Having trouble keeping up with rent? Do you want to alleviate the financial burden by letting someone sleep in the guest room or a corner of the living room? Has one of your roommates suddenly decides they need a place of their own. Is you or your roommate’s significant other is moving in (a big step!)? Whatever the reason, if you want someone to move into the property you are renting, you are going to have to take a few steps to ensure the process of getting a new roommate goes smoothly .
Unlike many legal issues, adding a roommate to your lease is actually a sensible step. The first thing to do is consult with your property manager to seek approval for the new addition to your house or apartment. This approval will ultimately come from the owner of the property. Adding a roommate to the lease (rather than just having another person live in the apartment in a sort of subletting arrangement) will ultimately be preferable for both you and your landlord as the lease will give your new roommate a legal responsibility to pay rent and respect the property
However, if you don’t wish the new roommate to be on the lease, that can also be arranged. . At the absolute minimum your new roommate needs to be classified as an “approved occupant”. Without this approval you will be in breach of your tenancy agreement and face being issued a “notice to remedy breach” for unapproved occupants.
Keep in mind, if a roommate isn’t on the lease and you are, it is you who is responsible for the full rent being paid. “But my roommate didn’t give me his rent money” isn’t an excuse and conversations like these can best be avoided by putting your new roommate on the lease to begin with. If you have a roommate who isn’t on the lease, you will also be responsible to pay for damage if, for example, your new roommate decides to throw a party and damages the property. To get a new roommate either with or without putting them on the lease, you will need to get them to submit a rental application to your property management agency. They will be processed as an “approved occupant” and may or may not be approved by the owner to live at the property.
When you have your landlord’s approval of your new roommate’s application, in the case that they will be a leaseholder, your property manager will write up a new lease and change of shared bond form. You, your new roommate(s) and any former roommates will sign the new lease and bond form and everything will be smooth sailing. If your roommate is moving in as an approved occupant there shouldn’t be any changes to the lease except under special circumstances.
That’s the ideal situation, though. You might run into a situation where approval for your roommate is not granted. If something comes up in the process of adding a new roommate to your lease, don’t panic. Remain level-headed and do what you can to work things out. If your landlord is hesitant to approve your new boyfriend’s rental application, don’t get upset or stop paying rent. Look for the reason why your landlord objects to the new tenant, and propose possible solutions. If your partner doesn’t have a job or a good rental history, tell the landlord you’ll be covering for them financially as necessary (this may help get them on the lease, but whether it’s a good idea in other respects depends on your relationship with your significant other!).
Doing things correctly from the beginning can save a lot of hassle and protect you from possible repercussions for having unapproved tenants living at the property. All things considered, adding a roommate to your lease shouldn’t be a difficult process. As long as you’ve done your homework beforehand, keep an open line of communication with your property manager, and know whether you can get along with the new roommate, everything should work out well. Now you’ll just need to figure out what to do to avoid issues that may arise with your new roomie being messy, loud, or otherwise less than ideal to live with.
Brought to you by Tony Nash – RE/MAX Property Associates Sunshine Coast
Phone Tony and his team today on (07) 5452 4545
www.rentaladvice.com.au
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