Kaylie Wang is an English sophomore and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
Housing in SLO is notorious for filling up quickly, so whether you are a first-year in the dorms or a continuing student at Poly Canyon Village, you may need to find off-campus housing fast. Fret not, my friends – this column, “The Housing Hunt,” will be your guide for navigating the housing search so we can sign those leases and ease those worries together.
When I was a first-year student and heard that students should sign a lease by November to secure housing for the next year, I thought it would be impossible. Turns out, it isn’t.
Now, I’m settled into my off-campus apartment, and my roommates and I are ecstatic about our living situation. We are renewing our lease for next year.
The off-campus housing search seems daunting, so I have compiled a five-step checklist for navigating the process. Here’s how you can be prepared and lock in your lease by the end of this year.
Step 1: Check if you are guaranteed on-campus housing next year.
Depending on your major or program, you may be required to live on campus at Poly Canyon Village or Cerro Vista. Check if two-year housing applies to you and if you are eligible for a housing exemption on the University Housing website.
Sign ups for second-year housing and the lottery system for students who are not required to live on-campus don’t start until Jan. 30. Until then, start thinking about whether or not you want to continue living with your current roommates.
Step 2: Determine your budget.
If you will be signing a lease with a guarantor (someone who will pay for your housing, such as a parent), meet with them or set up a FaceTime to agree on an appropriate price range. Keep in mind that, at most residences, rent increases every year, so the current rent is not what you will be paying.
Use these numbers as a gauge for the price, and remember that every month you will pay additional fees on top of the rent, which may include utilities, parking and community fees.
Step 3: Research your options in SLO.
Read about all of your housing options, such as whether you want to live in a house, apartment or townhome. You can utilize Cal Poly’s resources such as the Off-Campus Housing Program, which offers drop-in hours for students, posts rental availability on its Instagram (@calpoly_offcampushousing) and collects a list of local property managers. Be on the lookout for their annual off-campus housing fair on November 13!
Talk to other students who live off-campus about how they like their living situation. Last October, I asked everyone around me where they lived to get an idea of where Cal Poly students live.You can also reach out to people in your sorority, fraternity, sports team or clubs to see if anyone is willing to pass their house down to you.
If possible, tour different properties with your guarantors. Meet the property managers or leasing offices to collect more information so you can compare costs, location, utilities and anything else that matters to you. My parents and I kept a spreadsheet of apartments with notes about rent, location and layout. We even took note of an apartment complex we heard bad reviews about.
Step 4: Talk to people around you to get an idea of future roommates.
If you are interested in living with your current roommates, bring up the topic of next year’s housing. Ask if they are required to live on campus next year and if they would be open to rooming with you again. It can be hard to bring up, but it is better to know if you need to find new roommates sooner rather than later.
To find new roommates, ask your friends – or even people you just met – about their plans for next year. Many students I asked had not even started thinking about next year, but constantly asking helped me find my current roommates through a group chat.
To determine roommate compatibility, think about how you use the room and anything you would change about your current living situation: do you prefer the place to stay quiet so you can do work or sleep early, or would you enjoy going out at night and having friends over often?
If you can’t find a roommate, it’s not the end of the world. Many housing complexes offer roommate matching services like the dorms at Cal Poly. The most important thing is that you secure a place to live next year, so you can sign a lease by yourself and get paired with roommates.
Step 5: Stay updated to be ready for leases to open in November.
Keep a list or spreadsheet of places you are interested in. Use the property’s Instagram page or sign up for text or email notifications so that you are informed when leasing starts.
Finding housing can be nerve-wracking and scary, but with patience, persistence and a little bit of luck, you’re going to figure it out. Stay tuned for more advice on the housing search coming from this column.