Investor FAQ
The questions people ask before putting capital into a co-living development, answered in full. The offer and how your capital is secured come first, then what a rooming house actually is, how EME selects and delivers a project, and what you are sent while it is being built.
If yours is not here, email info@emerooming.com or ask it on a discovery call.
What is the minimum capital commitment?
The Money Partner model starts from $300,000, with a fixed 20% p.a. return over a defined 12–18 month term. Every arrangement is discussed and tailored in a confidential call before any commitment. Direct equity and project-delivery partnerships are available by invitation for select partners, ask on the call.
How is my capital secured?
Your capital is secured by an executed second mortgage over the development site, registrable on default, ranking behind the senior construction lender, with personal guarantees from the principals. Every project passes rigorous feasibility-first due diligence; if it doesn't meet our performance and risk thresholds, it doesn’t proceed. You receive full legal documentation and quarterly reporting.
Do I need to be involved in managing the project?
No. Our Income Accelerator model (Money Partner) is completely hands-off. EME handles everything end-to-end: site identification, feasibility, approvals, construction, tenant strategy, and ongoing management. You provide the capital and receive structured updates and a fixed return; we deliver the project.
What experience does your team have?
EME Rooming is led by Georgia Hartin, who brings 30+ years of institutional project delivery experience across more than $400M in completed projects. Her track record spans five sectors and includes work with Lend Lease, Vicinity/CFSGAM, La Trobe University, Monash University, and Woolworths Group. We apply the same structured reporting, risk management, and milestone tracking from $90M+ institutional projects to every co-living development.
Is co-living a proven asset class in Australia?
Co-living is an emerging asset class underpinned by structural demand fundamentals: 1 in 4 Australians experience housing stress, median weekly rent in capital cities exceeds $580, and single-person households are projected to reach 40% or more by 2030. Rising rents, shrinking household sizes, and growing demand for connected living create strong, recurring rental demand. This isn't a trend, it's a structural shift in how Australians live and rent.
Can I participate through my SMSF?
Yes. Our Income Accelerator model (Money Partners) is structured for SMSF holders seeking predictable, asset-backed income within a defined timeframe. We recommend you consult your financial adviser to confirm SMSF eligibility for your specific situation. We're happy to speak with your adviser directly to provide the information they need.
What return will I receive, and is it guaranteed?
A fixed 20% per annum over a defined 12–18 month term, set in your loan agreement. "Fixed" means the rate is contractual, not tied to project profit, but it is not a guarantee. This is a secured, second-ranked private lending position: your capital is at risk, and your return depends on the project and EME meeting their obligations. The opportunity is offered only to wholesale or sophisticated investors, and we recommend independent advice.
What is a rooming house, and how is it different from a share house?
In Victoria a rooming house is a property with one or more rooms available to rent as a resident's main home to four or more people. Each resident has exclusive possession of their own room, ensuite and kitchenette, and has access to shared kitchen, laundry and living areas. Rooming houses are registered with the local council, and operators are licensed by Consumer Affairs Victoria. A share house is different: the people living there share possession of the whole property, and no registration applies. EME builds purpose-built Class 1b co-living homes, typically nine rooms on one site, designed for this use from the start rather than converted from a family home.
Where does EME Rooming build?
Victoria. EME currently has $30M of co-living development in progress across the state, with more sites commencing this year. Site selection is the first part of the EME Method: a site has to pass feasibility analysis, financial modelling and demand validation before it proceeds, and a site that does not meet the defined return thresholds and risk tolerances does not go ahead.
What is the EME Method?
Evaluate, Manage, Execute. Evaluate is feasibility first: site assessment, financial modelling and demand validation, and a project that does not meet the defined return thresholds and risk tolerances does not proceed. Manage is institutional-grade project management: builder procurement, cost control, milestone tracking, structured reporting and risk registers. Execute is disciplined delivery against a defined programme with quality gates, through to a completed, compliant, income-ready home. It is the EME Method™, and it is the same framework used on $90M-plus institutional retail and education projects, applied at co-living scale.
What reporting do partners receive during a build?
Monthly milestone updates with photographs from site, quarterly financial reports signed off by Georgia personally, and a live project dashboard: a purpose-built web app showing the development's financials and construction programme as the project moves, rather than a PDF after the fact. It is the same $90M+ institutional reporting standard used on Lend Lease, Vicinity and La Trobe University projects. You also have one point of contact throughout: no call centres, no relationship managers and no escalation queues.
Who runs EME Rooming Houses?
Georgia Hartin, Director and Founder. She has spent more than 30 years delivering construction and development projects worth over $400M across retail, education, government, commercial and residential work, for Lend Lease, Vicinity Centres, Woolworths Group, La Trobe University and Monash University. She founded EME Property Developments in 2018 and launched EME Rooming Houses in 2024. Her full career history, named projects and qualifications are on her profile page.
What happens on the discovery call?
A 30 minute call, with no obligation and no sales pitch. It is a conversation about what you are trying to achieve, which of the partnership structures fits, and whether a current or upcoming project suits. Direct equity and project-delivery partnerships are available by invitation for select partners, so mention it on the call if that is what you are after. The short form in front of the calendar is there because calls are offered to qualified investors only.
How do I get the co-living partnership guide?
Request it from the guide page and it arrives by email. It covers the market fundamentals behind co-living demand in Australia, the demand drivers, and how the partnership structures are put together. It is general information only and is not financial advice.
Still deciding?
Georgia Hartin's profile sets out the career and the named projects behind the delivery claims above, and the resource hub has the longer pieces: what the 2026 Federal Budget did to property investment returns, why construction costs are rising, and the governance gaps that cost capital partners money on small developments.
When you are ready to talk, a discovery call is 30 minutes, with no obligation.
This page is general information only and is not financial advice.
