Living in a dorm is an integral part of the freshman experience. A first year at Boston University would simply not be complete without the total lack of privacy, the showers that make you want to shower after you shower, the weird smell wafting from the common room trash can, and the floor-mate who listens to dubstep at 9am.
But after a year or two of dorm craziness, the prospect of moving off-campus might be tempting. Allston, as it turns out, is not just a place that exists only between 9pm on Friday night and 4am Sunday morning – it is also home to students from Boston University and other nearby colleges.
Moving off campus can be a challenge for those who have never lived anywhere but Warren Towers and their parents’ house in the suburbs. So to make the life of the confused student easier, we bring The Quad’s Guide to Moving Off-Campus.
Should I Move Off-Campus?
Whether or not you should actually move off-campus can be tied up in a lot of things. On one hand, living off-campus is substantially cheaper. No matter how you spin it, on-campus rates are pricey. Dorm options, while cheap, require the purchase of a dining plan. A double in Warren comes to $1,400 a month. The cheapest on-campus option is a shared apartment with two students, which is around $1,200, but you still have to pay for food. Off-campus, you can find an apartment for anywhere from $500 to $1,000 a room per month.
But you’re also paying for amenities. On-campus dorms are, in general, closer to school facilities, have security, paid utilities, maintenance, etc. You’re paying for convenience. And, it’s important to consider that some scholarships, particularly those that cover full-tuition, require that a student live on-campus all four years. There’s also the fact that some parents simply do not want their kids living in Allston.
When Should I Start Looking?
Right now. Most leases in Boston start and end on or around September 1, but landlords and management companies start asking tenants whether or not to continue their leases as early as November. Any time after then is apartment-hunting season. It’s possible to get one as late as March, but to get the best deal, it’s wiser to start looking early.
Housing Deposits are due February 24, so your decision must be made by then.
Where Should I Live?
Allston can seem like a big place, but location is key for a good off-campus experience.
Gardner, Ashford and Pratt–or, the GAP, as it’s sometimes called–is an area north of Brighton Avenue and behind Star Market. It is notorious for rowdy parties, especially around the beginning of the year, but the area is unmistakably close to West Campus and supposedly quiets down on weeknights.
Brighton Ave and Commonwealth Ave have several larger apartments lining their streets and have the advantage of being in better-lit areas with close access to public transportation. The 57 Bus and the B Line will usually drop you off within a block of your apartment, provided it’s before 12:30 in the morning. Still, there are some disadvantages to the area: clubs, bars and businesses cluster on the main thoroughfare. The music can be loud, and the rowdy drunkards, louder.
Saint Paul Street and the adjacent side-roads also offer some reasonably-priced apartments close to campus and the quaintness of Brookline. The neighborhoods are quiet. The surrounding houses are old, huge and stately and the proximity to West Campus absolutely unbeatable. Nearby, there is also the BU-dominated quasi-dorm Mecca of Dexter Park apartments. The Dexter facilities are luxe for your typical off-campus offering, but according to the Yelp reviews, the residents like to party hard– and loud– while they’re at it.
How Should I Look?
In the age of the internet, there are several ways to find the right housing for you.
BU’s Off-Campus Services provides a pretty good listings resource for on-campus students looking to connect with one another. Despite the stigma against it, Craigslist is also a possible resource for students looking for roommates, or groups of students looking for an apartment rented by-owner.
Padmapper is another useful website that labels itself as “making apartment hunting suck less.” The big Google-maps-based site allows you to put in the number of rooms, the neighborhood, and price parameters. It then grabs listings from other sites, and as it is Google-based, has the convenient option of street-view.
What About a Realtor?
For first-time apartment hunters, realtors as generally the way to go.
Realtors can be pricey. For the legwork they do, they require finders’ fees, which is usually about a month’s worth of rent. The extent to which they are helpful varies by company. Yelp offers a list of the top realty companies in the Allston Area, but differences vary within companies and between realtors.
A good realtor can be very helpful in managing within your price range and booking apartment viewings. So while some realtors will cut and run immediately after you fork over the finder’s fee, others will continue to be liaisons between unresponsive or difficult management companies and landlords.
I’ve Found a Place I Want to Check Out. Now What?
The obvious next step is to take a tour. Realtors will usually help you set these up for you, finding a time that works for everyone to look at the apartment.
While touring, bear in mind that while you are looking at your prospective dwelling, you’re also in someone else’s home, so be considerate of the residents. That being said, try and talk to them. Generally, they will be willing to talk to you and answer questions about the condition of the apartment.
Be aware that, especially if you’re looking late, there may be competition for your apartment. Try to decide as soon as possible to avoid any conflicts or heartbreak.
When you finally do sign the lease, make sure you read the fine print. Mass Legal Help has a useful list of things to know before you John Hancock a document that might become your downfall for the next 12 months. It’s also critical to know your rights going into a housing agreement, and make sure you ask the right questions beforehand.
Having your family lawyer go over your potential contract is also a plus.
Down the Road
August will come sooner than you know, and it will be time to move into your new apartment. A week before you do so, it would be useful to get in contact with the realtor and visit the apartment to make sure the current residents or subletters are on track to leave. While your apartment should be empty on move-in day, that is not always the case. Miscommunication between renters and management companies is possible, and it’s not unheard of to walk into a brand new apartment that is still full of its previous occupants. Generally realtors recommend moving in after noon to give the previous tenants time to get the rest of their stuff out. Once you’ve moved in to your new place, make sure to also take photos of the condition of the apartment.
Move-in day is also what is referred to (not always lovingly) as Allston Christmas. Around the first of September, as renters move out, furniture, appliances and apartment supplies are advertised on Criagslist for cheap, dropped off at Goodwill, or dumped in back alleys. While it’s not advisable to get a mattress this way, many a mint-condition IKEA dresser and desk wait to be adopted on September 1.
Don’t forget to stay connected to campus once you’ve moved away, as well. The Boston University Off-Campus Council provides great resources and events for students looking to stay connected to student life.
Resources:
Boston University Off-Campus Resources
SoYouWanna Find an Apartment in Boston?
City of Boston Rental Housing Center
