIC
HOUSING
If you are envisaging requiring longer term
housing support Transitional and Community Housing offices can help you lodge an
application for public housing .Public Housing requires you to list
specific areas in which you prefer to live and is means tested . Public
Housing usually entails being on a long waiting list although under certain
circumstances of special hardship people can be fast tracked for early public
The office of Housing also offers Bond
assistanceif you intend to rent privately
.Your income needs to be less than $483 a week and the cost of the
accommodation you plan to rent to
be no more than 55% of your total income .4 weeks bond is provided which is
lodged with the bond Board and returned to the Department of Housing at the end
of your tenancy Bond Application
forms are available through the Office of Housing or online
.
Office Of Housing Contact
details : ( www.dhs.vic.gov.au/housing
)
North Melbourne,33 Alfred
Street North Melbourne 3051 PH:03 93266377
South Melbourne, Level 2
Clarendon Street South Melbourne 3205 PH: 86463600
Collingwood,229 Hoddle
Street Collingwood PH: 94175144
Fitzroy,90 Brunswick Street
,Fitzroy PH :90935000
Broadmeadows
56-58 Coleraine Street PH: 03
90935000
Footscray
: 71 Moreland Street Footscray
3011 PH 90935000
Dandenong :Level 4 311-319
Lonsdale Street Dandenong PH
97679777
Frankston: level 1/ 431
Nepean Highway Frankston 3199 PH 90969996
Geelong Level 2 State Govt
Offices Corner of Fenwick and
Little Mallop Streets Geelong PH
52264540
Hume
26 Church Street, Benella
57611222
Heidelberg 679-685 High
Street Preston 03
94790122
Page 3
PRIVATE
RENTALS
Private rentals through a
real estate usually require 6 month or 12 month lease
and require 4 weeks rental as a bond and 2 to4 weeks rental in
advance .Good sites to checkout
for private rentals include
www.Domain.com.au
www.flatmates.com
www.realestate .com.au
www.gumtree.com.au
www.share-house.com.au
www.noagentproperty.com.au
www.hotrentals.com.au
www.roomshare.com.au
au.easyroommate.com
www.ziggie.com.au
www.flatmate finders.com.au
www.melbourneexchange.com.au
www.homehound.com.au
Also Local Newspaper ‘ to let sections’ community
notice boards and
University Notice boards are a good source of possibility especially for
share housing options.
THE GUMTREE
ADVANTAGE
Accommodation Sites like Gumtree
offer home seekers a flexible
alternative option to renting through Real Estates in that it is possible to
find many different renting
options such as renting houses apartments for shorter terms or subletting a
house or a room while the owner or tenant is a way providing ready access to
furnished accommodation.Often landlords and homeowners may be negotiable and
flexible on the amount of bond to be paid .It is adviseable
to create a written agreement clearly spelling out the terms of the
tenancy arrangement prior to moving in which can act to protect the
legal rights of both tenant
and landlord if disagreements arise .
Click on the real estate wanted list
for 3 seperate categories of
short term ,share rentals and apartments houses to let .Gum tree also
conveniently has its ads listed regionally thus you need to make sure you
specify which region you are looking for accommodation in
.
PLACE YOUR OWN AD……
Gum Tree also offers people an amazing
opportunity to post their own
advertisement. You can specify
exactly what kind of accommodation you are looking for for
the price you want to pay etc .
It’s a bit like cosmic fishing as people can
respond to your ad if they have something which might suit.I have found Gum tree
to work very effectively in terms of generating a response of multiple offers of
accommodation
.
Page 4
Tenancy Rights and
Responsibilities
The Signing of a lease Agreement and payment of a Bond acts to protect the legal interests and
spells out clearly the rights and responsibilities of both homeowner and tenant
if disagreements arise
Here is a list of useful contacts for information about lodging
bonds,bond refunds , tenants rights and responsibilities and resolving tenancy
disputes
(1)
Consumer
Affairs Victoria provides a
range of consumer and tenancy services and can provide
information and advice on residential issues
www.consumer.vic.gov.au
Phone 1300 558 181
(local charge)
Phone
03 86846295
(2)
Residential Tenancies Bond Authority:
The RTBA holds all residential tenancy bonds for rooming
house
Residents and owners
.The RTBA can only repay bonds as agreed by the resident and rooming
house owner or as directed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal
www.rentalbonds.vic.gov.au
Phone 1300 137 164 (local charge
)
Phone 03 86846299
(3)
Victorian Civil and Administrative
Tribunal (VCAT)
deals with issues in many areas including tenancy
Issues
www.vcat.vic.gov.au
phone
1800 133 055 ( Freecall outside Melbourne metro
area)
03 96289800
(4)
Tenants
Union of Victoria : Provides assistance and advocacy for tenants of private
and public residential properties and residents of rooming houses and caravan
parks
www.tuv.org.au
03
94162577
Page
5
Housing for the Aged
( 55 years and older)
H.A.A.G Housing for the Aged Action
Group
Older Persons Housing and Support service…1st floor Ross House
247 Flinders Lane Melbourne 3000
www.older tenants .org.au
Freecall 1300 765
178
This service offers free and
confidential advice to older people who are homeless or at the risk of
homelessness .They can also provide information about the range of housing
options for older people planning for their housing
future.
Wesley
Homeshare
148 Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria Phone 02
96661231
Matches older householders or people with a
disability who are looking for companionship and help around the home with
people of integrity who are able to provide this assistance
in return for free accommodation
Page
6
HOUSE
SITTING
Another
possibility for a fun combined travel and accommodation adventure is
housesitting
House sitting allows the housesitter an opportunity for rent free accommodation
to experience living in in
different locations all over Australia and even the world and also often allows sitters to
connect and enjoy the
pleasure of looking after wonderful pets and can be a win/win scenario for both
homeowner and house sitter.Housesitting agencies act as a register for
homeowners to list their housesitting requirements and opportunities and also
allows housesitters to list their availability profiles for the type of
housesitting they would like to do.The opportunity to search for available
housesits is often free However the
agency usually charges housesitters a fee to access the homeowners contact
details
Housesitting
Agencies the pros and
cons
While housesitting can be a fantastic adventure which can be a
win/win scenario for both sitters and homeowners there can be some pitfalls
associated with the enterprise
.Some housesitting agencies
do not screen or check the credentials of either housesitters or homeowners before they list their jobs
and are reluctant to get involved in disputes between parties .Arrangements
are made between the two parties eg
homeowner and sitter rather than
through the agency and tend
to be made on the basis of trust and goodwill between the two parties Sadly
though despite the best of intentions on both sides
things can go wrong.
Agencies usually also recommend a written agreement be drawn up clearly
identifying the terms of the agreement and the rights and responsibilities of
both parties which can provide access tolegal recourse to resolve disputes if
required .
House Sitting
Agencies
www.housecarers.com
www.housesittersconnect.com.au
www.mindahome.com.au
www.happyhousesitters.com.au
www.housesitters.com.au
www.housesitworld.com.au
www.housesitaustralia.com.au
www.seniorsits.com( for the over
50s)
www.houseminders.com