Relationality, risks, and workarounds in share-house tenants’ navigation of policy gaps in Australia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24227241 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zoë Goodall (0000-0002-1479-5276, Swinburne University of Technology), Wendy Stone (0000-0001-9816-4705, Swinburne University of Technology) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Housing Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0267-3037 • E-ISSN: 1466-1810 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02673037.2026.2744248 |
| OpenAlex | W7221533426 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
In shared housing in the private rental sector (known in Australia as ‘share-housing’), residents are legally and spatially tied together, although their social connections to each other can vary. Previous work has illustrated how housing policy is often not appropriate for share-housing, with rental regulation in particular leaving tenants exposed to a range of risks. However, research has not yet explored how relationships between share-house tenants may affect the way they navigate rental regulation. Drawing on interviews with 25 share-house tenants in Victoria, Australia, this research explores how share-house tenants navigate risks in a context of policy gaps. We find that at every stage of the ‘share-housing journey’ – including joining a household, paying rent, finding new housemates, and exiting a tenancy – tenants engage in complex decision-making shaped by trust, household relationships, and their own capabilities. Some risks have no clear solutions, while some can be addressed through informal ‘workarounds’; however, these may introduce new risks or pass risks onto other tenants. We suggest that reducing risks for share-house tenants is important from a housing justice perspective, and that doing so may require a combination of policy and support mechanisms.
Australia · household relationships · housing justice · policy gaps · private rental housing · Relationality · rent regulation · Trust · workarounds · Collaborative and Sustainable Housing Initiatives · Housing Market and Economics · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
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| Highly cited | No |
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