One of the most daunting tasks for new healthcare travelers is knowing where to start finding short term housing. For most professionals, it seems the only options for rentals are the traditional leases that require a year's commitment. However, if you know where to look and how to approach the situation it is easier than you would expect to find short term housing in any city across the US.
It is highly recommended to take a glance at short term rental options before you actually accept your first assignment. This will help you determine if the pay package offered matches the cost of living in the area. In addition, it ensures that you will not be left living out your first thirteen weeks as a travel nurse in a motel without a full kitchen or other creature comforts. When your recruiter first presents a pay package, make a quick search using the tools mentioned below to get a brief overview of the housing situation.
Do not put a deposit down or make a housing commitment prior to having a signed contract. Travel healthcare jobs can move quickly and even the most surefire assignment may not work out. Always wait until your contract is signed and back to your recruiter before moving forward with short term housing options.
Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty: how to actually find a safe, affordable short term rental.
First, write out your housing must haves
Before you can start looking for a short term rental sit down and decide on non-negotiables for your housing.
Here are the 10 most common questions a travel nurse needs to consider:
Do you need pet friendly housing?
How far are you willing to commute?
Are you willing to share a space?
If you rent a room, are you okay with sharing a bathroom?
What are the rules on visitors or overnight guests?
Is there access to a full kitchen?
Are utilities included?
If you share a space, do you prefer male or female roommates?
Are you signing a lease? What are the cancellation stipulations?
What appliances are available in the house? Is there a washer, dryer, microwave, and dishwasher?
In addition to these details, be sure to keep in mind a budget for both a deposit and monthly fees. Sharing a room will definitely save you money in the long run, which is why it is a good option to consider if your goal while traveling is to pay down debt or save for big expenses.
Keep in mind these preferences may change with each assignment. Some locations such as college towns may be less appealing when it comes to roommate options.
However, in expensive cities like San Francisco or Boston it may be more difficult to find private housing within a healthcare traveler’s budget.
If you are hesitant to share a space but like the idea of saving money, ask about the landlord’s work and travel schedule.
Many young professionals who travel frequently rent to travelers so their space isn’t empty when they are out of town.
Even if you have a “roommate” you may end up working opposite schedules or coming and going at different times and not actually interacting much.
Decide if you want to take company housing or find your own
Back in the day, travel healthcare professionals were housed in private furnished apartments and paid a very competitive wage in addition to their private housing.
Nowadays most travelers will tell you that the best way to profit from traveling is to take the tax free housing stipend offered by your company and find your own housing.
This allows you to keep any of the stipend you do not use and is how most travel healthcare professionals pocket the most money.
Some travelers still prefer to let their company find housing. If you are curious what the difference in pay will be like, ask your recruiter to provide a pay package for each option.
This allows you to compare options and make the best decision for your situation.
If you know people in the area, be sure to reach out and see if they have ideas
One huge advantage you have as a travel healthcare professional is having connections in the are you will be traveling to.
If you have an old acquaintance or family member living in or near an area where you take an assignment, do not be afraid to reach out and see if they know of any short term housing in the area.
Even if they do not know of a specific place to live, they may have good insight regarding safety of different areas or commute times around the city.
All of this information is extremely helpful when you are deciding what your best housing option will be.
If you are concerned about safety in a particular area, reach out to local police stations to see if they can give some advice on lower crime neighborhoods.
There are also several websites that report crime statistics where you can get an overview of the types of crime in a certain area.
Start looking on housing groups or travel healthcare pages
As travel healthcare becomes a more well known career, some landlords have decided to specifically target these professionals for their rentals.
In many cases, these landlords are actually healthcare professionals themselves so they know to utilize healthcare specific groups when looking for a tenant to fill their space.
This can be helpful for nurses who work nights or travelers who take call and may need a roommate who is understanding of odd sleep and work hours.
Facebook has a plethora of groups that have housing share options. Typically you will want to find a group with a larger number of members to increase the likelihood of finding something that fits your needs.
Look for group membership in the thousands or more so you are not wasting time pouring through outdated or limited options. One of the most well-known groups is Travel Nurse Housing by Furnished Finder (opens in new tab)with over 35,000 members.
It is also a good idea to look at the group rules and regulations. Is someone monitoring the group for fraudulent postings? Are their requirements landlords have to meet before posting?
Is the group owned by a particular company? All of these details are good to know when using a particular group.
You can approach searching these groups in several ways. Facebook has a search option for groups where you can type in the city where you are looking and pull up posts that way.
However this can be limiting because sometimes landlords may list the name of a suburb or neighborhood instead of the major metropolitan area.
If you are not super familiar with what neighborhood names to look for, it can cause you to miss out on potential listings.
When searching, don’t be afraid to reach out to landlords whose posts are weeks or even months old.
Even if they haven’t updated the post, they could have a traveler getting ready to leave or have an opening they haven’t gotten around to posting yet. When in doubt, always ask!
Another option is to make your own post outlining what kind of housing you are looking for and where. Don’t forget to add in your non-negotiables and the timeframe you will be arriving and leaving.
Sometimes people will even respond by tagging landlords who they have good experiences with, which is always reassuring when you are looking to rent in a new area.
This approach can also be used to find a travel buddy or roommate. Some landlords will list larger houses that are too expensive for one person to afford in the hopes that two or more travelers can get together and split the rent.
Not only is this a great way to save money, but it can also help you meet new friends and have someone to explore with on days off.
If someone does not directly refer you to a landlord, do not be afraid to ask for references from previous tenants.
For your safety (and sanity) it is always nice to hear from other travelers that the landlord is nice and easy to work with, especially when renting sight unseen.
Expand your search by using short term rental websites
While Facebook groups can be a great tool, they are mostly unregulated and not the most organized or reliable tool for finding short term housing.
It can take hours to sift through posts, or you may just feel uncomfortable living in a short term rental found via a public page.
Luckily, there are actual websites like Furnished Finder (opens in new tab)designed to help you find short term housing.Not only that, but many of the landlords on these sites actually love renting to travel healthcare professionals!
They earn extra income off their property and often feel more secure renting for a few months to these types of individuals because they know the tenant coming in is a professional. These landlords are typically great to work with because they understand that healthcare travelers are unique in their needs and are often more relaxed in the event your contract is extended or even canceled because they are more familiar with the lifestyle.
A huge perk of using a short term rental website like Furnished Finder is the ability to customize how you search. If you are going to an assignment in a larger city you are unfamiliar with, it can be really daunting to know what neighborhoods to look in or what suburbs will be close to work. By using a website designed for these types of searches, you can simply use the map features to look directly in the are where you will be working.
In addition you can customize all the specifics you are looking for in your short term rental. From budget to pet friendliness to laundry preferences, you have it all laid out from the beginning rather than having to wait for a landlord to respond to questions on a Facebook post. You can also submit a housing request (opens in new tab)where you’ll see how many properties match your search criteria for your particular area. In addition to the Furnished Finder housing request, you can also search their map (opens in new tab)and contact landlords directly via text, phone, or submit an inquiry through the site.
While you’re there, be sure to read reviews of landlords, which is particularly helpful if you are willing to share a room. Another helpful tool that many of these websites have is a verification process that landlords go through to help protect renters from being scammed. On Furnished Finder, every landlord must pass a background check or submit proof of ownership.
While search options like Craigslist, Zillow or Facebook are also viable options, they are significantly less regulated than professional housing sites. Scams are far more rampant on unregulated sites, so keep that in mind if you decide to go that route. Here’s more information about ways to protect yourself against scams (opens in new tab).
Work out the details regarding your deposit
While there may be one housing option that stands out above the rest, do not forget to look at the details associated with each option.
Most rentals will require some sort of deposit. These can range from a couple hundred dollars to one month’s rent.
To determine what your budget for a deposit is, you have to really think about how much money you are willing to lose if something falls through.
One of the tricky parts of travel healthcare is the fact that labor needs for the hospitals and facilities change quickly. Cancellations are not extremely common, but most well-seasoned travelers have experienced a canceled contract at some point during their career.
Most deposits are non-refundable in the event that your contract is canceled, so keep that in mind when making your budget for your move-in fees. A deposit helps protect the landlord in the event that a renter does not show up, and adds a buffer time for them to find a tenant to take your place. Do not expect your travel agency to reimburse for a lost deposit either—this is simply one of the risks associated with working as a travel healthcare professional.
Also be sure to note if your deposit is refundable and when it will be refunded. A lot of deposits will not be refunded until a few weeks after move out, so you cannot necessarily depend on that money to be available as a deposit for your next assignment’s housing.
If you have pets ask about pet deposits or fees and pet rent
Traveling with pets can be very rewarding but the costs may add up quickly. Unfortunately, pet owners can be irresponsible and because of this, landlords may be hesitant to accept pets in their rental properties or may charge extra fees to cover any damages a pet may cause.
Many landlords will charge a non refundable pet fee so they can deep clean the carpets and furniture after each tenant with a pet moves out. Some will even flea treat their place after an animal moves out just to be safe.
Some short term rentals may also charge a pet rent or monthly fee depending on the number of pets you are bringing along. All of these details can add up quickly, so be sure to have all of the numbers straight when adding up the cost of each rental option.
Even if a rental does not explicitly state that they are pet friendly, it never hurts to ask. Send a friendly message explaining who you are, the size and type of your pet(s), and offer to provide references and a pet fee up front. Some landlords may be willing to make exceptions to their pet policy if you are friendly and provide some proof that your furry friend is well behaved. Here’s more information about traveling with a pet (opens in new tab).
Keep in mind that short term rentals move fast
While all of the steps listed above sound like they could take forever, efficiently moving through this process is key. Short term rentals often have a fourteen to thirty day move out notice, so openings come and go quickly.
When you are looking for your housing set aside a day to sit down and hammer out housing plans. If you send an inquiry or message to a landlord and do not hear back within 24 hours do not wait around and pass up other potential options. The nature of travel healthcare is that jobs and housing options will typically fill within a few days so hesitating for too long could cause you to miss out on your preferred housing. Here’s more information about finding short term furnished rentals. (opens in new tab)
Don’t feel overwhelmed—this process gets easier with practice
Jumping into the world of travel healthcare can be intimidating for many reasons. As you go along in your career you will find all of the steps get easier with time. Finding housing may seem like the most stressful part of the whole ordeal, but after doing it once or twice you will begin to know exactly where to look for housing and what you can and cannot compromise on when it comes to your housing preferences.
Don’t be afraid to try different types of housing, or even opt for company housing for an assignment if you are finding options in a particular area to be extremely slim. Travel communities have stories of travelers living in tents and camper vans all the way up to premium extended stay hotels. The key is simply finding somewhere that is safe, comfortable, and hits all of your must haves. Each assignment will be a learning experience, and the process will get smoother the more you go along and the more connections you make across the country!