CDA ColivingYour Agreement
We rent rooms and we rent whole properties. Different agreement, different rules. Here's what applies to you.
Which agreement do I have?
It depends entirely on what you're renting, not on who you are or how long you're staying.
You rent a room
Your own bedroom in a house you share with other people, each on their own agreement with us. You sign an Occupancy Agreement.
You rent the whole place
A studio, unit or house that is exclusively yours, with nobody else holding a separate agreement for part of it. You sign a Residential Tenancy Agreement.
Side by side
| Room in a shared house | Whole studio, unit or house | |
|---|---|---|
| You sign | An Occupancy Agreement | A Residential Tenancy Agreement |
| What you get | Your bedroom, plus shared use of the kitchen, bathrooms and living areas | The entire property, exclusively yours |
| Money up front | Security deposit, maximum 2 weeks | Rental bond, up to 4 weeks' rent |
| Ending it | 4 weeks' written notice | Set by law and by your agreement. See the Whole property tab |
Look at the title on the first page of your agreement. It says so right there. If you can't find your copy, email hello@cdacoliving.com and we'll send it again.
House Rules, Move-In, Living at CDA and Move-Out describe day-to-day life in a shared house, which is most of what we manage. If you rent a whole property, the practical advice still applies, but the money, notice and dispute rules on this page are the ones that govern your agreement.
Room in a shared house
What an Occupancy Agreement gives you, in plain language.
These aren't things we choose to offer. They are built into the type of agreement you signed, and they can't be signed away. If anything we do looks like it doesn't match, tell us.
Your money
| What | How it works |
|---|---|
| Security deposit | Maximum 2 weeks of your occupancy fee. We hold it and return it directly to you. |
| When you get it back | Within 14 days of your agreement ending, less anything we're allowed to deduct. Over the 15 December – 14 January shutdown this can take longer. |
| What can be deducted | Damage beyond fair wear and tear · unpaid occupancy fees · the reasonable cost of cleaning a room not left reasonably clean · replacing locks you changed without our consent · other amounts your agreement provides for, like the break fee if you leave before your term ends. |
| Fee increases | Never during a fixed term. On month-to-month, at least 4 weeks' written notice. |
Leaving
Two separate things can apply when you leave, and this is the part that catches people out.
1. The notice
4 weeks' written notice whenever you leave, at the end of your term or in the middle of it. Give less, and you still owe the occupancy fee for the rest of the notice period, or until a new occupant moves in, whichever comes first.
2. The break fee
Only if you leave before your fixed term ends. It shrinks the further through the term you are: 2 weeks → 1.5 → 1 → half a week.
You're charged the greater of the two: the break fee, or the occupancy fee for the unexpired notice period. The Move-Out Guide has a calculator for each.
When we can enter your room
We always give you prior notice before entering your room, except in an emergency. The notice periods for each situation are in your agreement.
If we disagree
Come to us first, because most things are sorted in an email. If that doesn't work, either of us can take it to NCAT, the NSW tribunal. A termination notice from us is not an eviction; if you don't leave, we have to apply to the tribunal and you get to put your side.
Whole studio, unit or house
A Residential Tenancy Agreement is the standard rental agreement. It gives you more protection than an Occupancy Agreement, and it works differently in almost every respect.
Before you sign: the holding deposit
Capped at one week's rent, and only asked for once your application is approved. Paying it holds the property for 7 days, and the whole amount comes off your first rent when you sign. If you change your mind and don't sign, we may keep it, unless the property wasn't as described.
Your money
| What | How it works |
|---|---|
| Rental bond | Up to 4 weeks' rent. |
| Getting it back | If part of it is claimed and you disagree, the tribunal decides. |
| Rent in advance | No more than 2 weeks at the start. |
| Holding deposit | Maximum 1 week's rent, and it comes off your rent when you sign. |
| Rent increases | At least 60 days' written notice, and only once in any 12 months. |
Repairs
- Report everything through the maintenance form so it's logged and tracked.
- Urgent repairs, meaning a gas leak, no water, no power, flooding or anything unsafe, are arranged as fast as we can. Call (02) 8188 1605, Option 3.
- A smoke alarm that isn't working is repaired or replaced within 2 business days of you telling us. Report it through the maintenance form.
- If an urgent repair is needed and you can't reach us, the law lets you arrange it yourself and be reimbursed for reasonable costs. Talk to us first, because we would much rather fix it than reimburse it.
- Never stop paying rent over an outstanding repair; that puts you in breach. Use the urgent-repair route instead.
Ending your tenancy
- Notice periods are set by law and depend on the reason and on where you are. Ask us and we'll tell you exactly which one applies to your agreement.
- Breaking a fixed term early attracts a break fee on the NSW sliding scale: 4 weeks' rent if less than 25% of the term has passed, then 3, then 2, then 1 week at 75% or more. The estimator is on the Move-Out Guide.
- A termination notice is not an eviction. If you don't leave by the date, we have to apply to the tribunal, and the tribunal decides.
- Once notice is given we'll want to show the property. We agree times with you in advance and give you reasonable notice of each viewing.
The rest of the site is written for rooms in shared houses. Where it describes deposits, notice, rent increases or disputes, this page is the one that applies to you. If you spot something on another page that contradicts it, tell us so we can fix the page.
New South Wales
Most of what's in our guides applies wherever you live with us. These are the things that are specific to NSW.
| What | In New South Wales |
|---|---|
| Disputes | The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), for both agreement types. |
| Regulator | NSW Fair Trading |
| Smoke alarms | Repaired or replaced within 2 business days of being reported. |
| Urgent repairs | If we don't arrange them, you may arrange them yourself and be reimbursed for reasonable costs, up to $1,000, repaid within 14 days. |
| Rent increases | Occupancy Agreement: 4 weeks' notice. Residential Tenancy Agreement: 60 days, once in 12 months. |
| E-bikes and batteries | Since 1 February 2025, e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries and chargers must be certified and carry an approval mark. Only use certified equipment. The House Rules have the detail. |
| Bins | Collection days and what each bin takes are set by your council, not by us. How to find yours. |
This page is a summary written to be readable. Your signed agreement and the law in your state always prevail over anything here. If you want the detail, ask us for a copy of your agreement, or for our privacy policy, which sets out what personal information we collect and why. Email hello@cdacoliving.com and we'll send either one.