As a response to housing affordability pressures facing Australian cities, a growing number of low-to-middle-income tenants are choosing to (or being forced to) live in shared housing within the private rental market. Shared housing emerges as a flexible and affordable housing option as rents, utility costs and housing resources are shared between multiple non-related tenants.

Shared room housing – where tenants share a bedroom or living room (for sleeping arrangements) with non- related residents – is a growing subcategory of shared housing. Shared room tenancies are usually arranged under multi-layered sub-letting rental arrangements which lack formal protection. These practices raise a series of questions for city authorities for regulatory enforcement where the issues of tenure insecurity, overcrowding and exploitative housing conditions emerge. However, the research base to inform policy and regulatory responses for the growing shared room housing sector remains scant.

This paper explores the opinions/experiences of tenant policy advocates who provided reflections, practices and recommendations for regulating the shared room housing market in Sydney. The findings highlight that existing regulatory frameworks provide a patchwork approach to protecting the tenancy and housing rights of shared room tenants. At the same time, regulatory authorities face multiple challenges in enforcing regulations for the changing shared housing sector. The paper argues that there is a need for regulatory and policy reforms, such as reviews of tenancy regulations for secure occupancy, affordable housing models/designs, and efficient monitoring and reconciliation systems to address tenants’ challenges in the shared housing sector.