University of New South Wales-Sydney: Renting Tips

The University of New South Wales in Sydney is one of the top universities in Australia, and a large number of Chinese students go to the university every year.

While you are happy to get an offer from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, for those who are going to study at UNSW, finding suitable accommodation is a top priority.

Below is a summary of UNSW Sydney Accommodation Rental Tips, covering three types of accommodation: student hostel, homestay and off-campus rental, which aims to help international students who are going to UNSW start their study career smoothly.

UNSW Accommodation in Sydney

UNSW has its own student hostel. The benefits of living in the student hostel are safety, transparency, and peace of mind, it saves time and travelling expenses for commuting to and from school, and the diversified international environment helps you adapt to school life as soon as possible.

How to Apply for Halls of Residence in Sydney:

There are two types of UNSW student residences: College and Apartment. You can check the details of the residences and the fees on the school’s official website, and log in to the website with your student account to apply for the residences.

The Process of Renting a Student Residence in Sydney:

(a) Login to the school’s official website through your student account, enter the designated dormitory application channel, submit your personal documents according to the prompts on the page, choose the dormitory of your personal interest, and then pay the application fee (AU$100). 

(b) After waiting for the university’s application review and approval, students will receive an Offer of Student Residence, which contains details of the required fees, terms and conditions related to accommodation, etc, so please check it carefully.

(c) After reading it carefully, submit the signed Offer to the University before the deadline and make the payment accordingly. 

Sydney UNSW Rentals ~ Homestay

Homestay is a relatively mature accommodation model in Australia. The government has strict requirements for becoming a homestay provider, including the geographical location of the homestay, the study and living space available, the availability of cooling and heating equipment, the availability of meals and personal care, and so on.

How to Apply for a Homestay in Sydney:

UNSW does not provide homestay information, students can apply through UNSW’s official homestay agency.

If you are concerned about communication issues, you can also appoint a domestic agent to handle the application for you.

Notes:

Host families generally take about 4 weeks to match, so it is best to start your application 2 months in advance. In addition, host families cannot be freely chosen by yourself, and will be matched by the system after applying through an agent.

UNSW Sydney Room Rental ~ Off-campus Room Rental

Apart from student hostel and homestay, international students can also choose to rent their own off-campus accommodation.

You can rent a single room or a whole room with your friends; you can choose private houses such as flats, houses, townhouses, etc, according to your own financial condition, you can choose a house with a better location and supporting facilities.

Recommended Areas to Live in if You Rent Your Own Room off-campus at UNSW

UNSW’s main campus is located in the Kensington area, 7km east of Sydney’s city centre, Australia. It is surrounded by beautiful scenery and is close to Sydney’s Central Park, the city’s business districts, the train station, the airport and the waterfront. If you want to rent an apartment, you will definitely prefer to live in an area that is close to the university, easy to live in, well-connected and safe.

After learning about the location of UNSW, here is a look at what areas are suitable for UNSW students to live in.

Recommended Rental Areas: Kensington of Sydney

(a) The main campus of UNSW is located in Kensington. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to and from school, which saves on travelling expenses;

(b) Convenient traffic, there are bus lines and light rail directly to Sydney city centre (30-40 minutes), 303 bus can be directly to the airport;

(c) A relatively complete supporting facilities, the main street (Anzac Parade) has Chinese restaurants, Chinese supermarkets, etc. (lack of large supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths);

(d )There is good law and order;

(e) The housing stock is concentrated on both sides of the main street Anzac Parade, and the housing type is mainly houses, but most of them are rather old;

(f) The rent of houses in this area is in the middle level;

Recommended Rental Area: Kingsford of Sydney

(a) The area is also very close to schools, and the walking time to school is basically no more than 15 minutes.

(b) There is a good mix of amenities in the area, including shopping centres such as Easter Garden, small supermarkets such as 7-11 and IGA, Chinese supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, libraries and gyms 

(c) Overall security is good, but it’s best to travel in a group at night.

(d) It is also not far from Sydney city centre, there are several bus and train lines to Sydney city centre (30-40 minutes) and other surrounding areas and 400/410 buses to the airport.

(e) The housing stock in this area is mainly spacious houses, most of the houses are old, few new flats are built, and the rent is in the middle level.

Recommended Rental Area: Randwick 

(a) Located at the back door of the school, you can walk to and from school, and it is only a 5-minute walk to UNSW’s main library;

(b) Close to UNSW Language Campus, ideal for students taking language classes;

(c) The campus is close to the UNSW Language Campus, which is ideal for students taking language classes. b) The campus has a wide range of amenities, including a hospital, cinema, gym, Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, Chemist warehouse and a variety of restaurants;

(d) The bus frequency is less compared to Kingsford, but there are quite a lot of bus routes to Sydney city (about 25 minutes), which makes travelling more convenient;

(e) It belongs to an area with better environment and security, close to Centennial Park and Coogee Beach;

(f) Most of the rental properties are older houses and townhouses, and the average rent is slightly lower than in Kingsford;

Recommended Rental Area: Maroubra of Sydney

 

(a) Some distance from UNSW main campus, mainly by bus to school, the bus ride is about 10 minutes;

(b) An area with very good living facilities, including Coles supermarket, Audi, Fish market, Chinese supermarkets, various restaurants, gyms, Chinese butchers, and only one stop away from Easter Garden shopping centre.

(c) The transport is very convenient, there are many routes to Sydney city (about 25 minutes), there is one in about 10 minutes, and there is a direct bus line to the airport.

(d) There are a lot of local Australians, the environment and security are very good, close to the beach;

(e) The property is relatively new and the rental price is higher;

Recommended Rental Areas: Zetland/Waterloo of Sydney

(a) Zetland and Waterloo are adjacent to each other, both are not too far away from UNSW, it takes 30-40 minutes to walk, and it takes about 15 minutes to go to school by bus;

(b) Zetland is more popular as there is a train station near Green Square, which is one stop away from Sydney city centre;

(c) Life is more convenient, there are libraries, a shopping centre East Village, Coles hypermarket, Chinese supermarkets, restaurants and milk tea shops.

(d) There are more Chinese students and local white-collar workers living in the neighbourhood, so the safety factor is high;

(e) There are more newly built flats for rent in recent years, with good living quality and relatively expensive rent;

Recommendations for Renting Your Own Room off-campus at UNSW