Off-Campus Housing FAQ

When you should begin your search for off-campus housing will depend on when you need to move. Some students live in Boston during the summer and thus need housing for the entire year. Other students leave Boston for the summer and need housing from September to May. Keep in mind that many tenants must give their landlords 30 to 60 days notice before vacating an apartment in "rolling" situations. September vacancies will begin being listed as early as January or February.

Locating a room, apartment, or place to share is difficult if you are not in the Boston area. Unless it is absolutely impossible, you should plan to visit Boston a month or more before starting school here, allowing several days at that time to search for housing. Late August and the first week in September are the most difficult times to look for housing in Boston because you are competing with many other students.

Most landlords will require you sign some type of lease before you move in. In Boston, the lease often runs from September 1 to August 31. Therefore, if you need an apartment starting in May, you are likely to be taking over a lease from a previous tenant. This practice is referred to as subletting. Sometimes subletting is in violation of the terms of the lease. Check with the landlord, and review the prior tenant's lease before subletting. Some people sublet an apartment for the summer only and plan to return in September, so make sure you know before subletting an apartment whether you have an option to renew the lease in the fall.

Where should I live?

The Boston area is diverse and has many distinct neighborhoods. Because Boston is defined by neighborhoods, you'll need some understanding of the different areas to make sense of the apartment listings.

The Boston Conservatory is located at the intersection of the Back Bay and Fenway neighborhoods near Kenmore square. Most ads for all these neighborhoods will appear under the Back Bay heading with a notation which will tell you in which sub-neighborhood the apartment is located. The Back Bay, Fenway and Kenmore sections, as well as parts of the area known as the South End, are within walking distance of The Boston Conservatory.

The Boston Conservatory is approximately three blocks from the "T", (Boston's subway system) at the Hynes Convention Center/Mass Ave stop and can be reached by public transportation from all of the city's outlying neighborhoods and suburbs.

In general, as you get further from the center of Boston, housing costs decrease. Using a Boston map and the classified section of the newspaper, you can get an idea of what is available in the various sections of the city.

A brief description of some general advantages and disadvantages of each are listed below.

What are the average prices of apartments in the Boston area?

As you begin your search for housing, you will realize that prices are steep in Boston, but they will range over the spectrum. The following table gives a variety of rates for unfurnished apartments in the Boston area, as reported by numerous real estate agents. Of course, prices will vary depending on the area in which you rent, the quality and size of the apartment, and whether or not the landlord charges for utilities.

Price table:

• Studio (one room) $950-$1,200/mo.


• One bedroom $1,100-$1,800/mo.


• Two bedrooms/One bedroom splits $1,500-$2,200/mo.


• Three bedrooms/Two bedroom splits $2,100-$3,300/mo.

Again, these prices are just a guide. It is possible that rents will be lower or higher than the amounts listed here, depending on where the apartment is located, its size and condition, as well as other factors.

Many students live in "split" apartments to save money in the area.  These are also known as "converted" apartments in which the original living room is now used as a bedroom.  The common spaces in these apartments are usually limited to a small foyer or an eat-in kitchen.

Where can I find listings?

Newspapers, websites and/or realtors can help you find available apartments. In reading the classifieds, it is important to note that you will find two types of listings. One is an apartment or room being offered by a building owner (landlord). The other is a listing placed by a realtor (real estate agent). If you can deal directly with a landlord, you will probably save money. Some landlords don't bother listing their available apartments in the newspapers. By walking through the areas looking for "apartments to rent" signs and landlord telephone numbers posted on buildings, you can sometimes get leads on unpublished availabilities.

Newspapers

The Boston Globe
The Sunday Real Estate Section of The Boston Globe has the largest available section of housing in the Boston area.

The Boston Herald
The classified section in The Boston Herald is not as large as The Boston Globe. The paper's largest real estate section for the week is in Friday's edition.

The Boston Phoenix
This paper has some listings of shared living arrangements in Boston and the near suburbs. Landlords with few properties tend to advertise directly through these classified ads.

The Cambridge Chronicle
Has listings for Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford (cities just outside of Boston).

The Patriot Ledger
Listings for the South Shore area.

Web Sites

http://boston.craigslist.org
No-fee apartments listed by brokers and by owner. It also has a section on sublets and people looking for roommates. It is updated daily.

www.bostonapartments.com
This site lists apartment rentals of all types, as well as people seeking roommates. It also has a listing of numerous agencies in the Boston area with links to their web pages.

Real Estate Agents

If you do decide to work with a real estate agent, you might want to keep the following precautions in mind:

• You should not have to pay a fee just to look at the listings.


• Before looking at any apartments with an agent, find out if he/she intends to charge a fee just for looking at an apartment.


• Never rent an apartment without seeing it first. Take time to thoroughly inspect the apartment.


• Don't let an agent pressure you into a hasty decision.


• Realtors can charge up to one month's rent as a "finder's fee", but only if you actually sign a lease.


• Check the rental application to be sure it has the exact information of the apartment you are interested in - the address, apartment number, and price.

The following is a list of real estate agencies in The Boston Conservatory area*:

* The Boston Conservatory does not endorse any of the listed real estate agencies or roommate matching services. This information is presented only to assist you. Those agencies listed were selected based on proximity to The Boston Conservatory (thus, they may have more listings for the area around the Conservatory). The Boston Conservatory cannot guarantee the quality of service or accommodations and cannot be responsible for the action of any realtor or landlord.

Where can I stay in Boston while conducting my search?

Temporary Housing

Beantown International Hostel

222 Friend Street, Boston
(617) 723-0800

Berkeley Residence

Boston YWCA, 40 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA
(617) 482-8850

Greater Boston YMCA

316 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA
(617) 536-7800

Hostelling International

12 Hemenway Street, Boston
(617) 536-9455

Longwood Inn

123 Longwood Avenue, Brookline, MA
(617) 566-8615

Summer Housing

Garden Halls Residences

60 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA,
(617) 267-0079 or (617) 236-8031

Hostelling International

1105 Commonwealth Ave, Boston,
Summer reservations: (617) 779-0900

Hotels

Note: The Boston Conservatory cannot guarantee the quality of accommodations and service and cannot be held responsible for the actions of any representative of the temporary housing facilities listed above.