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What is a rooming house?
A rooming house is a building where:
- there are one or more rooms available for rent, either for short or long periods
- at least four people may rent those rooms
- each resident pays rent
- residents rent a room and can share communal facilities such as bathrooms and toilets but may also have their own facilities within the room
- different rental agreements can exist for different residents.
Other terms you may hear used to describe a rooming house are boarding house, guesthouse, hostel or hotel. All these types of accommodation may be classed as rooming houses and therefore may be governed by the laws discussed in this guide.
Rooming house registration
Rooming houses must be registered with the local council. The council can then inspect the rooming house to see if it meets the standards required by the Health (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2001. There are standards set out below for toilet and bathroom facilities, water supply and minimum room size.
If you think your rooming house does not meet these standards, you should contact your local council. Contact details for local council’s can be found in your local telephone directory, library or at the Local Government Victoria website.
The Office of Housing has developed a Housing Standards Policy Manual that provides further information on the minimum standards required for rooming house accommodation.
A rooming house must have:
- at least one toilet for every 10 people
- at least one fixed bath or shower and one washbasin for every 10 people
- continuous and adequate supply of hot and cold water to all bathing, laundry and kitchen facilities
- working smoke alarms fitted throughout the premises
- rooms and communal areas in a clean condition and good working order.
Each room must have:
| For stays of 31 days or less | For stays of 32 days or more |
| One person per room – at least 7.5m2 | One person per room – at least 7.5m2 |
| Two people per room – at least 7.5m2 | Two people per room – at least 12m2 |
| Three people per room – at least 10m2 | For more than two people – 12m2 and an additional 4m2 of floor space for each additional person |
| More than three people – 10m2 an additional 2m2 for each person |  |
These standards are required by the Health (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2001 and Building Regulations 2006.
Comfort and safety
Following are a list of things likely to make the rooming house a safer and more pleasant place for residents to live.
Does the rooming house have:
- sound structure
- communal food preparation area with sink, stove and fridge
- floor coverings free of major rips or raised edges, no unsecured floorboards or loose tiles
- laundry facilities including a clothesline
- good external and common area lighting?
Does the room have:
- a minimum of two power outlets
- adequate ventilation and light
- heating or appropriate allowances for portable heating
- window coverings to keep light out and provide privacy
- walls in a reasonable condition without major holes, cracking, staining, rips or graffiti?
Fire safety
Fire safety is important not only for your safety but the safety of other residents. Your rooming house must have hard wired smoke alarms or a smoke detection system installed and lighting that is activated by the smoke alarms. Smoke detectors save lives and need to be connected at all times.
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