Questions
Housing questions, answered
264 straight answers to what renters, roommates and students ask most, written by the moderators of 775+ Facebook housing groups.
Finding an apartment
22 questions
Practical answers on when to start looking, where to search, touring, negotiating rent, brokers, and choosing between apartments, rooms and houses.
- How far in advance should I start looking for an apartment?
- Where is the best place to look for an apartment?
- Are Facebook housing groups better than Zillow or Apartments.com for finding a place?
- What should I look for when touring an apartment?
Roommates
23 questions
Straight answers on finding, screening and living with roommates: agreements, splitting rent and bills, and what to do when a roommate stops paying.
- How do I find a roommate if I don't know anyone?
- What questions should I ask a potential roommate?
- How should roommates split rent when the rooms are different sizes?
- What should a roommate agreement include?
Facebook housing groups
22 questions
How Facebook housing groups work: finding and joining them, why join requests and posts are pending or declined, group rules, search and messaging posters.
- What is a Facebook housing group?
- How do I find Facebook housing groups for my city?
- Do I have to pay to join or post in a Facebook housing group?
- Why is my request to join a housing group still pending?
Rental scams
22 questions
How to spot rental scams: red flags, fake landlords, safe ways to pay a deposit, checking who owns a property, and what to do if you've been scammed.
- How can I tell if a rental listing is a scam?
- The landlord wants a deposit before I see the apartment. Is that a scam?
- Is it safe to pay a rental deposit with Zelle, Venmo or Cash App?
- What's the safest way to pay a security deposit and first month's rent?
Sublets
22 questions
Clear answers on subletting your place or finding a sublet: landlord permission, sublease agreements, pricing, summer sublets and subtenants who don't pay.
- What is a sublet and how does it work?
- Can I sublet my apartment?
- How do I find a sublet?
- How do I ask my landlord for permission to sublet?
Rent and applications
22 questions
How much rent you can afford, income and credit requirements, guarantors, application fees, documents to prepare and how to get approved for an apartment.
- How much rent can I afford?
- Do I really need to make 3 times the rent to get approved?
- How much money do I need to move into an apartment?
- What credit score do I need to rent an apartment?
Leases and deposits
22 questions
Clear answers on leases, security deposits and fees: what to check before you sign, rent increases, renewals, renters insurance and breaking a lease.
- What should I check in a lease before I sign it?
- How much is a normal security deposit for an apartment?
- How do I break my lease early?
- Is renters insurance required, and how much does it cost?
College housing
23 questions
Student housing answers: dorms vs off campus, when to start looking, parents as guarantors, by-the-bed leases, and housing for a semester or internship.
- When should college students start looking for off-campus housing?
- Is it cheaper to live in the dorms or off campus?
- How do I find housing near my college campus?
- Is there a Facebook housing group for my university?
Moving to a new city
20 questions
How to find housing in a new city from far away: remote tours, choosing a neighborhood, short stays while you search, moving costs and city quirks.
- How do I find an apartment in a new city before I move there?
- Should I sign a lease before I move or after I get there?
- Where should I stay while I look for an apartment in a new city?
- How do I choose a neighborhood in a city I have never lived in?
International renters
22 questions
Renting in the US without an SSN or US credit: guarantors, visas and leases, paying from abroad, your first nights and getting your deposit back.
- Where do international students find housing in the US?
- Can I rent an apartment in the US without a Social Security number?
- Does my credit history from my home country count in the US?
- Can I rent an apartment in the US before I arrive?
Posting a listing
22 questions
How to write a room, apartment or sublet listing that gets approved and answered: what to include, photos, pricing, ISO posts, reposts and screening.
- What should I include in a rental listing on Facebook?
- How do I write a post for a room in my apartment?
- How do I write an ISO post when I'm looking for a place?
- What photos should I put in a rental listing?
Moving in and out
22 questions
Answers on moving in and out of a rental: inspections, utilities, repairs, landlord entry, move-out notice, cleaning and getting your deposit back.
- How long does a landlord have to return my security deposit?
- My landlord won't return my security deposit. What can I do?
- How much notice do I need to give before moving out?
- How clean does my apartment need to be when I move out?
Most asked
The top question in every topic
- How far in advance should I start looking for an apartment?
- Start looking about 30 to 60 days before your move-in date. That is when most landlords list units that are opening up, because current tenants usually give about a month or two of notice. Start earlier in college towns and cities where most leases turn over on the same date.
- How do I find a roommate if I don't know anyone?
- Post where people who need roommates already look: local housing groups on Facebook, your school or employer's housing boards, and roommate matching sites. Say who you are, your budget, move-in date and the area you want, then talk to several people before committing to anyone.
- What is a Facebook housing group?
- A Facebook housing group is a community where people in one city, campus or town post rooms, apartments, sublets and roommate searches, and others reply to them directly. It works like a local listings board run by the group's admins and moderators. It is usually free to use, and you deal with the person posting rather than a website.
- How can I tell if a rental listing is a scam?
- The biggest signs are a request for money before you've seen the place in person, a price well below similar listings, a landlord who can't meet you or show the unit, pressure to decide today, and a request to pay by Zelle, wire, gift card or crypto. One sign is a warning. Two or more together usually mean a scam.
- What is a sublet and how does it work?
- A sublet is when a tenant rents all or part of their place to someone else for part of their lease, usually while they are away. The original tenant stays on the lease and stays responsible to the landlord, and the subtenant pays rent to the original tenant under a separate sublease agreement.
- How much rent can I afford?
- A common rule of thumb is to spend no more than about 30% of your gross monthly income on rent. On $4,000 a month before taxes, that is about $1,200. Treat it as a ceiling, not a target: if you have debt payments, a car or high utilities, aim lower.
- What should I check in a lease before I sign it?
- Check the money, the dates and the ways out. Confirm the rent, due date, late fee, deposit and every other fee match what you were told, then check the start and end dates, how much notice you must give to leave or renew, and what happens if you need to break the lease early.
- When should college students start looking for off-campus housing?
- In many college towns, students start looking in the fall or early winter for the following school year, because the best places near campus are leased months ahead. In big cities with lots of general rental housing, starting two to three months before you move is often enough. Ask older students when leasing starts at your school.
- How do I find an apartment in a new city before I move there?
- Work in three stages: learn the local market from listings and housing groups, narrow it to two or three neighborhoods that fit your budget and commute, then tour shortlisted places by live video or on a short trip and apply with your documents ready. Verify every landlord before you pay anything.
- Where do international students find housing in the US?
- Most international students find housing through their university first, either on-campus residence halls or the school's off-campus housing office, then through university and city housing groups, property management companies near campus, and students from their own country who are already there.
- What should I include in a rental listing on Facebook?
- Include the monthly rent and what it covers, the type of place, the neighborhood or cross streets, the move-in date and lease length, and at least three real photos. Then add furnishing, pets, parking, laundry and who else lives there. Put the price, place and date in the first two lines, because members skim.
- How long does a landlord have to return my security deposit?
- It depends on your state, but most set a deadline somewhere between about two weeks and two months after you move out, with many around 30 days. Within that time the landlord usually has to return the deposit in full, or send an itemized list of deductions along with whatever is left.