Just beginning your housing search in Boston or seeking tips on signing a lease? Explore some frequently asked questions below about searching for housing in Boston as a BU graduate or professional student.<\/p>\n
We encourage students to start by researching Boston’s neighborhoods to determine what will fit your individual needs. The Graduate Education Website’s Neighborhood Guide<\/a> allows you to compare and contrast the neighborhoods based on location, proximity to BU’s campuses, public transit options, and more. When choosing a neighborhood, it’s important to consider how you plan to travel to BU’s campuses; for many of our graduate and professional students, that means looking into what public transportation options are available nearby.<\/p>\n To learn more about what makes each neighborhood unique, BU Today has an online guide<\/a> to Boston’s neighborhoods, with helpful lists of where to eat, shop, and hang.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n BU students, faculty, staff, and alumni have access to the resources available on BU Off-Campus Services<\/a>.\u00a0Register here<\/a> to start your apartment search, save and compare your favorite listings, and post or search for roommates.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Generally, the earlier you start your apartment search, the better selection you will find. You should start the housing search process as early as four months prior to your move-in date.<\/p>\n If you plan to have roommates, you should have that confirmed before beginning your search. BU Off-Campus Services has a roommate finder tool<\/a>, available to BU students. You can also connect with fellow incoming graduate and professional students in your school or college for potential roommates.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n BU Off-Campus Services has assembled a list of common rental terms and abbreviations<\/a> to be aware of when searching for an apartment.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n It is always advisable to view any property before signing a lease. However, this may not be possible for many students, especially for our international students. That being said, you should still utilize all technological and video resources available to view properties.<\/p>\n The BU\u00a0Off-Campus Services<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>website recently enhanced its site features to include virtual tour options. Property owners now have the opportunity of providing virtual tours of available properties, right on their website.\u00a0For those properties that lack a virtual tour on the Off-Campus Services website, you can still connect with the property owner\/lessor to set up a video tour of the property. You can set up video calls through FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, or other video-conferencing platforms. Exercise your best judgment during this process.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n BU Off-Campus Services provides a list of short-term housing options<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n When applying for an apartment, you will need:<\/p>\n As an international student, you will need:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n A lease is a binding legal contract between you (the tenant) and the property owner (the landlord). BU’s Off-Campus Services outlines the top ten things students should know before signing a lease<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also a good idea to know your rights before renting.\u00a0The City of Boston provides information on tenant’s rights<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n BU Off-Campus Services provides a list of local internet and cable providers<\/a> on their website. Determine which provider works best for you and your budget.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n As a city that is at once big and small, Boston can be quite easy to get around (though one should always allow extra time when navigating through the labyrinthine streets of downtown). We\u00a0encourage you to visit the Transportation section<\/a> of the Graduate Education Website to learn more about the options available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Just beginning your housing search in Boston or seeking tips on signing a lease? Explore some frequently asked questions below about searching for housing in Boston as a BU graduate or professional student. Finding an Apartment Signing a Lease Moving In<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":0,"parent":666,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3833"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3833"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7701,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3833\/revisions\/7701"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Do I have access to BU Off-Campus Services?<\/h3>
When should I begin my housing search?<\/h3>
What are some helpful terms when searching for an apartment?<\/h3>
Should I travel to Boston to look for housing?<\/h3>
Where can I find short-term housing?<\/h3>
Signing a Lease<\/h2>\n
What do I need when applying for an apartment?<\/h3>
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What should I know before signing a lease?<\/h3>
Moving In<\/h2>\n
How do I set up internet and cable in my new apartment?<\/h3>
How do I travel to BU's campuses?<\/h3>