Find an Apartment
Helpful Resources for Finding Off-Campus Housing
- Living Off Campus Classifieds Website
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Our Living Off Campus classifieds website provides a place for you to post and search for
All Penn State students, faculty, and staff can post one listing each year on the classifieds website for free. To get your free posting, create an account and login using your usual Penn State login credentials. Look for your name on the top bar to open your account page. You will see the option to "Add a Listing". Fill in the required sections, beginning with the address, to complete your listing. You can add pictures, unlimited text description, and a full list of searchable amenities.
- Housing Fairs
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The Housing Fair is a great resource for students who are deciding whether to live on or off campus, or who are planning to live off campus in the coming year. Penn State students, parents, families, and friends can meet with on-campus housing staff, local landlords, property managers, business, government, and bank representatives in one location.
Visit the Housing Fair page for upcoming dates and more information.
- One-on-one Consultations
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Whether you need help deciding whether living off campus is right for you or need assistance in finding that great place to live, the Off-Campus Student Support office can work with you to help you navigate your options.
To schedule a one-on-one meeting with a member of our professional staff, contact us at OffCampus@psu.edu.
- Off-Campus Housing Accessibility
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An off-campus housing accessibility spreadsheet was created to assist prospective tenants with disabilities in their evaluation of the accessibility of local rental facilities and their amenities based on personal need.
The spreadsheet includes responses from local property managers who voluntarily chose to provide information on the accessibility of their housing units. The spreadsheet is solely meant for informational purposes and is not intended to: (1) endorse specific rental properties; (2) enforce the Centre Region Building Safety and Property Maintenance Code; nor (3) evaluate compliance with federal, state, or local laws and regulations. Instead, prospective tenants with varied disabilities can use the information provided to evaluate which rental properties best meet their individualized needs. Please note that this spreadsheet is subject to change and is not meant to provide a comprehensive accessibility checklist given that property managers could elect to provide information in whole or in part.
The spreadsheet includes responses of “Yes,” “No,” and “Not Verified,” as well as areas left blank where property managers chose not to respond. The response “not verified” indicates that the property owner is unsure whether the feature exists and did not, or was not able to, verify the existence of that feature at the property. Prospective tenants are strongly encouraged to contact property managers to discuss accessibility questions or concerns while using this spreadsheet as a reference.
The survey sent during the 2018-2019 academic year to 51 properties, of which 9 responded. Landlords and property managers who wish to provide accessibility information may request a survey at OffCampus@psu.edu.
The survey was created and administered by a multi-departmental committee consisting of the following members:
- Leah Zimmerman, ADA Coordinator / University Access Committee Member, Affirmative Action Office
- Jen Gooch, Administrative Support Assistant, Affirmative Action Office
- Dwayne Witmer, Facilities Project Coordinator / Chair of University Access Committee, OPP
- Scot Miller, Architectural Designer / University Access Committee Member, OPP
- Conal Carr, Director Housing Facilities / University Access Committee Member, Auxiliary & Business Services
- Kelly Kutz, Administrative Support Assistant, HUB-Robeson Center (Student Affairs)
- Loretta Doss, Assistant Director, Off-Campus Student Support (Student Affairs)
- Meet the landlord or property manager and view the apartment.
- Insist on a written lease, and ensure the lease identifies the owner or agent.
- Conduct basic research on the landlord, property owner and unit.
- Be aware of market rates. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Don't accept a check from a new roommate and pay the money over to someone else for them - you're probably paying the scammer and the original check will eventually turn out to be fake.
- Trust your instincts.
