Horrific number of head tenants trying to scam sub-tenants on flatmates.com
This is a warning to people looking to join existing sharehouses on flatmates.com.
I'm the sole leaseholder of a 2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car space property near the city, and recently advertised to fill the spare bedroom on flatmates.com. I pay $925 per week for the unit, and use the smaller room + bathroom. I advertised the bigger room with ensuite and car space for $480 per week (bills not included). With internet and electricity included, the weekly rent would be $525 per week (and this is taking into account peak period electricity bills). Because electricity can vary so much each quarter, I prefer arrangements where we split the power bill as it's due, and I don't bother charging for internet (though charging for internet is perfectly reasonable - if I incorporated the cost of internet into the weekly rent it's an additional $7.50 per week).
I was shocked to see how many head tenants in my area are advertising similar listings (often with no car space, mind you) for $550+ per week (many $600+, with some approaching the $700 mark). Very much trying to rip off the sub-tenant and reduce their own weekly rent.
For anyone looking for a room, make sure you do your research. Do a google search of the unit/ area to find out what the weekly rent is likely to be, and ask about the bills if you're entering into a bills included arrangement. I know many people prefer to do bills included but in my experience you're less likely to get ripped off if you pay separately for bills and are given a copy of the invoice each time.
So many posts about landlords and real estates being unethical and treating renters poorly, but from what I've seen other renters are just as likely to be scam artists.