Starting Your Housing Search
Your 7-Step Guide to Being Rent Ready
If you have made the decision to live off-campus, you need a plan for your
housing search. You want to find a place that you are comfortable in and a place
where you can be successful as a student. Follow this easy checklist to ensure that
you have a successful housing search:
Become an Educated Renter
ODU offers educational workshops through its Off-Campus Student Life Office. Topics
include understanding your lease, your rights as renters, and tips for being rent ready.
Visit the office for information on the next session.
Housing Type & Location
Looking for an apartment, condo, home, or room for rent in the area? Haven’t decided
yet? Check out some of the local options on the University’s off-campus housing listing
website, http://blue.odu.edu/housing/off-campus.php, where you can compare your
options and search by neighborhood.
Safety & Security
Take a look at the local crime map: norfolk.gov/police/crime_view.asp. Drive by the
property. Take a look at properties in the daytime and at night to make sure you are
comfortable with the area.
Budget & Financial Aid
Create a budget for off-campus living, and limit your housing search to only properties
that fit in your budget. Additional help for making a budget is available in this guide. If
you are planning on using financial aid to pay your off-campus rent, remember that it
may not be disbursed until after school starts. Save up over the summer for your security
deposit and at least two months’ rent to ensure you have enough money before
financial aid is disbursed.
Roommate & Roommate Agreements
Find your perfect roommate. ODU offers a property listing website, http://blue.odu.edu/
housing/off-campus.php, where you can post a roommate profile that is just limited
to students. Also, look out for regular roommate fairs to meet prospective roommates.
Have the tough conversations. Discussing issues and setting expectations before
your move-in with a prospective roommate will save you frustration and confusion
throughout your rental experience. For help with those conversations, visit the
Off-Campus Student Life Office.
10 | Off-Campus Living Guide