Sometimes people think that all residents in a share house must pay an equal amount of rent – this is incorrect.The laws in NSW that cover housing (the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 and the Boarding Houses Act 2012) do not actually set out how much rent should be paid, and by whom. When you join a share house, we encourage you to ask questions about how much rent each housemate pays, and why.Make sure you are comfortable with the division of rent before you move in, because it can be very hard to change once you are committed. We also encourage students to formalise their share housing agreements in writing, using an agreement like the sample provided here by the Tenants’ Union.