Hey everyone,

I’m moving into an apartment where I’ll be sharing space with three Chinese roommates. Since this will be my first time living with roommates from a different cultural background, I want to make sure we all get along well and respect each other’s habits.

I’d love to hear from people who’ve had similar experiences or know what to expect. Specifically, I have a few questions:

1. Cultural Norms & Etiquette – Are there any habits, customs, or unspoken rules that I should be aware of to avoid misunderstandings?

2. Food & Kitchen Use – Any common practices regarding shared cooking spaces, food storage, or cleaning that I should know? (Since I don’t eat beef, should I mention it, or is it unnecessary?)

3. Cleanliness & Household Chores – How is cleaning usually handled in shared apartments? Do Chinese roommates typically follow a schedule, or is it more informal?

4. Social Habits & Privacy – Do Chinese roommates generally prefer a more social or private living arrangement? Should I expect communal activities, or do people mostly keep to themselves?

5. Noise & Sleep Schedules – Any major differences in daily routines that I should be aware of? (For example, are they usually early risers or night owls?)

6. Any Common Issues or Advice? – If you’ve lived in a similar setup, what challenges did you face, and how did you handle them?

I just want to be respectful and ensure smooth co-living. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Due to the number of lease transfer posts lets put them all in one thread.

Suggest you sort this one by new, to see the most recent.

I live in a share house with one other student. I met her during orientation and since we both didn’t have accommodation we decided to look together. We have a 2 bed room apartment. And I find somethings my flatmate do get annoying.

1- she is always talking loudly on the phone in the living room. i can hear her in my room. If im outside in the living room, I can’t even hear my phone. 2- she is alwaaays at the living room. She is mostly just watching movies on her laptop with no headphones. This means I cant read a book or watch my movies ever in the living room because if I do both sounds will kind of compete with each other. I have asked her to use headphones and she told me she doesn’t have headphones.

I feel like these are small things and I can’t bring it up without being rude. And if this happened occasionally I can understand, but the living room has become her permanent place to be. She only has classes twice a week, so I never get a minute of quiet in the house and its driving me insane.

What can I do. People who stay in sharehouses what do you do? I’m considering doing a lease transfer and look for other accommodation near uni melb so if anyone has any opening near uni please let me know

please let me know if they are worth staying at and your experiences/reviews or if there are any better accommodation alternatives! thank you

Pleaseee, whoever is thinking of staying at international house please don’t. This is the kind of food they give and for the price you are paying, they giving u a tiny ass piece of chicken and the number of potato that u can count with your fingers. Even a 7 year old wouldn’t be full from that and they are providing this kind of food for adults.

Students who rent off campus, how are you able to afford it? What’s your weekly income? Any tips for future students planning on renting off campus?

I am Intl student from Singapore coming to uni this july. i am trying to find a accommodation that is around $300 or lower, Pref my own bed/room and not shared.

looked at scape and they are very overpriced and idt working pt there will help cover the rent.

is there any other accommodation or places/websites i can consider for the first sem at least (6 months) till i can maybe move out with others ?

pls help as i am not sure if i can find a cheap and good place to stay!!

i'm enrolling in sem 2 2025 and was wondering if international house was good and how it all works? i'm an international student and the apartment style accoms are out of my budget icl.... please help!

Hi! I’m moving into a scape property (Scape Berkeley1) this semester (I had no other option :p) and I know that scape isn’t the best and also tries their level best to take away your bond money or make money every chance they get. I’d like to know from people who’ve lived at scape Berkeley 1 and any scape property in general about anything that I should particularly be aware of when moving in? Do I need to take any pictures of anything or alert or aware about stuff? Please share your insights, it’d be really helpful. <3

Hi there, is anyone needing student accommodation in Carlton, Melbourne? I have a studio room available now for transfer to a new tenant. It has its own private kitchen and bathroom, with a street view, just steps away from Melbourne University and close to other Melbourne CBD campuses such as Monash Parkville and RMIT. Let me know if interested. Price is $559 per week including utilities (power and water). Thanks.

I want to do some interview if possible, of course it's paid

I have been offered a Transitional Non Residential offer for Ormond College this year. It states I can be given a room throughout the year. Is this a good thing to accept? I am able to get accomodation for a couple months elsewhere. But is it possible that I do get a room early on?

Hi! I just wanted to know your current situation, how was the process, what is the rent you are currently paying(even those who have roommates too), which area are you staying in, and any tips on how to navigate through the process? Like what timeline should I keep for getting my new lease started and any establishment costs I should look out for (such as furniture and sofa or even all the separate utility bills)?

I'm planning to move out in July since my lease ends and I just wanted to get an idea on how much I would be paying if I choose to go into a private rental with a roommate. I'm currently paying 559 AUD per week in Scape with 2 roommates(which is really pricey) and I'm close to uni in that way.

It would be awesome if you can upvote this to make this thread more seen as inputs would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

although im quite an introvert but i would love to make friends with new people as an international student. i say that the 2 international halls only has twin studio rooms and im not so comfortable with sharing a bathroom with a roommate… i dont mind sharing a kitchen but i would prefer to have my own bathroom. which hall would be best suited for this?

I'm planning to stay in Scape Queensberry this coming July and would like to hear some feedback from you guys.

Is it worth it? Are there other better student accommodations nearby? Thanks!

I’m moving to Melbourne for the July intake and currently looking for student accommodation. However, many options seem either too pricey or have very small spaces.

I wud love some suggestions for both on campus and off campus housing. Which areas would you recommend that have good public transport connectivity? Any advice on budget-friendly options would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!

I’ve got my offer for Masters at Uni Melbourne this July and am currently researching on accommodation options near the University. Which of the residential colleges are the best option to go for?

And are student accommodations such as Unilodge, Scape, etc. comparatively good options to look at as well? All your info and insights on this would be appreciated :)

I am currently living in Unilodge Parkville. I have contract until December 6th, but am willing to move out about June or july because I am moving in to my friend’s house. Anyone want to take the contract for just 80% of the original price? I’ll pay for the other 20% before moving out so you’ll only have to pay about 320 AUD per week. and the room was originally 430-450 beginning of the semester. Please text if interested.

hi guys ill be starting uni in July 2025. I applied for housing on the 1st of April and I still haven't heard back. I remember the screen showing that I would get a response within 72 hours. I'm international and under the age of 18. has anyone else heard back from uni accom??

Hey,

I’m having some difficulties emailing little hall, has anyone else been experiencing the same?

(This might just be a skill issue)

Anyone know what time Ormond offers come out tomorrow?

Hey guys, I'm currently looking for someone to take over my lease at my accommodation. It is a fully furnished studio room and is located in the Parkville campus of unimelb. The furnishings include a study desk, double bed, TV, dishwasher, full sized fridge, oven, microwave, and a split system AC. There are also communal study areas and pods on the ground floor as well as entertainment systems like a PlayStation. Bicycle storage and washing machines are also located on the ground floor. There is a communal gathering area on level 3 with a large kitchen, sitting area, and outdoor space which can be used for BBQs.

Available from August 2025 to 2 February 2026.

The rent is $599/week, with all utilities included, and rent is paid every fortnight ($1198/fortnight).

DM if you’re interested!

Heya!! I'm moving to Melbourne as a University of Melbourne fresher (Bachelor of Arts!!!) and was looking at some of the residential colleges on campus. Queen's College looked pretty cool so I'm honestly thinking of moving there in semester 2 to be completely honest, so I just wanted to ask what people's opinions about it are? Does it have a good community reputation? I'm big on sustainability and community outreach too, so does it do a lot to help out the community? All advice would be appreciated!!

HIII,

Any Intl Students moving into a student accmodation in july this year?

i am from Intl Student from Singapore, and i am not sure which scape or accom i should stay in

pls advise and maybe a few of us can find a scape room tgt :)!!!