Off-Campus Housing

Your Guide to Off-Campus Housing

Best Colleges Renters Guide addresses the common snares of renting, the questions to consider when entering the rental market and how to identify and avoid rental scams, a crime that first-time renters are particularly vulnerable to. Learn about what you should consider when renting an apartment.

Consider your income & housing feeds to find a budget that fits your needs

Explore your options. Links to online listings are listed below.

Choose roomates who are finacially stable to pay rent, bills & stay the entire lease duration

Tour the property & meet with a manager to answer your questions

Begin the application process whick may include: 

  • Application Fee
  • Cosigner
  • References

Document any damages that may have occured prior to your lease & consider renter's insurance

Provide a 30-day notice prior to your move-out date & clean your space thoroughly to avoid penalities 

off-campus guide

Click on the image above to download "Your Guide to Off-Campus Housing."

Resources

  • SDSU's Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT): Please visit the ECRT Housing Resources document for tips with your housing search, housing finding websites, temporary rentals, free storage, emergency housing and more. 
  • California Tenants Guide: Review the California Tenants Guide to understand your rights and responsibilities as a tenant. 

Affiliated Off-Campus Communities

Non-Affiliated Off-Campus Communities

For off-campus housing, explore the sites listed below. These sites are not affiliated with or endorsed by SDSU.

Rentable is a map that plots all U.S. universities and colleges on an interactive map, so students can easily find housing near their campus. The map also shows nearby grocery stores, public transportation and other amenities.

Apartments.com simplifies the process of finding a new apartment by offering renters the most comprehensive database including millions of detailed and accurate apartment listings across the United States. 

Apartment Guide offers in-depth apartment listings with info on properties, neighborhoods & more.

ApartmentList compiles rentals from over 100 different listing sources. There’s no need to view multiple websites to search for an apartment. Each city on the website shows local neighborhoods, pricing, noise level, nearby attractions, restaurants, shopping and more.
Diggz is a roommate marketplace that covers all your basis. Find rooms for rent, roommates to fill your empty room, or partner up with someone to find a new place of your own. Diggz is a free service that connects you to like-minded prospective roommates with similar lifestyle attributes and preferences, leveraging a proprietary matching algorithm. Interactions between users work in a tinder-esque fashion where both have to like each other to chat directly on the platform. Behind the scenes, Diggz employs A.I. as well as human eyes to detect suspicious profiles and scammers, keeping the platform safe and sketch free.
PadMapper is a virtual map that can be used to find off-campus housing. You can personalize your search by using the toolbox on the map. PadMapper allows you to search by number of rooms, price and location.
RENTCafé features thousands of apartment listings directly from property managers. RENTCafé makes it easy for you to find the perfect home. Search apartments for rent in the US, check prices, view property details with large photo displays, floor plans, amenities and more.
Rent College Pads is an apartment search engine that helps students find housing by working with trusted landlords in nearby neighborhoods. Specifically geared toward college students, Rent College Pads helps with more than just finding apartments by connecting students looking for subleases and roommates through their Facebook integrated platform. 
RoomChazer makes off-campus housing easy. Scroll through listings, read the reviews, check-out your potential roommate's profiles and complete your booking all online. Great Places. Great roommates. Semester contracts. All furnished and utilities included. Rent by the bed, we'll match you with roommates! 
students walking on huaxyacac courtyard

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