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[On-screen text: Caitlin Louth, Lawyer, WEstjustice]

Caitlin Louth: Hi, my name's Caitlin. I'm a lawyer with the International Students' Employment and Accommodation Legal Service, ISEALS for short.

I specialise in renting laws and help international students with a wide range of accommodation issues.

For most international students, renting in Victoria will be a really positive experience, but it is important to be aware of some of the issues that can arise.

We often see international students living in informal renting arrangements, whether that's a sub-tenancy or an unregistered rooming house or some other situation where they don't have a formal written agreement. There are some things that students can be aware of to avoid common rental problems.

Firstly, you should be careful if you're asked to pay a really high bond or too much rent in advance and other fees.

You should only have to pay at most one month's rent and no other fees to start a rental agreement.

When you start a rental agreement, there's a few documents that you should be given, so you should be given a bond lodgement form. If you're asked to pay a bond, you should be given a condition report that sets out the state of the property. And your rental agreement should be in a standard form.

You should also make sure that you have the details of your rental provider, so at least their name and postal address, and their phone number and email address would be useful as well.

If you have any questions or concerns about volunteering a rental agreement, you can book in for an appointment with ISEALS.

Getting legal help early can be a really great way to prevent issues arising in future.

You can contact the Study Melbourne Student Centre by phone or by email to book in for an appointment.

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Study Melbourne Studymelbourne.vic.gov.au

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