Start with a story: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/08/the-only-way-i-can-survive-co-living-as-a-single-parent
What share housing is…
Share housing is choosing to live in a shared space with others to combine affordability with a sense of community.
Advantages for single mother families include:
- Increasing available housing options.
- Easing financial stress.
- Children can benefit from playmates and new friendships in a family-oriented setting.
- Mothers have some support, companionship and shared responsibilities.
… and is not
Sharing a home is not just about reducing costs, even if that is the reason for exploring it. There are potential risks to you and your children, so take the time to minimise these.
Whose house is it?
Share housing involves a number of options:
- You have a house (owned or rented) that you want to share with another family.
- You are looking for someone who already has a place and is looking for housemates with children.
- Two adults (or more) have decided to share and are applying for properties together.
Whichever options you are considering, the points below are relevant.
Ways to make sharing work and minimise risk include:
Advertise thoughtfully. Use platforms like CSMC’s private Facebook group, Single Mothers Share House Register
Fairy Floss Real Estate www.facebook.com/groups/117412174975402/
ShareAbode, for single parents sharing www.shareabode.com.au
General housemate websites:
- Be specific about preferences when listing your home or searching for housemates.
- Meet potential housemates to check out how you get along. If you don’t feel comfortable, be polite, but end it quickly. Trust your intuition.
- If you do feel comfortable, start discussing things like expectations and hopes, boundaries you want in place, parenting styles, meals, lifestyles etc.
Questions might help start the discussions:
- “I’d like to hear about your previous rental experiences. What were some highlights, and how did you deal with any problems?”
- “What does a typical day or weekend look like for you? Do you have routines?”
- “How do you usually handle shared responsibilities like dishes, cleaning or paying bills?””Do you have any specific preferences or needs when it comes to household rules, like quiet hours or having guests over?”
- “What are your thoughts on parenting styles and how we could interact with the kids? I figure we would need to be aligned on this.”
- Spend a few playdates getting to know them, and see how your children react to each other and see your parenting approaches in action.
- Talk about how you would deal with things if you get into conflict. Where could you go for help, and what if you needed to break the lease or for one to leave?
- Draft a shared agreement. This can document how responsibilities, including rent, utilities, and household rules, will be divided. You can also include things you agree on like substance use, drinking & smoking limits, partners staying over or not, approaches to cleanliness/ tidiness, noise level, music/ tv use etc. You can find editable draft agreement you can adapt and use online.
Apply together & make applications shine
- Gather essential documents and include proof of income, rental references, and identification for both adults.
- Provide records of timely rent payments, like rental ledgers.
- Write a joint cover letter
- Highlight your strengths, reliability, and commitment to maintaining the home.
- Explain why the property is perfect for your families.
- Include strong references. Landlords, real estate agents, employers, or community members can vouch for your characters and responsibility.
- Show Financial Responsibility
- Include payslips or Centrelink statements to prove financial stability as a team.
- If you have savings, show these to reassure landlords.
- Prepare a shared budget that shows how costs will be divided and managed effectively.
Present as a team
Attend inspections together if you can and show landlords your well-coordinated approach.
Speak to the Property Manager at the inspection. Introduce yourselves and make as good an impression as you can. Get their phone number.
Follow up
If you didn’t have the opportunity to speak with the Property Manager at the open, call them later that day or the next.
- Tell them you have put in an application and you want them to know you have an excellent rental history.
- Say that although your income may not be as high as some, however you have demonstrated capacity to pay this amount of rent on time and in full, over X years.
- Tell them you are two single mothers combining your efforts and resources and how good this property will be for you and your child/ren.
If you haven’t heard back within three days it is worth calling to ask if a decision has been made, or if any further information is required.
Legal and safety tips
- Do background checks on your potential share housemate – Request references, verify ID, and if needed, conduct police checks. You can obtain a police check through National Crime Check.
- Research through social media and online presence – check out their publicly available social media profiles to understand their lifestyle and suitability.
- Sign the lease and make sure all housemates are included in the rental agreement. If it started with two adults and a new adult joins the household, make sure the one who comes later also signs.
- Know Your rights – Familiarise yourself with tenancy laws through the Tenants Union of Victoria or the equivalent in your state or territory.
- Insurance – Notify any insurer about the shared arrangement to ensure appropriate coverage.
CSMC’s Housing resource was made possible thanks to the support of:
