Share House Removals Melbourne: Bond, Lease & Who Pays (2026)
By Move Near Me team ·
Short answer: Share house removals in Melbourne start with paperwork. You can be held responsible for rent and damage until you’re off the rental agreement. Your bond share is paid by your replacement or housemates through an RTBA renter transfer, which everyone on the bond must consent to. Agree the clean, bills and furniture in writing and book one move per destination.
Who pays and who does what when a housemate moves out?
The leaving housemate sorts out and pays for their own exit, the people staying agree to any replacement, and the rental provider (landlord) or agent signs off on changes to the agreement.
| Task | Leaving housemate | Housemates staying | Rental provider / agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice | Tell housemates and the agent in writing; check which notice applies on CAV | Decide whether to stay on, replace or end the lease | Receives notice and any request to change renters |
| Getting off the agreement | Negotiate to have your name removed | Agree to the change | Agrees to the change |
| A replacement housemate | Can help find one | Choose who moves in | Must give written consent before they move in; can’t charge a fee for it |
| Bond transfer | Accepts the RTBA renter transfer | Accept the transfer | Starts the renter transfer on the RTBA website; doesn’t repay you (money is paid privately) |
| Utilities and internet | Tell providers you’re leaving; ask to come off shared accounts | Take over or close accounts | Not involved |
| Clean | Clean your room and agree your share of common areas | Clean common areas at the final move-out | Inspects at the end of the whole tenancy |
| Shared furniture | Agree a buy-out price or who keeps what | Pay any buy-out | Not involved |
| Hard waste | Ask the household to use the property’s booking | Book through the council | Not involved |
| Booking the truck | Books their own move | Book theirs separately, or share one if going to the same place | Not involved |
How do I get my name off a shared lease in Victoria?
Negotiate with the remaining renters and the rental provider to have your name removed. Until that’s done, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) says co-renters can be held responsible for other co-renters’ unpaid rent or damage, even after they’ve moved out.
The steps depend on how you’re living there:
- Co-renter: your name is on the rental agreement with your housemates. If you leave without a replacement, CAV says you need to negotiate with the remaining renters and the rental provider to have your name removed. Until that’s done, you could still be held responsible
- Sub-renter: you rent a room from a head renter who holds the lease. You give your notice of intention to vacate to the head renter, not the rental provider
- Head renter: if you’re the one on the lease and you leave, you give the rental provider notice, the people staying have to negotiate a new agreement with the rental provider, and you and they complete a renter transfer
Notice periods depend on your agreement and circumstances, so check the CAV renting pages. Students timing a move around exams can read student moving at the end of semester.
Housemate moving out: how does the bond transfer work?
When one housemate leaves, the bond stays with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) and the names change through a renter transfer. Your share comes from your replacement or the people staying, not the RTBA.
The rental provider starts the renter transfer on the RTBA website and the renters accept it. CAV explains that a renter transfer needs the consent of everyone on the bond. The transfer doesn’t repay anyone. Housemates arrange the money between themselves, so:
- Agree your share in writing, including any deductions for damage you caused
- Get paid (usually by bank transfer from your replacement) before you accept the transfer, because once you’re removed from the bond you no longer have a right to it
- Keep the receipt and a copy of the transfer
Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) and VCAT can’t resolve bond disputes between renters. When the whole house leaves, CAV says the RTBA will only release the bond if all the renters on the agreement can complete the claim. For the final inspection and bond claim, see moving out of a rental in Victoria. Current timeframes are on the RTBA website.
Can a share house use a portable bond?
Only if the whole house moves together. Victoria’s portable bond can be used by share-house renters when all of them are on both the old and the new agreement and all of them agree.
- Whole house moving together, for example from Northcote to Preston: a portable bond can work
- Housemates splitting up and moving to different properties: portable bonds don’t apply. Each person claims their share of the old bond and pays a new one
- Two bonds can’t be combined, so you can’t merge a share-house bond with a partner’s bond for a new place
- Optional, with a $25 fee
Moving out of a share house in Victoria: clean, bills, furniture and hard waste
Split the clean, final bills, shared furniture and hard waste in writing, with names and amounts, before anyone books a truck.
Clean
- Each person cleans their own room before they leave
- Split the common-area clean (kitchen, bathroom, lounge, laundry) evenly, or by how long each person lived there
- If you book a cleaner, agree who pays first. Our sister business Cleaning Near Me does end-of-lease cleans
Bills
- Tell electricity, gas, water and internet providers you’re moving out so they stop billing you
- Get written agreement from your housemates to take your name off shared accounts
- Settle the final bills by days lived there, and keep receipts
Shared furniture
- List everything bought together (couch, fridge, washing machine, TV)
- Agree who keeps each item and the buy-out price
- Sell or donate the rest and split the proceeds
Hard waste
- Book one council collection for the household. In Merri-bek (Brunswick, Coburg), hard waste eligibility goes with the property address, not the people: 2 cubic metres a year per property, renewed on 1 July. Tenants can book, but you must book before putting anything out
- Check this year’s allowance hasn’t been used; in Darebin, Maribyrnong or Yarra, check your council’s rules
- Missed the collection? Add rubbish removal to your move, from $90 per load + GST
How much do share house removals cost in Melbourne?
One room usually costs a few hundred dollars; a whole house moving together costs more because it needs a bigger crew and truck. Move Near Me charges $105 an hour for 2 removalists and a 4.5 t truck on a weekday, with a 2-hour minimum plus a fixed 30-minute call-out, then 15-minute blocks.
Billable time runs from the crew’s arrival to the last item unloaded, plus the call-out. Saturdays cost $10 an hour more and Sundays $20 more. All prices exclude GST. For more priced moves, see how much removalists cost in Melbourne.
Example 1: one bedroom, Brunswick to Footscray, Wednesday 25 November
One housemate’s bed, desk, chest of drawers and boxes, ground floor at both ends. The bed frame needs taking apart and putting back together. Our quote form estimates 2.5–3.5 billable hours including the call-out.
| Item | Calculation | Cost (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Labour: 2 removalists + 4.5 t truck (incl. 30-min call-out) | 2.5–3.5 hrs × $105 | $262.50–$367.50 |
| Bed disassembly and reassembly | 1 × $25 | $25 |
| Total | $287.50–$392.50 + GST |
That’s $316.25–$431.75 including GST. If the bed doesn’t come apart, drop the $25. See our furniture removals Melbourne service for single-room moves.
Example 2: whole 3-bedroom share house, Northcote to Preston, Saturday vs weekday
Three housemates moving together, ground floor at both ends. The quote form recommends 3 removalists and an 8 t truck and estimates 4.5–6 billable hours including the call-out.
| Item | Wed 25 Nov (weekday) | Sat 28 Nov |
|---|---|---|
| Team rate: 3 removalists + 8 t truck | $170/hour | $180/hour |
| Labour (4.5–6 hrs incl. call-out) | $765–$1,020 | $810–$1,080 |
| Total (ex GST) | $765–$1,020 | $810–$1,080 |
Including GST, that’s $841.50–$1,122 on the Wednesday and $891–$1,188 on the Saturday. Split three ways, the Saturday move works out at $270–$360 + GST each. Moving on the weekday saves $45–$60 + GST in total.
Can housemates share one removalist booking?
Yes. The quote form takes one pickup and one drop-off, so list any other addresses in the “Anything else we should know?” box and we’ll confirm the price when we call. Extra stops add driving and loading time to the billable hours. If you’re all going to the same place, one booking is simplest. We don’t provide storage, but we can move goods into or out of a storage unit you book.
What if housemates disagree about the bond or bills?
Start with your written agreement. If that fails, the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria offers free dispute resolution.
VCAT says it can’t help with disputes between co-renters in the same property, and CAV can’t either. That covers the bond split, bills, the clean and who keeps the couch. Keep receipts, transfers and messages for the mediator.
FAQ
Q: Am I still responsible for rent and damage after I move out of a share house? You can be, if you’re still named on the rental agreement. Consumer Affairs Victoria says co-renters can be held responsible for other co-renters’ unpaid rent or damage after they move out, so get your name removed before you leave.
Q: Does the RTBA pay me my share of the bond when I leave a share house? No. A renter transfer doesn’t repay anyone: your replacement or the housemates staying pay you privately. Get paid before you accept the transfer, because once you’re removed from the bond you no longer have a right to it.
Q: Can the rental provider charge a fee to add a replacement housemate? No. The rental provider must give written consent before a replacement housemate moves in, and can’t charge a fee for it.
Q: Do I need to give notice if I’m only subletting a room? Yes. A sub-renter gives notice of intention to vacate to the head renter, not to the rental provider. Check current notice rules with Consumer Affairs Victoria.
Q: Can VCAT sort out a bond or bills dispute between housemates? No. VCAT says it can’t help with disputes between co-renters in the same property, and Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria can’t resolve bond disputes between renters. The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria offers free dispute resolution instead.
Q: How much does it cost to move one room out of a share house in Melbourne? Our quote form estimates $262.50–$367.50 + GST for a bedroom from Brunswick to Footscray on a weekday, or $287.50–$392.50 + GST if the bed needs taking apart. That’s Move Near Me’s $105 an hour for 2 removalists and a 4.5 t truck, including the 30-minute call-out.
Leaving a share house? Get an instant moving quote, or see furniture removals Melbourne for one room and house removals Melbourne when the whole house is moving.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your specific rights and current timeframes under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), see Consumer Affairs Victoria or the RTBA.