Rooming houses: a guide for residents and operators - NWHN

Adding more residents to a roomIf a resident has an exclusive rightto their room, an operator may onlyadd more residents to the room withtheir permission.To change a resident’s status fromexclusive to a shared room right, theoperator must give the resident a‘Consent to Increase in Room Capacity’form and get their permission to bringother people into the room.The form:• asks for all affected residents to agree(residents do not have to agree)• offers a lower rent, starting from thedate of the change• informs residents that the operator hasthe right to choose the other residentsof the room.Every affected resident must sign this formbefore the change can happen. A residentmay change their mind within three daysof agreeing to share their room. The noticeseeking permission is valid for 14 days.If a resident agrees, they may start sharingtheir room seven days after the last residentagrees to the increase.The number of people sharing a roomcannot be increased if:• the operator does not use a valid notice• consent is not given by all residentsin the room• it results in overcrowding (see page11 for more information about spacerequirements in rooming houses).If a resident believesthe rent is still too high,they may apply toConsumer Affairs Victoriafor a rent assessment.21