Thinking back to the beginning of this year, I remember my peers sharing how the experience of finding housing from abroad at times felt stressful. The prospect of navigating unfamiliar rental markets (including all the legal components), deciding on neighborhoods, and filtering online listings can be daunting. We wanted to aggregate resources and share our experiences and advice for future cohorts! 

Below we’ll share a bit about the neighborhoods we live in, what kind of arrangements we have, and timelines that enabled us to find safe and comfortable housing. 

What is a Common Range of Rent for Our Cohort

Average rent in West Philadelphia can really vary from student to student. As outlined below there are a range of housing accommodations common in our cohort and each one comes with a different price range. The more private the apartment space/the more amenities/the newer the building the higher the price will typically be. These are also the most common advertisements that load for buildings as their goal is to rent at much higher price points.

If you are hoping to save more on monthly expenses, consider options such as living with roommates or renting in a shared multi-renter home close to campus.

At the moment, classmates are paying anywhere from $310 to $1350 per month.

When Did Our Cohort Start Looking for Apartments?

You can start browsing whenever you begin to feel interested, but know that it’s most common to find an available apartment or room within a maximum of 90 days before your lease starts. This is because current renters must give 90 to 60 days notice to landlords that they intend to vacate or renew for the following year. Landlords and property managers will also commonly not allow someone to sign a lease any earlier than 90 days prior to arrival.

Some cohort mates began looking for housing in late June/early July, but others waited until they arrived to look. Please see the additional sections below when deciding on when to look.

Most Common Neighborhoods for Our Cohort to Live In

A majority of our cohort lives west of the Schuylkill River in University City (the same neighborhood UPenn is in), Powelton Village to the North of the University, or Spruce Hill just west of the University. 

Source: Philadelphia Map Company via society6.com

University City is super convenient because of its proximity to campus, and access to supermarkets, and restaurants. This area has larger apartment buildings so most of the housing available in this area is apartments.  

Spruce Hill has a beautiful neighborhood/community feel with tree-lined streets and colorful row homes. It also has convenient access to supermarkets (within 10 10-minute walk), local restaurants, cafes, and still relatively close to the university with access to SEPTA (Philly’s public transit system). Apartments in this area are usually multifamily homes, meaning that these apartments usually have amenities like porches or backyards. However, there are larger buildings are being built in the area.   

Powelton Village is also a popular neighborhood for student housing since it sits at the intersection between UPenn and Drexel. This area has a mix of larger apartment buildings and multifamily homes. This area has access to smaller grocery stores, but the closest supermarkets are in University City. 

Types of Off-Campus Housing Arrangements Common with Our Cohort

Private bedroom in a multi-renter home where bathroom and kitchen are shared among a floor or entire home. Often time 4 or more people. Usually, the rent in this style of multi-renter arrangement includes monthly rent, utilities, and cleaning fees. This can be convenient and more flexible in terms of contract length (a few months vs. a whole year).

Private bedroom in a shared apartment with 1 or more roommates, where living spaces are shared including the kitchen. Some of these apartments have private bathrooms while others have a single bathroom to be shared among roommates. Depending on the lease, shared apartments often require setting up utilities (electricity, gas, internet, and/or water) independently and separately from the apartment lease. The cost of utilities may not be included in the cost of rent. Be sure to ask the leasing agent about what is and isn’t included in this lease situation.

Private Studio or One Bed Room Apartment The entire apartment is for private use of the renter. Again, depending on the lease, utilities may not be included and must be arranged directly with service providers. Be sure to ask the leasing agent what is and isn’t included in the lease situation as well as average utilities cost since you will be solely responsible. On occasion, there are some studios or one bedrooms that will come partially furnished.

Timelines: Securing a Lease Prior to Arrival or Signing One the Week You Arrive?

Don’t feel like you have to secure housing or sign binding contracts before arriving in Philly. We are in an environment with a lot of student housing, so it will be possible to arrive in August and find an option that you have the chance to visit. You will be spending a lot of time here during your studies, so make sure you feel comfortable 

Securing a Lease Prior to Arrival:

Most common for new buildings. Virtually tour an apartment unit/building. Make sure to ask the leasing office if you can arrange a video call with the property manager to do a live walk-through of the space (do not just rely on website videos as they normally show the best of the best). They should be able to walk you through the apartment itself (or a model) as well as show you common spaces.

Make sure you familiarize yourself with the location of the apartment. How will you get to campus (can you walk or do you need to catch public transportation)? How long will it take to get to campus? Anything else you need such as is it close to a grocery store/bus stop/ Penn transportation van drop off/ etc.

Signing a lease prior to arrival is BINDING. Please make sure you carefully read every page of the agreement and understand all stipulations. Visit a few places virtually to make sure you feel informed before signing anything.

Finding an Apartment After Arrival:

My classmate Bona Lee shared that she stayed in an AirBnB during her first week in the US and it was enough time to find housing. It allowed her to navigate housing ads and physically visit housing options. She found that sometimes the miles indicated by the ads did not accurately represent the distance that she would have to walk.

Common Website Resources Our Cohort Used:

For all of the resources below please remember to exercise caution when sharing personal information online.

• Facebook Marketplace or public groups like University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Student Housing and Apartments (NO SPAM). There are other groups like this one that also have apartment listings. Please remember that these groups are publicly managed so still exercise discretion and safety when browsing the postings and going for visits.
• Our Mandarin-speaking community used Weibo and The Redbook to connect with other new students and join the new student WeChat. My classmate Joy shares to try to skip the agent in The Redbook if possible so that you can avoid paying an agent fee. If you find an apartment you like, access the building’s or management’s website or email the leasing office directly.

Common Penn Resources: 

Most classmates successfully found housing using the Off-campus Housing website linked below.

• Off-campus Housing Website: Once you have a UPenn username you will be able to log in and browse listed properties. A quick tip from Bona Lee: For those who are on a budget be sure to adjust the minimum to zero in the filtering process because the default sets it at $500.   
• Off-campus Guides: Browse Off Campus Services’ guides to access more information on lease contracts, neighborhoods, and university transit (free shuttle services). 
• Be sure to check out the Family Resource Center if you will be making your move to Philly with a family.