Finding Housing @ UC Berkeley
Welcome! Presenters: Amy Griggs, Lead Advisor for Undergraduate Student Services, Berkeley International Office Marney Randle, Resident Director, Residential & Housing Services Elaine Perkins, Coordinator, Cal Rentals
Overview Points to consider How to find housing Costs On vs. off campus Types of housing Where to live Signing a housing contract
Points to Consider Decisions to make: Would you like to live on or off campus? Would you like a meal plan? Will you live alone? Where will you live? How long do you want your commute to be? What is your budget? Do you know which area around campus fits you best? Where are the majority of campus buildings you will use?
Where to Search Online Craigslist - https://sfbay.craigslist.org/ Padmapper - http://www.padmapper.com/ Apartments.com - http://www.apartments.com/ Cal Rentals - calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu/
Where to Search Friends or current Berkeley students UCB Housing Group on Facebook Roommate Search Tool
Cal Rentals 2610 Channing Way, 2 nd Floor https://calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu Phone: (510) 642-3644 Email: homeinfo@berkeley.edu
What is Cal Rentals? We are a rental housing listing service for the UC Berkeley community. We assist university affiliates find off campus housing. We are NOT Craigslist.
Type of Housing Berkeley Average Cost in 2014 Typical Rent Ranges Room in shared apartment or house $905 Studio apartment $1,337 One bedroom apartment $1,737 Two bedroom apartment or house $2,457 Three bedroom or larger house (Three bedroom apartments are rare) $4,025
Private Rooming Houses Group living environments. Privately owned and operated. Various amenities, meal plan options, prices. Academic Year leases available. A list of Berkeley Private Rooming Houses are available via email.
On Campus vs. Off Campus On Campus Prices are based on type of room (Single, Double, Triple, Suite), not the location of the room Prices range from $12,726 to $18,210 Includes electricity, cable, internet, water, etc. Includes maintenance costs Full list of rates can be found here: http://www.housing.berkeley. edu/livingatcal/rates.html Cost of Living Off Campus Prices vary Utilities (Electricity, Cable, Water) are typically not included Set up costs for utilities Typically no lock out services Locksmiths can cost over $200 and may not make house calls at night
On Campus Housing Residence Life Undergrad and Graduate Graduate Student Housing Private rooms Family housing
Highs and Lows of Living On Campus Benefits Academic Service Center Lockout Services Faculty in Residence Program Dining Halls Leadership Opportunities Hall Association [Government] Residence Hall Assembly Residential Sustainability Program Peer Review Board National Residence Hall Honorary Security Monitors (Paid Positions) Health Workers Peer Advisors Higher GPA s Hall Staff Hall Staff Support Increased safety/security Campus Resources Fun Events Roommate Easier to meet people mediation Policy Enforcement Things to Be Aware Of Alcohol and smoking policies are strictly enforced. No one under the age of 21 is allowed to drink. No smoking allowed on campus No drugs allowed on campus, including marijuana even if you have a medical marijuana card Potentially more costly Most residence halls will close during Winter and Summer Breaks, so you would not be able to access your room during those times. Channing Bowditch and Graduate Student Housing stay open all year.
Undergraduate Housing Unit 1 6 Buildings 1 Substance Free Living Building African American Theme Program Native American Theme Program Unit 2 6 Buildings Asian & Pacific Island Theme House Unit 3 6 Buildings Casa Magdalena Mora UNITY Gender & Sexuality Theme Program Channing Bowditch Undergraduate Apartments Unit 4 Bowles All Male Building Stern All Female Building and Women in Science & Engineering Theme Program (WISE) Clark Kerr Campus Many smaller buildings Global Environmental Theme Program Maximino Martinez Commons Sophomore Students
Graduate Housing Ida Louise Jackson Graduate House Single bedrooms, shared apartments Manville Apartments Single studio apartments University Village Family Housing Townhouses and Apartments
Housing Application Timelines Undergraduate Housing Fall 2015 Freshmen: May 7th, 2015 Graduate Students Rolling Deadline Waitlists
Need more info? Undergraduate & Graduate Housing: http://housing.berkeley.edu University Village: http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/livingatcal/universityvillage.html
Off Campus Housing Greek life Neighborhoods ihouse Co-ops
Greek Life Fraternities and Sororities Leadership, Scholarship, Friendship & Service Some have housing options (available for future) Must apply for and join a Fraternity or Sorority http://lead.berkeley.edu/greek
Campus Neighborhoods Northside Westside Campus Southside
Northside More expensive Generally, apartments and housings are nicer Quieter Close to grocery stores Grad students More limited selection Farther away from campus Few buses
Westside Close to BART and downtown Berkeley Lots of buses Close to several grocery stores and shops Can be more expensive due to proximity Limited selection Can be far away from many campus events due to location
Southside Often cheaper, can be lower quality Wide variety of places to chose from Close to BART, and many buses Generally more student friendly Close to shops Can get loud on weekends
Co-Ops Cooperative: large residence, membership based where members share resources and everyone collaborates Personally maintain residence Can be themed Very social Many rooms available Can be cheaper www.berkeleystudentcooperative.org
ihouse Popular option for graduates and EAP students Open to both international and domestic students Resident Support Services: Resident Assistants, Program Office, Events etc. Meal plan Northside of Campus Rates vary from $14,691 - $18,924 per academic year Berkeley International Office is here! http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/
Signing a Housing Contract Agreement between two parties usually enforceable by law If it is important to you, read the whole contract Don t sign if you are not clear Read the fine print Be brave, ask questions
Be Aware of Scams These primarily appear as online advertisements on (sites such as craigslist.org). The contact person will insist that you send them money for housing accommodations even though you have not yet visited the property in person. When students show up to the address, the place is unavailable. If you are required to wire money ahead of time, please be sure the housing post is legitimate
UC Berkeley Temporary Housing Early move in and temporary housing http://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/summer_housing Reservations open June 1 st, 2015
From Current Students* Average monthly rent: $1065 In order to secure housing, 52% said it cost them more than $1,500 (security deposit, first month s rent, etc.) Most students arrived 2-3 weeks before classes began 43% found housing before arriving to Berkeley Finding listings and communication with rental companies/landlords can be challenging Most students live in South Berkeley 70% have roommates Tips: Start early Cheaper and easier to search from Berkeley than from home country Consider the co-ops Check out the apartment in person to Be prepared to rent a temporary place (hotels, hostels, AirBnB) *2015 Berkeley International Office Housing Survey results
Questions? Contact information: Amy Griggs - akgriggs@berkeley.edu Marney Randle marney.randle@berkeley.edu Elaine Perkins - eperkins@berkeley.edu reshall@berkeley.edu for graduate housing questions apts@berkeley.edu for University Village Some information adapted from International Students Association at Berkeley (ISAB) Finding Housing presentation http://isab.berkeley.edu/