University of California - Berkeley
- Off-Campus Housing

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Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

The off-campus housing search at Berkeley isn’t easy. Students complain about expensive rent, costly utility bills, competitive seekers, and lazy landlords. In addition, few end up in locations to their exact liking, but all say that they’re grateful that they even found a place. The demand for housing from the 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students drives up the rent prices to ridiculous levels. Berkeley is very aware of the housing crunch and provides several services to help students in their transition from dorms to apartment life. Many students cite the importance of planning early and at least thinking about post-dorm living options in the early spring if planning on moving in the early fall. Start even earlier if you want to move in at the beginning of summer.

A couple of students said they lucked out and found their places at the last moment, weeks or days before school began. While you might see “Roommate Wanted” signs in the bathrooms at school throughout the year, finding a new place to live at the last minute or during the school year is time-consuming and adds a lot of mental stress. Try to find people you’d possibly like to live with early on, talk to them about possible plans, and start visiting places as soon as ones that interest you pop up. Try to stop yourself from committing to the first place that seems “okay” out of laziness or fear that you may have no other options. Talk to other friends who are already living off campus and ask for names and numbers of people they may know who are graduating or renting out their place.

UC Berkeley Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Off-Campus Housing at University of California - Berkeley

cdrichter

Forest Resources Management '14

1.9

C-

Expensive Apartments, Unhelpful Landlords

Berkeley is known to be an expensive place to live, and since there is an excess of demand for housing during the school year, landlords can charge a ridiculous amount to rent the grossest of places. Additionally, during the summer, there is a lack of demand for housing so most everyone has to pay rent for the summer months whether they are living in Berkeley or not.

May 27, 2012

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Off-Campus Housing at University of California - Berkeley

pocky0725

Japanese Language and Literature '13

2.3

C

Parking

I live far from school, so parking is important to me. However, parking is hard because the permit is so expensive, and the street parking is always limited.

Apr 11, 2012

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Off-Campus Housing at University of California - Berkeley

aturull

Natural Resources Conservation '15

4.6

A

Co-Ops

Co-ops are a great place to meet new people, eat great food and share a healthy, effecient lifestyle. Communal living saves energy and resources, including money. Rent and board is less than apartments and dorms, and that is with awesome food included!

Apr 09, 2012

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

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