International Student Housing Service

The DUSA International Student Support Officers assist International students to find suitable housing off-campus by providing information on housing options, costs and listings, contact with Real Estate Agents and landlords, transportation (where required) to view properties, advice and information on leases, tenancy issues, utility connection and sourcing furniture and household appliances.

When to start looking?

The DUSA International Student Support Officer can only assist you find off-campus accommodation once you have arrived in Australia. Therefore you will need to take temporary accommodation for a few days. Deakin International can assist you with temporary accommodation arrangements. You must notify them on your Notification of Arrival Form.

The Off-Campus Housing Process - Geelong

Deakin International will collect International students from the airport and initially place them in temporary accommodation in Geelong. Shortly after their arrival, students will meet with the DUSA International Student Support Officer to discuss their on-going housing needs and preferences, and their budget. At this meeting, students will also be given information on leases, bonds and their rights and obligations as tenants under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.

DUSA maintains an off-campus housing database which includes a variety of accommodation types, price brackets, locations and services and, from this database students will be given a list of properties that meet their accommodation criteria. Students will then select several properties they would like to inspect. Appointments will be arranged with the housing providers to view the accommodation on offer, and students will be driven around to inspect the selected properties.

When students have chosen an accommodation option that suits them, where possible, students and their luggage will be transported to the new on-going accommodation. We usually manage to house students within a few days.

Students are advised to arrive two weeks prior to International Orientation to allow themselves time to find suitable accommodation and to get settled in.

(NOTE: We do not arrange accommodation prior to students' arrival as it is necessary for students to select the accommodation that best suits their needs.) The temporary accommodation arranged by Deakin International gives students time to go through the accommodation selection process.

Further Information

The DUSA International Student Support Officer can also provide information on the following (where required).
• Connection of utilities (electricity, gas and water)
• Sourcing household furniture and whitegoods (rental or purchase)
• Connection of telephone and internet
• Local services and facilities

To assist further with the accommodation process, students should visit the DUSA's Off-Campus Housing Options webpage to get an idea of the types of accommodation on offer, associated costs, etc.

Ongoing Support

The DUSA International Student Support Officer or the DUSA Housing Officer can provide support, information and/or referral for international students who have any tenancy issues or concerns.

DUSA provides an on-going service to students who may need to change their accommodation.