July 2010 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Moving out of home for the first time can be a bit like having your first baby. Everyone suddenly seems to be full of unsolicited advice, gadgets they swear you can't live without and embarrassing stories you wish they'd kept to themselves. Have they forgotten that blundering through major life experiences utterly ill prepared is half the fun?
Thankfully it's easier to avoid long-winded conversations with know-it-alls these days by seeking out the advice you're really interested in online. Should you find opinionated bores have infiltrated the blogosphere, you can quickly disengage with a click of the mouse without offending anyone.
But where to begin? We've ferreted out a few useful sites to get you started:
- tuv.org.au: The Tenants Union of Victoria is a good local source of legal and financial information. If you don't know a co-tenancy from a sublet it could be wise to read up. A series of fact sheets written in plain English take you step-by-step through various full-on topics, from slapping a breach of duty notice on your landlord to having one slapped on you, claiming compensation, recovering your bond or knowing your rights if your landlord decides to sell.
- qut.edu.au/sharehousing: Rather than focus on legalese and the myriad things that can go pear-shaped when strangers — or friends — move in together, the Queensland University of Technology's Share Housing 101 site offers a nice mix of practical tips for staying organised but flexible about chores such as cleaning and paying the bills. There are also some wise words about the underrated art of communication and resolving issues without coming across as a crazed storm trooper.
- http://sharehousing.org/: The Share Housing Survival Guide put together by Sydney's Redfern Legal Centre offers some sound, serious legal and financial advice on everything from tenancy law to setting up a household kitty. Hopefully you'll never need to know what to do if housemates shoot through owing money, landlords ignore requests for repairs or your flatmates threaten to evict you. But if you do, this is the place for some fast facts.
- ourbrisbane.com/real-estate/moving-house/share-accommodation: At the core of ourbrisbane.com's Top Tips for Share Houses is advice about the importance of establishing homes with the right mix of people rather than a "marriage of convenience" based purely on the right location at the right price. Worth a read for anyone considering living with friends without knowing their attitudes to issues close to your heart.
- schoolies.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/Accommodation/Living+with+your+mates/: This site is aimed at year 12 students setting up temporary party HQs during schoolies week rather than long-term share houses. Nevertheless, for novices enthusiastic about the art of hedonism but unsure about the finer points of household etiquette there's pure gold to be found, including the third of 10 Commandments for Living Together: "Don't wake the sleeping." Amen to that.
Kath Dolan
Read the article on The Sydney Morning Herald website.
