Lehigh University
- Off-Campus Housing

Sketchlehem

Dangerous neighborhoods, not very nice houses, and a lot of problems with townies (such a break-ins).

Good Variety of Off-Campus Options

There are lots of options if you want to live off campus. There are houses available on all sides of campus, and they vary in price and how nice they are. There are also a decent number that are in pretty good shape but have very cheap rent. Houses range from 3-5 people (5 is the max by city law), but there are also 1 and 2 person apartments within a few blocks of campus. Fraternities and sports teams often pass houses down, but it's pretty easy to find a house if you want one.

Landlords also vary. Most are used to dealing with college students, so they'll check on the house during school breaks.

An advantage over living on campus is you can live with both guys and girls.

Important things to keep in mind: leases are for a full year (starting June 1), not a school year, so 12 months of rent might not be cheaper than living on campus.

To get a good house, you probably have to start looking in September or October, and sign your lease by Thanksgiving. If you don't start that early, you'll still find somewhere to live, it just might be further from campus or more expensive than you want.

Living in the Hood

The process of finding an off campus house doesnt begin until sophmore year. If you don't act fast a lot of the places are gone really quickly. There are certain areas that are prone to a lot of break-ins and the Lehigh students know that the townies can be a little fiesty. I'd say safety in numbers-meaning you should try to live in an area with Lehigh students around you-probably east fifth.