Who this is for
- Landlords with student houses in Keiraville, Gwynneville, Mount Keira, North Wollongong and Fairy Meadow
- Investors with units in the CBD and near the beach
- Owners of holiday lets in Thirroul, Austinmer and the northern beaches
- Owners getting a place ready to lease for the first time
What goes wrong in rental bathrooms
Cheap fittings. Budget tapware drips within a year, and nobody can find spare cartridges.
Leaking showers. Heavy use finds any weakness in the waterproofing, usually around the shower base or the waste.
Mould. Tenants don't always run the fan, and in plenty of older rentals there isn't one. Near the escarpment, the room grows mould quickly.
Swollen vanities. Particleboard carcasses around a basin that gets splashed all day.
Broken shower screens. Framed pivot doors get slammed, hinges fail, seals fall off.
Blocked drains. Hair, soap and, near the beach, sand.
Building a bathroom that copes
Fittings
- Mid-range tapware from established suppliers, with ceramic cartridges you can buy off the shelf
- A fixed glass panel, no door, no hinges, no seals
- A rail shower, which is easier to replace than a fixed shower arm
- Wall-faced toilet with a solid seat and readily available parts
Surfaces
- Moisture-resistant vanity with edges sealed
- Laminate, compact laminate or porcelain top — durable and cheap to replace
- Textured, non-slip floor tiles in a mid tone
- Tiles to the ceiling in the shower so there's no paint to peel
- Epoxy or high-performance grout on the floor
- Mid-tone grout that doesn't show dirt
Ventilation
A good exhaust fan ducted outside, wired to the light or on a run-on timer so it runs whether tenants think about it or not. This is the single best thing you can do to cut down mould complaints.
Drains
A floor waste with a removable grate, and a shower drain that's easy to clear.
Minimum standards
Rental properties in NSW have to meet minimum standards, which include having adequate bathroom facilities that give privacy, and adequate ventilation and lighting. A renovation is a good chance to make sure a property clearly meets them. Check the current requirements with NSW Fair Trading, since they can change.
Turning it around between tenants
The time pressure in a rental renovation is the vacancy, not the building work. To keep it short:
- Measure while the tenants are still in, with proper notice
- Get the quote and lock selections before the lease ends
- Sort strata approval early for units
- Order everything so it's on hand before strip-out
- Start the day after the vacate inspection
With that planning, most rental bathrooms are back in action in three to four weeks.
Student houses near the university
Houses around Keiraville and Gwynneville are often older cottages or brick homes with one bathroom shared by four or five tenants. Worth considering:
- A separate toilet, or a second one in the laundry, to ease the morning queue
- Two basins if there's room
- Heavy-duty everything
- Simple, neutral finishes that don't date and suit any tenant
Many of these houses are old enough to need asbestos testing before strip-out.
Holiday lets
Near the beach, rental bathrooms also deal with sand and salt air. Frameless panels, grated wastes and better-quality tapware and hardware help. Schedule around bookings, usually in the cooler months.
Units
Rental units need owners corporation approval where waterproofing is replaced, and strata rules on noise, hours and lifts apply. See small bathrooms.
Refresh or full renovation?
Not every rental bathroom needs to go back to the frame. A quick way to decide:
A refresh is usually enough when the shower isn't leaking, the floor is solid, the tiles are sound and the problem is worn fittings, a tired vanity, a broken screen and mould from poor ventilation. New tapware, vanity, mirror cabinet, a fixed glass panel, a regrout and a proper fan can get it tenant-ready fast.
A full renovation makes more sense when there's a leak, soft floor, cracked tiles, old galvanised pipes, or fibro that needs dealing with. Patching those between tenancies usually means coming back to do it properly later, with another vacancy.
The measure should give you an honest view on which one your property needs.
Tax and records
Keep the invoices, photos of the membrane and any waterproofing certificate. Talk to your accountant about how the renovation is treated for tax; that's their call, not ours.
The builder
Renovation work is carried out in partnership with Coastal Renovation Group, a licensed NSW builder. Licence and insurance details are provided on request. See prices for 2026 bands.
Call 02 4214 4073 or send the property details through.
Questions people ask before they commit
What does a rental bathroom renovation cost in Wollongong?
As a 2026 guide, a tenant-ready renovation of a rental bathroom usually runs $12,000 to $22,000 where the layout stays the same, and a full renovation $20,000 to $32,000. Units add strata requirements and older houses may need asbestos testing.
Can the work be done between tenancies?
Usually. Most rental bathroom renovations take three to four weeks on site. Getting selections and any strata approval sorted before the lease ends is what makes a tight turnaround possible.
What do NSW rental minimum standards say about bathrooms?
Rental properties in NSW must meet minimum standards that include adequate bathroom facilities with privacy, and adequate ventilation and lighting. The rules can change, so check the current requirements with NSW Fair Trading.
What finishes last best in a rental?
Mid-range tapware with replaceable cartridges, a moisture-resistant vanity with a laminate or porcelain top, textured non-slip floor tiles, mid-tone grout, a fixed glass panel instead of a door, and a strong exhaust fan on a timer.