I signed my first contract this week: I put my name on a lease. You’d think as a law student, I would actually be able to read and understand a contract. Haha, don’t be silly! Thankfully, the SRC was there to help…
I was having real problems with the contract’s lethal-sounding language. The contract seemed to be asking me to sign away all my personal details to be registered on a database, which would list me as a “BEWARE – RENT DEFAULTER” if I ever was unable to pay rent. This database could be accessed by any future real estate agents, banks or even video stores (!) before deciding whether or not to lease me property, give me a loan or become a store member in the future! Can you see why it sounded so scary? (By the way, do you think that the term “Video store” will be replaced with “DVD store” any time in the future?)
You might think that’s fair enough: if you default on your rent you deserve to have a bad reputation which limits your ability to sign leases, take out loans or videos in the future.
However, I am living in a sharehouse with five people legally on the lease. If one of my flat mates falls behind, could I be held legally responsible? If one of my housemates defaults on their rent, would that mean that all our reputations could be tarnished on this *evil* database?
I could just see it: GHASSAN: CONVICTED RENT DEFAULTER. LIFE SENTENCE. FOREVER BANNED FROM BLOCKBUSTER, VIDEO EZY AND CIVIC VIDEO.
You can see why I was nervous. This contract could have very severe future consequences. So what did I do?
I gave the Sydney Uni Student Representatives Council (SRC) a call! Among the range of services provided by the SRC are caseworkers that can help you with government-related things like applying for Youth Allowance and a solicitor who can give free legal advice.
The solicitor was amazing. I explained to her the terms of the contract over the phone. She explained to me what they meant and how the Privacy Act provided safeguards when any personal information is to be stored on a database. She explained that the onus was on the agent, and not on me, to ensure that any information recorded to that database was correct. As long as I paid my rent, I had nothing to worry about. And if one of my housemates was the rent defaulter, and the agent wrongly put on the database that we all were, then the agent could face hefty fines. The solicitor also gave me practical advice to ensure that there is never a stage where there is controversy over who paid the rent: it’s as simple as ensuring my name is on each receipt. I breathed a sigh of relief, signed the contract and went along on my merry way!
I have to say, I am guilty – not of rent defaulting – but of something else. Before this year, I always thought of the SRC as a politically activist body, which mainly moaned and groaned and organised protests on issues I sometimes didn’t agree with them on. However, I was dead wrong. During my moving out this year, I found myself needing help with various aspects, such as working out my eligibility for Youth Allowance, to getting free legal advice on the terms of my lease.
I paid $66 to be a member of the SRC this year. As far as I’m concerned, that $66 was a life insurance policy. You never know what obstacles come up in your life, but knowing you have access to caseworkers and legal advice if you ever need them is very reassuring. And that piece of mind, for only the cost of one milkshake per month, is great value when you’re a newly-appointed adult in this scary world.
The SRC is located at the bottom of the Wentworth Building, off City Road. Their number is 9660 5222.