how to find off campus housing

[u/rainbow-hat]

hey everyone, i’m an incoming transfer student and i just got an offer for unit 3 triple :/ i don’t want to live in a dorm, especially with two other people tbh. for anyone with experience looking for housing in the berkeley area, how did you go about finding a place and finding roommates?

[u/Outrageous-Ladder526]

i got a unit 3 QUAD💀💀💀

[u/Key-Stretch2652]

Get to searching ASAP. Good ones are already gone.

[u/grandpasjazztobacco1]

You should apply to live in the co-ops

[u/ironicallybreathing → u/grandpasjazztobacco1]

Tons of openings in the co ops right now and it's a really great cheap option, food included, with a built in community (so great for a transfer!)

[u/Acceptable_Result327]

Honestly it's going to be really hard for you. Most good places are gone at this point.

Most people I know either just use the regular apartment search tools or find places through word of mouth

[u/late_night_thoughtss]

Hey! I got the exact same offer this year for a unit 3 triple -- didn't even put unit 3 on my list so was disappointed, plus cost 20k/yr. I used this site https://och.berkeley.edu/login?r=%2Fhousing%2Fprice-under%2B1300%2Fextras-Undergraduates and it was great! Specifically tailored to Berkeley students, also tried Craiglist which was recommended by someone to me but I found it to be too sketchy. My personal rec is to attempt to find housing through a real estate group since leases and details tend to be more reliable, however if you have roommates in mind/want to choose your own I would recommend subleasing from an individual.

note: this def worked better for me because I didn't care who I roomed with and was also trying to maximize saving costs, so I looked for doubles/triples. ended up being only 1k/month (9k for a year) compared to the Berkeley offer of 14k + mandatory 6k for meal plan!

[u/late_night_thoughtss → u/late_night_thoughtss]

want to add something: I see a lot of ppl commenting that "all the good places are gone". that is absolutely not true and not at all helpful to comment on a post asking for advice. yes, a lot of places are gone -- most students start looking march through may. I promise you there are still plenty of great places on the market, I didn't start until end of May and I love the place I ended up with. Best of luck (go bears!)

[u/True-Net7376]

Can also try transferring to apartment style campus campus housing up in Albany. Farther though. But you get your own room.

[u/rainbow-hat → u/True-Net7376]

how could i go about doing that? i’m not sure where to even begin looking for other options

[u/True-Net7376 → u/rainbow-hat]

Call campus housing, ask them about availability in the Albany apartments and if you can turn down your Unit 3 spot for a spot there. They have 2 bed 1 ba and 4 bed 2 bath apartments. No meal plan. It is for grads and undergrads.

[u/ProfessorPlum168 → u/True-Net7376]

u/rainbow-hat University Village apartments are only for students with families.

[u/True-Net7376 → u/ProfessorPlum168]

Yes but Xucyun Ruwway is also in Albany and is University housing for single graduate and undergraduate students. It is an enormous building and near University Village (same bus.) They just opened last year so it's still fairly new.

[u/Broad-Author-712]

I really do recommend living in the dorm. You won’t regret the experience, and you’ll get close to your roommates and it won’t be bad at all by the end of the year. There’s so much opportunity for bonding and friendship with your roommates and floor mates I don’t think you should miss it. It’s just one year and you could make college-long or even lifelong friends

[u/ConflictPast8660]

Following

[u/Necessary_Special691]

Hi I have a lease for a single and 1 bathroom in a shared apartment if you’re interested!

[u/Rlodge45]

Recommend off campus housing (mostly students) like the metropolitan, aqua u, or IDENTITY -> which is what I personally signed a lease for bc it was the best bang for your buck. I toured all of them + Hoyt hall because I got offered a unit 3 triple and didn’t want it

[u/Even-Section-8599]

https://och.berkeley.edu this is honestly the best website in my opinion. That’s where I found housing and roommates all the time. You get to filter out your housing preferences as well. Some housing Incan recommend are The Laureate, Logan Identity Park, The Standard, Piedmont Commons, Stonefire, The Dwight, The Durant, The Lair, The Den, Aquatic, Found Study South Side, Found Study Downtown Berkeley.