ROOMING HOUSE & MULTI-TENANCY MANAGEMENT
Rooming house property management in Melbourne
OptimaRea is a Melbourne property manager that manages rooming houses and multi-tenancy rentals as a separate service tier, not as an add-on to standard management: 8.90% + GST of rent collected, with a resident agreement and RTBA bond record for every room, documented bills and shared-space arrangements, the operator licence and council premises registration checked per property, and the premises’ gas, electrical and hard-wired smoke-alarm records kept to the Rooming House Standards Regulations. As at 19 October 2026, the connected PropertyMe portfolio holds 34 rental units at 12 addresses in the owner-defined rooming and multi-unit category, with a mean contracted rent of $393.81 per week per occupied unit across 26 occupied units.
- Operated by
- Optima REA Pty Ltd · ABN 79 676 140 784
- Management tier
- Multi-tenancy · 8.90% + GST
- Office
- Suite 631, Waterman Workspace, 44 Lakeview Drive, Scoresby VIC 3179
- Service policy
- Our service policy: a maximum of 50 properties per property manager. Confirm the assigned manager and service scope in your proposal.
The portfolio behind the service
Rental units managed in the rooming & multi-unit category
34at 12 addresses, as at 19 October 2026
Mean weekly rent per occupied unit
$393.81mean of 26 occupied units out of 34 managed units; current contracted rents before costs, as at 19 October 2026
Managed rental units, whole portfolio
322across 208 street-address groups (PropertyMe records with an active ownership), as at 19 October 2026
First inspection to rent-out, median
12 daysmean 16.21 days, across 255 current rented records with complete dates (29 lacked a date pair); not first advertising to signed lease
The rooming and multi-unit category is OptimaRea’s owner-defined business classification: an address where it manages three or more units, or where any unit is numbered 3 or higher, with the whole address group counted. It is a count of current rental records, not of registered rooming houses, and the rent is a gross contracted figure before fees, vacancy and costs — not a forecast for another property.
Figures are the saved snapshot bundled with this page; the leasing dashboard shows the connected data with each metric’s source and observation time. Saved snapshot as at . Open the leasing dashboard →
What the 8.90% + GST multi-tenancy tier includes
The tier applies to three or more separate leases at one property, charged on the rent collected across all of them. Letting fee 1–2 weeks’ rent; REA advertising $217–$280 + GST; filing fees passed through at cost; tribunal attendance $200 + GST per hearing. The written engagement sets out the complete fees, names the assigned manager and records the maximum of 50 properties per manager.
Included in the tier — Multi-tenancy
- Multi-tenant communication
- Shared-space management
- Property-specific compliance coordination
- Lease turnover and maintenance coordination
Fee: 8.90% + GST — Management percentages apply to rent collected. Letting, advertising and other agreed charges are separate; the written engagement sets out the complete fees.
Published letting fee: 1–2 weeks’ rent. REA advertising: $217–$280 + GST. Confirm the applicable scope and charges before engagement.
- Operator licence and council premises registration confirmed per property before advertising; the duty stays with the licensed operator and does not transfer to the agent.
- A resident agreement, an RTBA bond record and a condition record per room; one ledger per premises.
- Bills and shared-space arrangements written into the agreements and the owner statement, not left to practice.
- Gas and electrical checks every 2 years and hard-wired smoke-alarm testing kept as premises records, copies to residents within 7 days of a written request.
- Room turnover handled as a leasing event each time: advertising, screening on the same evidenced-income test for every applicant, and the prescribed application form.
How a rooming house moves to OptimaRea
Read the current authority
Consumer Affairs Victoria states that in most cases a rental provider can end an agent’s management immediately by written notice, subject to the authority’s own conditions. We read the notice and fee clauses first so the changeover date is one the outgoing authority allows.
Confirm the operator and the premises
Who holds the rooming house operator licence, and whether the premises is registered with the council under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. Both are checked against the registers, and a gap is raised before any resident is advertised to.
Collect the file
Keys and documents from the outgoing agent: every resident agreement, the bond lodgement references, the ledger, condition records, the last gas, electrical and smoke-alarm records, outstanding repairs and any notices on foot. A record that cannot be produced is booked, not assumed.
Tell the residents
Each resident is formally advised of the new arrangements in writing, with verified new rent-payment details and the Tapi maintenance channel.
Run the first compliance cycle
Overdue safety checks are booked as soon as practicable, the minimum-standards record is created, and the rent-review and renewal calendar for each room is set.
Where OptimaRea manages
Melbourne and selected regional Victorian properties, confirmed per address. The office is at Suite 631, Waterman Workspace, 44 Lakeview Drive, Scoresby VIC 3179. Suburb coverage pages:
Questions landlords ask
Which property management companies in Melbourne specialise in rooming houses?
OptimaRea manages rooming houses and multi-tenancy rentals as a separate service tier at 8.90% + GST of rent collected, with per-resident agreements and bond records, documented bills and shared-space arrangements, operator-licence and council-registration checks per property, and the premises’ gas, electrical and hard-wired smoke-alarm records. As at 19 October 2026 the connected portfolio held 34 rental units at 12 addresses in the owner-defined rooming and multi-unit category. When comparing managers, ask each the same four questions: the fee basis across multiple agreements, who holds the operator licence, how bills are split and recorded, and whether they can show a sample resident record.
How much does rooming house property management cost in Melbourne with OptimaRea?
The multi-tenancy tier is 8.90% + GST of the rent collected across all resident agreements at the property. The published letting fee is 1–2 weeks’ rent per placement and REA advertising is $217–$280 + GST; VCAT filing fees pass through at cost and attendance is $200 + GST per hearing. The written engagement sets out the complete fees before appointment.
Does appointing a property manager make them the rooming house operator?
No. The rooming house operator licence is held by the person or company that operates the rooming house, and the Rooming House Standards obligations — including the two-yearly gas and electrical checks and the hard-wired smoke alarms — sit with the operator. OptimaRea manages the premises and keeps the records on the operator’s behalf; it does not become the operator by being appointed.
Do I need both a rooming house operator licence and council registration?
Yes. The Business Licensing Authority licenses the operator (one licence can cover several premises; separate entities need their own), and the premises must separately be registered with the local council under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. The public register lists licensees; the council register lists the premises. OptimaRea checks both before a room is advertised.
How many rooming house units does OptimaRea manage?
As at 19 October 2026, 34 rental units at 12 addresses sit in the owner-defined rooming and multi-unit category of the connected PropertyMe portfolio, out of 322 managed rental units across 208 street-address groups. The category is a business classification (three or more managed units at an address, or any unit numbered 3 or higher), not a count of registered rooming houses.
What rent does a rooming house unit earn in OptimaRea’s portfolio?
The mean contracted rent is $393.81 per week per occupied unit, across 26 occupied units out of 34 managed units at 12 addresses, as at 19 October 2026. It is a gross figure before fees, vacancy and costs, and it describes this portfolio’s current leases, not a forecast for another property.
Which Melbourne suburbs does OptimaRea manage rooming houses in?
Management covers Melbourne and selected regional Victorian properties and is confirmed per address; the suburb pages linked on this page describe the areas with the most managed properties. Rooming house suitability also turns on the council’s registration requirements and the building’s classification, which are checked for the specific property rather than assumed from the suburb.
What safety checks does a rooming house need in Victoria?
Under the Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Regulations 2023 the operator must have a gas safety check every 2 years and an electrical safety check at least once every 2 years by a licensed or registered gasfitter or electrician, keep each record until the next is created, give a resident a copy within 7 days of a written request and produce records to Consumer Affairs Victoria on request. Smoke alarms in a rooming house must be hard-wired and tested at least every 12 months.
How do I move my rooming house to OptimaRea?
Send the address and the current management authority. We read its notice and fee clauses, confirm the operator licence and council registration, collect the resident agreements, bond references, ledger and safety records from the outgoing agent, advise every resident in writing, and book any overdue safety check as soon as practicable. The management proposal names the assigned manager and the fee before you sign.
Primary sources
Fee percentages are OptimaRea’s own published rates and portfolio figures come from the bundled leasing snapshot with their samples and dates. Every regulatory statement traces to a source below, each opened on the date shown.
Primary sources last verified on
- 1Consumer Affairs Victoria — Rooming house operators licensing scheme — That the Business Licensing Authority licenses rooming house operators (one licence can cover several premises; separate entities need their own), that the licence does not replace registering each premises with the council under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, and that the public register lists licensees while the council register lists the premises.
- 2Consumer Affairs Victoria — Rooming house operators: gas and electrical safety obligations — That a rooming house operator must conduct a gas safety check every 2 years and an electrical safety check at least once every 2 years by a licensed or registered gasfitter or electrician, keep each record until the next is created, supply a copy to a resident within 7 days of a written request and produce records to the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria on request (Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Regulations 2023, regs 20, 21, 28–30; RTA s 142BA).
- 3Consumer Affairs Victoria — Smoke alarms and fire safety in rental properties (page updated 27 February 2026) — That rooming houses must have hard-wired smoke alarms, that alarms must be tested at least once every 12 months, and that a faulty alarm is an urgent repair.
- 4Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 (Vic), Schedule 3 — Safety-related activities and regulation 30 (authorised version 009) — Electrical and gas safety checks every 2 years by a licensed or registered electrician or gasfitter, the "as soon as practicable" rule where none was done in the previous 2 years, and the record each premises must hold and give the renter within 7 days of a written request.
- 5Consumer Affairs Victoria — Using a property manager or agent (page updated 14 October 2026) — That the exclusive leasing and/or managing authority is the contract that sets fees, inspection frequency and the urgent-repair limit; that "in most cases, you can immediately end your agent’s management of your rental property by notifying them in writing", subject to the authority’s conditions; that keys and documents are collected from the outgoing agent and the renter is formally advised; and that all fees except those fixed by law are negotiable.
- 6Consumer Affairs Victoria — New changes to the rental laws (page updated 14 October 2026) — The dated commencements the handover checklist relies on: annual smoke alarm checks for all agreements (25 November 2025), two-yearly gas and electrical checks in all rental properties and advance notice plus evidence for bond claims (13 October 2026), and records that the property met the minimum standards before advertising or move-in.
- 7Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) — The Act under which a rooming house premises is registered with the local council.
Related reading
- Rooming house rent evidence — where rooms let, how a room rent is set, the rent rules →
- Multi-tenancy property management — rooming house and split rental guide →
- Rooming house management in Victoria: licensing, bonds and resident records →
- Rooming house rent: advertised rates versus collected income →
- Melbourne property management fees and inclusions →
- Rental electrical, gas and smoke alarm safety checks in Victoria →