General Housing & Relocation Guide

Consider how long you will live outside of the Boston area—is it a semester, a year, and is there a possibility for your time in that location to be extended?  In Boston, the typical term of a lease is one year.  This may be different in your location outside of Boston. If you do not plan to be in that location for a full year, a short-term lease may make sense.

If you plan to be in the location for the duration of a typical semester, university or student-specific housing may be a good option.  If your time is longer than a typical semester, you may consider looking into other organizations that offer short-term accommodations that are not necessarily student-oriented.  Another option may be splitting up your accommodations for the duration of your stay, such as temporary accommodations (hotel or home share) for a portion of the time, and student-housing for the remainder of the time.

See the below table outlining accommodation suggestions depending on the duration of your time. Housing options are explained further in the next question.

Length of Stay	Suggestions for Types of Accommodations to Research
Less than 1 month	HotelHome sharingStudent-housing organization that offers short-term housing
1 – 4 months	Home sharing Local University housing Student-housing organization that offers short-term housing Subletting (the right way!)
5-6 months	Student-housing organization that offers short-term housing Local University housing, though you may be granted only one semester Home sharing – filter for long term rentals or sublets Subletting (the right way!)
1 year	Rental agreement with privately owned accommodation Student-housing organization that offers long-term housing Expat organization that offers short-term housing Local University housing (multiple semesters)

A. Employer Provided Housing

Prior to seeking accommodations on your own, your first step should be to reach out to your employer. They may provide housing or even a housing stipend. 

If they do not, you should ask:

• If they have any recommendations for housing
• If they have knowledge of where previous Northeastern students have lived in prior terms
• If they have any resources on hand regarding what to look for or avoid in the housing search process.

Keep in mind, it is likely that your employer will be more knowledgeable about the specific area than yourself (unless you are from this area!) or Network Housing & Relocation. This is why you should utilize your employer as a first resource.

B. Non-Employer Provided Housing

If your employer does not provide housing or has very limited housing resources, there are other types of accommodations you can secure and resources you can use.  Students can utilize our Housing and Relocation Resources by State, or set up an appointment with our office. We may be able to:

• Connect you with other Huskies who are currently in, or have previously lived in that location
• Share housing resources that students have utilized in the past

C. Types of Housing

A furnished or unfurnished apartment is what you may be most familiar with.  Keep in mind that when outside of Massachusetts, a furnished apartment will likely be easiest to work with given the logistical challenge of purchasing, renting, and moving furniture for 6 months.  It’s likely that you could have your own room (or a shared room), with shared common spaces such as a kitchen, living room, and/or bathroom.

Dorm-style student housing may also be available. There may be universities nearby that offer on-campus or off-campus accommodations.  Northeastern University has informal affiliations with many universities which may offer housing options, and NH&R can help connect you to these options. In Seattle, for example, Northeastern has an affiliation with Cornish College of the Arts’.  Make an appointment to learn more about possible university affiliations, or visit the Housing and Relocation Resources by State page for other local university resources. Your new city may have non-university affiliated student housing organizations as well.

Home sharing, such as Airbnb and couch-surfing, are strongly discouraged by the university due to the unregulated nature of the sharing economy and the difficulty for students to vet such arrangements.  The university recommends against sharing apartments with strangers.  Consider renting the whole apartment/home.  Airbnb also has options to filter for sublets and long-term rentals, which may yield more non-sharing options.  As always, read reviews, look for “Super Hosts,” know what’s included, and take note of the cancellation policy.  Oftentimes, the accommodations through Airbnb are furnished apartments (though there are a range of other types of accommodations, such as whole houses or single rooms).

If you choose to disregard the university’s recommendation against home sharing, please click here for recommendations.

Consider how you’ll travel to your destination, and ensure you make these arrangements well in advance.  The earlier you book, the less expensive your trip will be, whether it’s a flight, train, bus, or rental car. Also, consider how you’ll transport your belongings to your destination.  NH&R’s moving and storage page has helpful options to transport your belongings.

However, many students also just bring one suitcase full of clothes and essential/starter items, then purchase other household items or furniture once they arrive at their destination.  At the end of your co-op, consider donating, selling, or leaving your items for the next tenant if you can coordinate with them.  Be careful not to leave furniture or household items if you have not coordinated with the next tenant or your landlord – you don’t want to be charged for any furniture or trash removal your landlord may have to do as a result!

Before securing housing, or deciding to study or work outside of Massachusetts, it is important to consider a realistic monthly budget.  Generally, you should aim for your housing costs (rent and utilities) to be around 30% of your income or allotted monthly finances.  If you won’t have a monthly income while you’re there, ensure you have this amount saved up, or have funds coming from other sources.  Use the local city or state’s government websites to research the housing market in that area.

The earlier you start your housing search, the better.  Starting early will ensure you have the time to find a place that fits your criteria, enable buffer time should any issues arise, and provide peace of mind that you have housing when you arrive at your location.  Most students generally secure housing between 2 and 3 months prior to the start of their co-op.

If you plan to sign a lease, student renters are often required to name a co-signor so landlords can ensure their tenants are financially competent and will pay rent each month, as well as provide a social security number for a background/credit check.  Evaluate the validity of what is being asked of you to share, and provide proof in the form of a co-signor or bank statements if necessary.  Because it is risky to send sensitive information to organizations or individuals you have not met in-person before or are unfamiliar with, this may make it logistically difficult to secure housing before going to your location if the organization requires sensitive information.  To make this process easier, it is best to secure housing with organizations you are familiar with, such as universities or via Husky connections such as peers, alumni, or parents. 

Consult with Network Housing & Relocation if you are unsure about disclosing the information being asked of you from a potential landlord, realtor, or organization.  We do not recommend sending sensitive and/or personal information to organizations or individuals that you have not met in person or are unfamiliar with.

You can also use mySmartRenter to verify the property owner of an address that you plan on renting.  Though it costs money, this tool is useful to prevent scams and to gain helpful information on the person you’ll be renting from. Please note that this tool can only be used to verify property owners and not sublessees.

If you cannot secure housing through reliable sources, it may be best to secure temporary accommodations first (hotel or home share).  Then, when you’re on the ground in the location, you can visit places in-person to verify the accommodation.  From there, you will likely be able to secure reliable housing accommodations for a longer period of time.

It may be difficult to verify that a housing opportunity exists when you’re not able to travel there and visit the place ahead of time.  However, there are a few actions you can take to ensure you’re setting yourself up for success before arriving, including the following:

• Seek housing opportunities through trustworthy connections such as: fellow Huskies, relatives or friends in the area, NH&R, established and reliable entities (such as your employer or a nearby university)
• Ask the landlord for a live video tour of the apartment
• Ask your landlord for the contact information of current or previous tenants (your landlord is not required to disclose this information, but it could be worth a shot!)
• Similar to RentSmart Boston, there may be a local tool on the city’s website that will help you verify the owner of the property (make sure it matches up with your lease!)
• Utilize mySmartRenter, a paid resource (approx $35/report) that provides a comprehensive background report on owners, landlords and property managers of any property you’re considering leasing/renting. Give yourself peace of mind at a fraction of what you could potentially lose in a scam or dealing with a negligent landlord.
• Review the “Understanding Your Lease” page of our website and use our lease checklist! If you are still unsure, you can email NH&R with any questions. We can help you review your lease. 

Northeastern University has resources to ensure safety, such as NUPD, the SafeZone app, and UHCS when you’re here on the Boston campus. But, who do you contact if you experience a health or safety issue while outside of the Boston area? These are important considerations prior to your departure.

Your main resources for safety outside of Massachusetts will be The Northeastern Global Safety and Support Network, as well as Northeastern University Police.  The two offices work in conjunction to ensure Northeastern students are safe as they travel outside of Boston for co-op or another academic program.

The Northeastern Global Safety and Support Network provides travelers with referrals for local healthcare service providers, travel warnings, and emergency assistance services 24-hours a day. They also provide a wealth of information that will assist in pre-travel planning. Visit their website to learn more about these services, and discover other resources including best contact numbers for both emergencies and non-emergencies.

The Northeastern Police Department aims to ensure all Northeastern students are safe no matter where they are.  If you need help outside of Boston, contact Northeastern police at +1-617-373-3333 for emergencies and +1-617-373-2121 for non-emergencies.  You can also visit their website to read more about travel safety tips and how they work closely with The Northeastern Global Safety and Support Network to prioritize student travelers.

Visit our Safety Guide Page for more safety information ad safety guides.

While it may seem obvious, you’ll want to make sure that your accommodations are within close proximity of your place of work or study.  A two hour commute each way will be draining, and also take time away from other opportunities to explore, socialize, relax, or be productive.  Your proximity to public transportation in your location is an important consideration as well.

Unless the location you plan to work or study is where your family lives, you may not have a car. The university advises against self-driving vehicles or motorized scooters/bikes while traveling, and does not provide insurance for these activities. As such, consider how you’ll commute to your workplace or university, and how reliable the public transportation is in that area.  Some other questions to consider are:

• Are there other viable transportation options such as biking, rideshare, taxis, trains, or some other means of transportation? 
• If you plan to bike, how will you acquire a bike once you get there? 
• If rideshare is an option you plan to use, what are the apps needed on your phone? 
• How safe and/or reliable are the taxis? 

Make sure to have a plan for transportation prior to arriving at your destination!

Prior to leaving Boston, you’ll want to make sure that your housing here in Boston is dealt with in the necessary capacity.  If you’ve already committed to on-campus housing or signed a lease for off-campus housing, determine what your options are. This may be cancelling your on-campus housing or finding a sublet for your off-campus apartment so you are not paying double rent. Additionally, have a plan for how you will secure housing in Boston upon your return.