If you have ever tried to find housing in Boston, you likely remember the shock of finding out how expensive it is.
Dorms – if you are a student, living in the dorm is really the best bet financially. Yes, after freshman year you may want your own space, but if you are a full time student, chances are you don’t have time for a job that will pay the rent on top of it. And if you are living in the dorm, financial aid may pick up for your housing – is your desire for your own space so great that you wouldn’t take free housing?
Campus-Sponsored Housing – If you are a student and truly don’t want to live at the dorms, find out if your school has a housing office that offers Campus-Sponsored Housing. These apartments will cost less than they would if you didn’t go through the school. There are likely to be close to school and have a lot of students around. If you or your spouse work for a school, also stop by and ask if they also provide services for staff.
Faculty members subletting their place – Boston is a college town filled with top-notch professors. Frequently professors go on a leave of absence to be a visiting professor for a semester (or more) at a distance. Instead of letting their apartment go completely (hey, they had a hard time finding a place too!), they sublet it for the length of time they are gone. In many cases, the school to which they are going pays housing costs, so they can sublet their place in Boston for a reasonable amount. Often, these apartments get advertised in school paper. If you aren’t a student, check out each university or college’s paper online for these apartment classified.
Students who can’t swing the rent – along a similar line, there are plenty of graduate students who get their own apartment only to find that they can’t swing the rent on their own. Your half of the rent will be welcome, and with the long hours they will be spending in the library or the lab, you will have the place to yourself a reasonable amount of the time.
Craigslist.com – Craigslist has updated apartment listings for Boston all the time. You know the price and the neighborhood up front, as well as the amenities. Don’t see anything in your price range right now? Check back later – even a couple of hours later – and there will be new listings.
Get a roommate – Chances are someone in your acquaintance is also looking for a place – is there a 2+ bedroom place that you can afford half the rent? Ask around and someone may also be looking.
Expand your neighborhood search – it may not be as close to work or school as you would like, but look in other neighborhoods other than what is proximate to where you need to go, and figure in gas/train costs – it may be less than the apartments in your desired neighborhood. The commute might be a pain, but if you get more apartment for less money, you may not mind as much. Also, do research on the crime levels per neighborhood. An area may be relatively low crime, but is adjacent to a bad neighborhood, and therefore apartment rental costs will be cheap.
Let your friends, neighbors, co-workers, mailman, dry cleaner, etc know that you are looking for a cheap apartment – you never know who knows of one.
Boston is a great city, and it’s no wonder that with all the great perks of living here that apartment rentals are high priced. But with a little work, you can find a great place on the cheap!
