International Student Accommodation Plan: Issues and Recommendations

This report provides a detailed overview of international student accommodation planning, addressing the various challenges and issues faced by students pursuing education abroad. It covers topics such as off-campus housing options, the importance of building a support network, and understanding lease agreements. The report also discusses essential aspects like required documents, the role of a guarantor, finding roommates, and managing utilities. Furthermore, it highlights the benefits of PBSAs (Purpose-Built Student Accommodation) and offers practical advice on overcoming the initial intimidation of finding housing in a new country. The report emphasizes the need for international students to be well-informed and prepared to ensure a smooth transition into their academic journey. Desklib provides similar solved assignments and resources for students.

International student accommodation
plan
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Task 3
Introduction
The give report covers the international accommodation plan relating to students pursuing
undergraduate or postgraduate courses in outside countries or nations. There are various issues
and difficulties that students face. Being a non-native citizen they found some challenges apart
from settling down. However taking careful measures, all the concerned issues can be properly
dealt with. Most of the international students live off-campus because it is affordable and price-
friendly. There are many apartments and housing options available for rent in the surrounding
area near Melbourne. However, it is important to be prepared for this process. For that, there are
several websites which will guide to renting accommodation in Melbourne. It also includes a list
of popular apartments students opts for. These websites help students a lot.
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Body of discussion
Student accommodations generally will be pricier because they're often quite small, but just fine
if you're staying alone. They're both in the CBD, less than 5 minutes walking distance to the
campus.
A homestay is the second option, but they're all in the suburbs, so that means extra 30 minutes to
1 hour time to commute each day you have class at university. After the student finds his own
support circle of friends, you should be able to find some housemates and share a 3-bedroom
apartment which will turn out to be cheaper and more fun ideally.
For the better result, within my first 2-3 years staying here, I tried not to stay in accommodation
with the overwhelming majority of people from my own country. This will assist everyone in
practicing English, learning local culture, and just staying out of the comfort zone (Palmer,
2016).
One needs to check the terms of the contract you have signed. There may be a notice period, or
one may have signed up for the whole academic year. Even if I cannot get out of the contract,
there may be a system for finding a person to take it over. Speaking to the Housing Services
people at university about it can be another alternative.
Another approach can be to take the help and assistance of various service providers. One needs
to share the details of his or her current accommodation like weekly rent, tenancy period, room
type, etc. with the booking expert. The concerned student will be charged a one-time fee for this
premium facility. Also, he will get back your money if the providers are unable to find a
replacement within 30 days (Hegarty, 2014).
Being an international student and having lived in a PBSA myself, it’s a very feasible and
economical option. Student accommodations these days offer extremely lovely and wonderful
amenities and facilities like gyms, saunas, common areas, game rooms, iMac stations, car and
bike parking spaces, BBQ and various other amazing facilities. These accommodations are
specifically designed and built keeping in mind the needs and requirements of international
students. They’re basically like a home away from home.
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Being an international student in any nation or country can be very exciting. However, the
excitement of all that awaits me in any developed versatile country may be rubbed due to the
challenge of figuring out logistics such as housing in the U.S.
Being new to the country, unaware of its locations, surrounding neighborhood and culture, in
general, can be intimidating for most international students.
So, here are some pointers to help students like me be at ease with finding yourself a place to live
abroad while at the same time studying and pursuing different types of courses.
Lease
 A lease is a contract between you and your housing society/complex, stating the amount of rent
agreed upon, the duration of rent agreement and other additional terms. Most leases are for one
year or more, however, if one is looking for a lease of less than a year, then he may discuss this
with the concerned property manager. As some student housing departments may be available
for less than a year, depending on occupancy rate (Hegarty, 2014). I can even reach out to my
personal concierge beforehand, to explore all available options.
Required documents
 The list of required documents for leasing varies from property to property. However, generally
Passport or Visa, Verification of University acceptance, I-20 Form duly completed, Previous Pay
Stubs.
Guarantor
 A guarantor is the third party vouching on behalf of the concerned country apartment complex. It
can be anyone who has the ability to financially afford the lease value, though traditionally it is
either a parent or the guardian (Urban & Palmer, 2013). However, in the absence of a guarantor
(for international students), the housing complex may waive the guarantor in lieu of a higher
deposit fee upfront.
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 But, in case having a guarantor is mandatory for your lease agreement, then the student needs to
find a native citizen to act as a viable guarantor with the help of personal concierge so that he to
she can complete application and sign the lease document seamlessly.
Roommate
 You may find yourself a roommate to share your finances and responsibilities of managing a
household, using your apartment complexes database of roommate matching systems (Palmer,
2016).
Utilities and furniture
 Utilities and furniture are additional facilities, hence they are charged additionally, depending on
your lease agreement with your housing complex. There are many ways to charge for these
additional facilities. However, the most widely used being charged as per your utility, at the end
of the month (Urban & Palmer, 2013).
On campus, accommodation is highly expensive than renting a room in developed countries or
nations. It is better to book a motel for two days and make friends in the college and set up your
accommodation.
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References
 Palmer, M.Y., (2016). Student to Scholar: Learning Experiences of International Students.
University of Saskatchewan (Canada).
 Hegarty. N., (2014). Where We Are Now –The Presence and Importance of International
Students to Universities in the United States. Journal of International Students. Volume 4, Issue
3, pp. 223-235.
 Urban. L. E., & Palmer. B. L., (2013). International Students as a Resource for
Internationalization of Higher Education. Association for Studies in International Education.
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