Finding a new place to stay... (2 Viewers)

[Question2]

I've been at my current place for little more than a week, and just discovered my flatmates were assholes...they just decided they didn't want to share the fridge because they didn't like sharing it, took my stuff out of it and threw it into my room.

So...i have to find another place to stay. Does anyone know of one?

And is there any way to warn other people about what horrible flatmates these guys are?

 

[Trans4M]

Wow I feel bad for you.

 

[maratyeu]

Are you staying at a Uni operated place or a private place?
The lease should have some clause in it about sharing common space and respect of property.

 

[Question2]

flatmates just gave me an ultimatum to leave by this saturday. I tried to explain that it wasn't legal to do that, they didn't care. They also wanted to hold onto my bond personally, they didn't care when i told them it was illegal too.

I'm starting to get concerned about my safety here. Is there anywhere i can turn to?

Edit : At a private place. It doesn't mention anything about sharing common space though.

 

[maratyeu]

flatmates just gave me an ultimatum to leave by this saturday. I tried to explain that it wasn't legal to do that, they didn't care. They also wanted to hold onto my bond personally, they didn't care when i told them it was illegal too.

I'm starting to get concerned about my safety here. Is there anywhere i can turn to?

Edit : At a private place. It doesn't mention anything about sharing common space though.

Is your name on the lease? If it is this is something you need to bring up with the owner.

 

[SunnyScience]

Parents house?

 

[Question2]

Im an international student, so im alone here...

Im renting from my flatmates who are the head tenants. I dont know who the landlord is, and they refuse to tell me. Apparently the landlord wont be able to do anything either since my contract is with them, not the landlord.

Btw i just saw them list an ad for my room on UNSW classifieds : https://classifieds.unsw.edu.au/?page_id=5&id=957

Warn everyone you know about this ad! You are not allowed to share the kitchen fridge, bills for a heater are NOT included (The ad lies!), and they are breaking all kinds of laws...they want to hold onto your bond personally instead of sending it to fair trading, and they are only giving me a 3 days notice to move out! They CANNOT be reasoned with...i have tried, they just keep yelling at me, saying things like "we have more experience renting than you!". They even threatened to make sure i would never be able to rent a place again.

Here are some pictures of the flat : http://imgur.com/CNw2A,xwsGU,ebHDG,...c,bNusJ,VC7qT,CpQGD,k6QCV,AITpo,7RYNH,CmtnW#0

They have about 30 bottles of stuff in the bathroom...including a bottle of table salt. Some giant...pumpkin or whatever...sitting on the kitchen floor right next to the rubbish bin. Just look at what they have in the fridge...almost all of it is theirs, and they don't want to share space. They just want you there to pay rent, but they want to treat it as THEIR house with THEIR rules.

I am concerned for my safety and dare not make a tribunal application at this point of time. I can't imagine how they will react when they receive the notice (which probably wont arrive before saturday anyway).

 

[Graney]

There's a good website on tenants rights here:

http://www.tenants.org.au/
http://www.tenants.org.au/publish/factsheet-18-transfer-subletting/index.php

Also fair trading has a lot of information

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/T...ncy/Subletting_requests_from_your_tenant.html

If you don't have an agreement with the landlord, or a signed agreement with the co-tenants, it's going to be hard to get your bond back. It sounds like they're going to steal your bond. After you've moved out, you should rip them off, steal their electronics to break even.

 

[Riachain]

Oh hell, that's terrible. My condolences to you. ;(

The next time that you rent from someone, don't give them the bond money until you absolutely know that they sent the bond money off to the tribunal. Get them to sign the form in front of your eyes, and then tell them to put the form into an envelope. Put the money into the envelope yourself and put the envelope into the post box yourself (or get them to do it while you're watching them). If they ask why they have to go through all that trouble, tell them a sob story (aka, tell them that you recently got scammed, so you need to make sure of everything, which for you is true).

Then make sure that you get a written and signed agreement with the landlord or the co-tenants, whoever you decide to rent from. Keep multiple copies of this agreement! Send it to yourself in the form of an attachment, keep it on your smartphone, have 2 - 3 physical copies, etc. It's important.

You could possibly go to the people at Arc (or was it The Hub?) and ask them for advice. I'm an international student, new as well, and I attended their tenancy workshop. They gave out these forms that I think could be quite useful to you. You could ask them for that AND for advice. They might be able to do something to help you.

 

[Question2]

I do have a signed agreement. However, they seem to have no fear of breaking the law. I tried to explain the legal requirements, they just sneered at me and told me to bring my lawyer to the apartment.

I went to ARC and sought legal advice, but i was basically told there's nothing i can do except file an application (which costs $37 for students not receiving some kind of government allowance).

It's just shocking the laws are so paper thin that any kind of people can rent out a room without knowing or caring about the laws involved...

 

[soloooooo]

If you don't have an agreement with the landlord, or a signed agreement with the co-tenants, it's going to be hard to get your bond back. It sounds like they're going to steal your bond. After you've moved out, you should rip them off, steal their electronics to break even.

Pretty much this. They are illegally subletting to you, which means the tenancy tribunal won;t be able to do much and you won't get your bond back.

Why are there lots of children's toys in those pictures?

Perhaps post a message on the UNSW facebook page warning about Dac Hoang and the advert etc (as well as a link to the pictures)?

 

[steffanie1]

a

 

[Question2]

That's not true at all, this is Australia not fucking Uganda.. Whatever's written in the contract is enforceable, seek legal advice and if you have a case take them to court which would include a demand of your expenses to do so.

In the future make sure you meet the people you are going to living with first... The campus accommodation whilst expensive is good because it is run very (perhaps too much so) authoritarian style, but at least you have a lot of securities as opposed to say renting a room off gumtree..

I talked to a lawyer actually. She told me that tenants can simply decide not to share the fridge or other appliances with you...unless sharing of the fridge is specifically mentioned in the agreement, you can't go to court. And almost nobody is going to specifically list the fridge in the agreement...she also said that if i do file an application with the tribunal, i can't demand that my application fee be reimbursed if i win.

Basically the legal advice i got was...if you have disputes, you need to pay $37 to file an application, even if you win, you don't get money, just an order to the landlord.

Campus accommodation wasn't available when i applied.

I think i will post a warning on UNSW facebook. The problem is that this guy is actually a UNSW masters graduate...he might be watching the page too.

I did meet them first. They seemed very nice the first week i lived there. Then suddenly they insisted i could not share the fridge, and all the problems started snowballing.

The children toys are for their son.

 

[steffanie1]

a

 

[Question2]

I'm not really worried about the bond now, but finding a place to stay given 3 days notice.

 

[steffanie1]

a

 

[Question2]

Why? Wasn't the bond like 2-4 weeks rent? Suffice to say a $37 fee should be of little consideration compared to the bond which is the part of this story that you have complete legal right and protection for.. Besides what was the tribunal suggestion even for, I would believe the matter of a bond is completely different then trying to define your rights to use the fridge or whether they can put salt in the bathroom under a tribunal hearing.

You can stay at my place for 200 a night, 1 complementary coffee each morning as well.

He hasn't specified that he will keep the bond...he claims he will give it back to me when i move out on saturday. Whether that will happen remains to be seen. The lawyer said that if the landlord withholds my bond, i will have to get it back by applying to the tribunal.

Can you PM me more details? Like the address and your contact number.

 

[maratyeu]

He hasn't specified that he will keep the bond...he claims he will give it back to me when i move out on saturday. Whether that will happen remains to be seen. The lawyer said that if the landlord withholds my bond, i will have to get it back by applying to the tribunal.

Can you PM me more details? Like the address and your contact number.

His taking the piss. For $200/night you could stay at a hotel.

 

[Question2]

Oh i misread his post, i thought he meant $200 per week.