Moving to a new city
How do I find housing in a college town if I am not a student?
Updated By the Housing Rocket moderators
Short answer
Look slightly away from campus, where more landlords rent to working adults and families, and time your search to the academic calendar. Many college towns lease heavily for August starts and fill up early, but mid-year openings and summer sublets appear when students graduate, transfer or study abroad.
College towns can be tricky for everyone else. Much of the housing near campus is built and priced for students, sometimes leased by the bedroom, and full of neighbors on a different schedule.
- Search the outer neighborhoods and nearby towns, where rentals are more often whole apartments and houses leased to non-students.
- Ask property managers whether they have buildings aimed at graduate students, faculty or professionals. These tend to be quieter.
- Watch for mid-year openings in December and May, when students leave early.
- Consider taking over a student's lease or a summer sublet as a way in, then look for something longer once you are there.
Check the lease type. Individual 'by the bed' leases mean you share a unit with strangers the landlord picks, which suits some people and not others.
University and college housing groups carry many of the area's rooms and sublets, and plenty of those listings are open to non-students. Check each group's rules before posting. Browse them in our college groups directory.
Want the whole picture? Read How to Find Housing Before You Move to a New City.