It can be a challenge for international students to find off-campus housing because they are not as familiar with the local area as their American peers and have a lack of avenues to gather rental information. To help international students find a good rental that meets their needs, this guide provides tips and resources. 

Tips for Finding Off-campus Housing 

1. Plan Ahead.  It takes time to gather rental information, negotiate with a landlord, and pick the right place.  Normally,  you need to start seeking housing information three  months ahead of the time when you need it.  If you want to live off campus next semester, you'd better start looking for apartment this semester. Talk to the landlord or agency whose property you are interested in. Ask them to notify you early if there are vacancies coming up. You can also ask them if they know other place have vacancies, since they have more rental information than you. 

2. List your criteria.  Many factors should be taken into account when you are looking for housing. For example, rent, safety, location, convenience, etc. Thinking about questions such as how much you want to pay for your rent, and how long you would like to spend on commuting between school and home. These questions can help you narrow down the scope of searching and find the right place to live.

3. Do your research. Walk around and research the neighborhood. Chat with other students who are currently living off campus to find out the pro and cons of the experience of their neighborhoods. Search online and find the tenant review of the apartments you are interested in and learn what are their experiences with the apartment and landlord. Talk to your potential landlord and listen to your gut. How do you feel about him/her? Does the landlord present as nice, reasonable and responsible. If not, no matter how good the apartment is, don't rent the house. Many students have problems when they rent from bad landlords. 

4. Pay attention to rental information around you. There are many rental ads posted on newspapers, bulletin boards at grocery stores, and vacancy signs on the apartment for rent. Record the contact information of the contact person. Call them back to make a appointment to have a tour of the room or house. If you are particularly interested in housing in one area, walk around and see if there are any for rent signs posted.  

6. Search online. There are many websites created for finding rentals, roommates, homes. Typing "rental websites" into Google will generates thousands of results. This guide presents some excellent websites to help you get start finding housing info online.