Hi @Jake O'Connor, I am from Melbourne if that counts? 

I know the IRS allows for "temporary absences" (for example, seasonal absences) but I'm not sure this would count. 

Some lenders have different guidelines, but where I was at if you could prove an expense was paid by your business for 12 months you didn't have to count it against your personal DTI.

That's just double the work (and expense) and it defeats the purpose.

Count me in

Or, can the appraiser in a Refi count it as a bedroom and Cino me to the 4 bedrooms, without the room being listed on the property county records as a bedroom?

I have considered all of the expenses including mortgage and down payment, I include around $2400 as income from my roommates, the only thing I do not count is appreciation.

The other nice feature is that anything that negatively impacts your score, it either doesn't count or you can just remove the boost feature and your score returns to normal.I am in a near similar situation as you. 

Mortgage checks count once.

In order for this to not be a loss, you are depending on future events you have no control over.You can't count on the $2400 in rent from the unit you will be living in since you're not getting it now, and you can't guarantee when and even if you will ever move out.That means you will be losing almost $19k/year while you're living in the house (how long?