Off-Campus Resources
Off-Campus Housing Marketplace
Use our Off-Campus Housing Marketplace to find roommates and places to live!
Legal Resources
Graduate Student Assembly and the Undergraduate Student Senate have partnered to offer all Carnegie Mellon undergraduate and graduate students free legal consultations.
Parking and Transportation
Public Safety
The Moving Process
How to Find the Right Place
Finding a place to live can be overwhelming and intimidating, especially if you are relocating to a new city and if you have never lived on your own before. A good place to start is making a list of "non-negotiables", aspects of your apartment or house that you need to have, and if a space does not have it, you would not consider moving there.
Some of these could include:
- Monthly rent cost exceeding a certain amount (for example, your rent budget cannot exceed $800 a month)
- Proximity to campus or a public transit stop
- Pet-friendly (if you own a pet)
- Furnishings included
- Parking on-site, either in a garage or a designated parking spot
- If needed, accessbility measures (such as an elevator)
After coming up with "non-negotiables", come up with a list of things that would be nice to have, but would not necessarily end your interest in a place.
Some of these could include:
- Utilities included
- An on-site gym or fitness center
- Laundry in-unit or on-site
- Number of roommates that you would have
- Amenities included
Questions to Ask
When you are looking to move off-campus, there are several things that you should consider and questions you should ask while touring a space or before signing your lease to make sure it fits your needs and to avoid unnecessary costs or fees. This is a possible list of questions and is just intended to be used for inspiration.
- Is there a security deposit or an application fee?
- What utilities are included in rent?
- Is subleasing permitted?
- If there are issues with the unit, what does the maintenance process look like?
- Who is responsible for yard maintenance and snow removal?
- What type of security does the building offer?
- Is parking included?
- If the lease needs to be broken, what does that process look like and what financial responsibilities fall on the tenant?
Preparing for the Move
As you prepare for your move to Pittsburgh, make sure to resolve or accommodate any existing obligations and anticipate new ones. You may find using a checklist helpful.
Some examples of things to consider:
- Notify current landlord of lease termination
- Submit change of address form to , and
- Establish a budget
- Arrange for utilities and new service hookups
- Establish moving dates
- Obtain new renter's insurance
There are plenty of moving companies in Pittsburgh to assist with the moving process, as well as various U-Haul locations.
Finding a Good Roommate
If you are in need of a roommate, and do not have someone with whom you are planning to live, you can utilize our to find a roommate.
Before searching for a roommate, you will need to consider your own personality and what would be compatible with your living style. You also need to remember that it is a shared space and different people have different expectations and upbringings; please be honest about yourself and what you would like in a roommate. This is not an inclusive list, but here are suggestions on some things to think about:
- Are you a morning or a night person? Do you keep your activities during those times contained to your bedroom or to other common spaces?
- For example, if you are a night person and like to stay up late watching TV in the living room and making late-night snacks, you likely would not be compatible with a roommate who likes to wake up early as you might disturb their sleep. However, if you are a night person and like to stay up late reading in your room, that would not impact your roommate's ability to sleep.
- What are your cleaning expectations and habits? Would you expect your roommate to have the same?
- For example, if you like to sweep and dust the common area on a daily basis, you might benefit from having a roommate who prioritizes doing so. However, you may just focus on cleaning up after yourself and do not have an opinion on if your roommate cleans every day or every other day.
- What are your expectations for guests?
- For example, if you are not comfortable having guests in your space, you would likely not be compatible with someone who wants to have friends over in their space. However, if you are open to allowing guests on the weekend, a conversation could be had with your roommate to determine an agreement for a guest schedule.
Navigating conversations with roommates about issues can be difficult and awkward, so here are some pointers to have a positive and productive outcome:
- Within the first few days, create a roommate agreement with your roommate(s). Create standards that all of you will live by, such as cleaning expectations, shared items between the roommates and guests, etc. More importantly, include what your conflict resolution will be when raised with an issue.
- Practice empathy and be aware that you are living with another person. Everyone comes from a different background and has different expectations, so both of you will be flexible and will need to compromise a bit.
- When an issue does arise, make sure to use direct and honest communication. Make sure to watch your tone, use "I" statements, and do not downplay or ignore if you are feeling unheard.
Avoiding Scams
Rental scams have been around for ages, and it has become more prevalent with online scams. It can be difficult to determine what rental pieces are real and what are not.
- Is the opportunity to good to be true?
- If the rent seems too low for the area or the space that it is in, or if there is a time-sensitive deal that seems over the top, it likely is too good to be true.
- Are they asking for personal information or money before you visited the property?
- A proper leasing company or manager will require an application, a tenant screening, and secured payments through traceable payment methods. If they require you to send information over before the application, or want you to send money via cryptocurrency or wire transfer, it is not a legitimate leasing agent.
- Is the leasing agent unwilling to meet?
To avoid renting scams, follow these tips:
- Confirm that the listing is legitimate - try to find the property on other listing sites, such as Zillow or Apartments.com, and verify that the contact information for the leasing agent is the same across all platforms.
- Look up the management company or leasing agent and look for ratings and reviews.
- Use trusted sources for any exchange of money.
Student Resources
On-Campus Resources
Though you may already be familiar with the many on-campus resources that are available to you, here are some that could be helpful to you while you are an off-campus student:
Cohon University Center
The Cohon University Center is the hub for student life on campus, and is a great place to go study, eat, exercise, or just relax before, after, or in between class. Additionally, they offer locker rentals for you to keep your things in while you are on campus.
University Health Services
University Health Services is always available to help with a variety of needs, and even if you live off-campus, you are still able to have appointments and utilize their services.