When is the best time to start looking for housing?
If you want to find private housing, the best time to start looking is after the semester ends and people start to clear out for the summer (after May). This, however, means renting a place for the summer. Landlords here, like most any city, do not reserve apartments for people. If they have a unit available they like to rent it as quickly as possible. Many apartments that are available right after the school year ends sit vacant until the majority of students return in late August. Most people don’t want to rent an apartment for the summer unless they attend classes during summer session. Typically, people begin their housing search in June or July but try to set up a place to live for late August. This allows them to have a place to move into before classes start, but also means that they don’t have to pay rent for an empty apartment over the summer.
