Housing

One of your first jobs after arriving in the United States will be to find a place to live. This section provides you with a few tips to make your search a happy one.

Temporary Accommodations

When you first arrive on campus you will need a place to live while you look for permanent accommodations. Many schools will provide temporary housing for international students who arrive before the semester begins. Ask the foreign student advisor or housing office for information about temporary housing.Another option if you know a student at the school is to ask them to let you stay with them for a few days. New graduate students, can often find someone in their department with room for a temporary guest. You may have to sleep on a couch, but at least you will have a roof over your head. You will also be able to ask questions of someone who is familiar with the area.Most major cities have a Council for International Visitors or similar organization to help incoming international visitors. They can often arrange for you to stay with a local family for a few days, but such arrangements must be made in advance. They also are a good source of information for international students and may provide hospitality and social events. Look for them in the telephone book, or ask at the Traveler’s Aid desk when you arrive. Every major airport, bus station, and train station has a Traveler’s Aid desk. Many cities also have a youth hostel. Hostels are a good place to stay for a few days while you look for a permanent place to live. They provide dormitory style accommodations, sometimes with bunk beds in large rooms. The cost is $5 to $25 a night. You will be able to stay at the youth hostel at low cost if you are a member of the International Youth Hostel Federation. The US branch is called Hosteling International – American Youth Hostels (HI-AYH). A one year membership is $25 ($10 if you are under age 18). For more information, call 1-202-783-6161, fax 1-202-783-6171, or send email to hiayhserv@hiayh.org. Your travel agent should be able to help you become a member. A good source of information about hostels is the Internet Guide to Hosteling. Lastly, you can always stay in a hotel or motel. This is the most expensive option, and you will need to make a reservation with a credit card to guarantee a room. Parking is expensive at hotels, and there is often a large tax on long distance telephone calls placed from your room.

Permanent Accommodations

The available options include renting an apartment, renting a house, or buying a house. Most international students cannot afford to buy a house, so we will not discuss this option. Most university students in the US live on or near campus. Students who live off-campus generally find a place less than a mile or two away. Not only is this convenient for getting to and from campus, but much of the social life occurs on campus. The US educational experience is not confined to the classroom, and you will find yourself learning as much from your fellow students as from the faculty. If the school offers on-campus accommodations for international students, you should seriously consider living on-campus, at least for the first year. Since this is probably your first trip to the United States and your first time living alone, on-campus housing will help soften the transition to life in the United States. Later, when you are more familiar with the neighborhood, you can consider moving off-campus. Renting a house is usually a viable option only if you will be sharing it with several roommates. You will certainly get more for your money if you rent a house. But most communities have limits on the number of unrelated people who can live together, with most cities having a limit ranging from 3 to 5. These laws are intended to prevent overcrowding for health and safety reasons. In any event, the process for renting a house is similar to renting an apartment. The cost of renting an apartment varies considerably depending on the part of the country and the local supply and demand. A one bedroom apartment in Pittsburgh might cost $400 a month while the same apartment in Boston or San Jose will cost $1,200 or more. The school’s housing office or financial aid office can provide you with an estimate of the annual cost of renting an off-campus apartment.

Finding an Apartment

Some schools provide on-campus housing for international students. Most, however, do not. If your college provides on-campus housing for international students, we strongly recommend taking advantage of it, even though the rent may be higher than an off-campus apartment. This will give you time to become familiar with the neighborhood before committing to a lease. Most schools have an off-campus housing office to help students find an apartment. The housing office will have listings of available apartments and information about the neighborhoods near campus. They may provide a bulletin board for students looking for roommates and run social events to help you find a good roommate. They will probably have pamphlets with information about popular restaurants, shopping areas, parks and recreation, and public transportation. The public library will also have information about local neighborhoods. Ask for this information at the reference desk. You should do a few things before you begin your search for an apartment

Ask the housing office and current students which neighborhoods are safe and which should be avoided

Decide whether you want to save by sharing an apartment with a roommate or two

Get a detailed street map for the neighborhoods you are considering. You should be able to buy a map in the college bookstore. Another good source for maps is the AAA (American Automobile Association). AAA maps and guidebooks are free to members, one of many reasons to join the auto club even if you do not drive a car.

Spend a few hours walking around the neighborhood to familiarize yourself with the area. Note the location of grocery stores and restaurants, since your most frequent trips will be to school and to buy food. Also note the location of bus stops and other public transportation. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk a mile and 5 minutes by bike.

When looking for an apartment, ask friends and fellow students if they know of a good apartment. Sometimes they will know someone who is moving out of a good apartment or may be moving themselves. Such good apartments are rarely advertised because they are rented very quickly.

The school may have a bulletin board with apartment listings. The bulletin board may be on a wall near the housing office, on the campus computer. It will include listings from local landlords as well as students looking for someone to sublet or take over their lease.

The local newspaper will also have apartment listings. Buy a copy of the Sunday newspaper. It will have more apartment listings than a mid-week issue of the newspaper. You may be able to buy the Sunday newspaper as early as Saturday afternoon. There may also be a free weekly advertising circular that lists apartments. You can usually find such apartment listings at grocery stores, newsstands, and real estate offices.

The last resort is to contact a real estate agent. You are often better off going through the classified advertisements yourself. Under no circumstances pay for a list of available places, since such lists are often out-dated.

You will probably need to look at only 3 or 4 apartments before you find one that you like and which matches your budget. But if you do not find a good apartment quickly, keep trying.

The best time to start looking for an apartment is the first Sunday in August.

In the US, house numbers tend to be even on one side of the street and odd on the other. Other than that, there is usually no rhyme or reason to the addressing scheme.

Understanding Apartment Listings

Rental costs depend primarily on the size, condition, and location of the apartment, and whether utilities are included. Larger apartments and apartments which are closer to the school or shopping will cost more. The first distinguishing characteristic is the size of the apartment. The different sizes are defined as follows:

Sleeping Room – A sleeping room is a single room, usually furnished, located in a private home, with a shared bedroom and kitchen. This is the least expensive option, but provides little privacy.

Efficiency – An efficiency is a single room with a private bathroom. The room will include a small space that serves as a kitchen and should provide a stove, refrigerator, sink, and cabinet space.

Studio – A studio is somewhat larger than an efficiency, and has a separate kitchen and eating area.

One, Two, or Three Bedroom – Regular apartments include a separate kitchen, bathroom, living room and/or dining room, and the number of bedrooms advertised.

The next important consideration is what is included in the rent and what is not

Utilities – If the advertisement says that utilities are included, that usually means electricity, heat/gas, and water/sewage, but not telephone or cable TV. If the advertisement does not specify any utilities, presume that you will be responsible for paying for them. Heat will cost you an extra $500 to $1,000 a year in the snow belt and electricity a similar amount. If heat is included, this sometimes means that the landlord controls the temperature, not you. Water and sewage fees are usually paid by the landlord, except if you are renting a house.

Furnished or Unfurnished – A furnished apartment will include a bed, chest of drawers or dresser, a couch or sofa, and a dining room table and chairs. A furnished apartment will also include a stove and refrigerator. An unfurnished apartment will include a stove and refrigerator but nothing else. A furnished apartment will cost you an extra $50 a month. You are probably better off renting an unfurnished apartment and buying used furniture. Graduating students often sell their furniture to incoming students. Most apartments are rented unfurnished.

Parking – If you intend to own a car, an apartment that includes a garage or off-street parking is better than one that does not. It is sometimes difficult to find a parking space on the street, especially if many students with cars live nearby

You should also ask whether there are any laundry facilities. In apartment buildings there is usually a coin operated washer and dryer, but not always.

Expect the rent to increase by about 5% per year.

Leases – A lease is a written contract between the tenant (you) and a landlord which allows you to use a dwelling for a specific period of time in exchange for monthly rent payments. The lease outlines the restrictions on the use of the dwelling and the responsibilities of tenant and landlord. A lease is a legal document and should be read carefully before signing.

The lease should specify at least the following:

The amount of the monthly rent and when it should be paid. The lease might mention how the rent will increase in subsequent years. Whether utilities are included in the rent, and if so which ones. Heat and electricity are the most important

The time period covered by the lease, usually one year

Restrictions on the number of unrelated people who may occupy the dwelling

The amount of the security deposit, which must be paid in addition to the first month’s rent when you sign the lease

Restrictions on pets, children, and noise. Many landlords do not permit pets because of the potential for damage and noise. The lease may also contain a provision prohibiting noise from musical instruments, stereo systems, loud parties, and other sources

Landlord responsibilities, such as repairs to heating and plumbing facilities and fire or water damage

A clause about terminating the lease

A clause about eviction proceedings. This clause describes the rights of tenant and landlord should the landlord want to force the tenant out of the property during the term of the lease. The most common reasons for an eviction include failure to pay the rent when due or causing significant damage to the property

If the lease includes a wear and tear clause, this allows the landlord to charge you for repainting the apartment at the end of the lease.

When you pay for the rent and security deposit, get a receipt. Get a separate receipt for the rent and security deposit. It is best to pay the rent by check, and to use a separate check for the security deposit. You will need this at the end of the lease in order to recover your security deposit. To get your security deposit returned when you move out, return the key to the landlord and provide a forwarding address. We recommend sending this by certified mail, return receipt requested, so that you have proof the key and forwarding address were received by the landlord. The landlord then has 30 days to return your deposit or send you a list of the repairs, their actual cost, and any money left in the security deposit.

Moving In Utilities

If the rent does not include utilities, you will have to get the utilities turned on when you move in. The landlord can provide you with the name and telephone numbers of the gas, electric, and telephone companies that service your apartment. They may be able to schedule service over the phone, or they may require you to visit their offices. If you do not have a good credit history, they may require you to pay a security deposit. The security deposit will be refunded (with interest) after one year if your bills are paid promptly.

The gas and electric companies typically provide two payment options. The first requires you to pay the full amount due each month. The other lets you pay an estimated budget amount each month, with any difference being reconciled at the end of the year. Some people find this more convenient, since gas and electricity bills can otherwise vary considerably during the summer and winter months.

Most utilities have programs which allow you to have the monthly bill automatically deducted from your bank account. You still receive a copy of the bill, but save the cost of a stamp to mail in the payment.

US Monetary System

The US Monetary System is a decimal system, with one dollar equal to one hundred cents. One dollar is written as $1 or $1.00. One cent is written as 1¢. One dollar and twenty-five cents would be written as $1.25. Dollar amounts are written with a comma every three digits, so one thousand dollars would be written as $1,000.00. Paper currency is used for amounts of $1 or more, and coins are used for amounts under $1. The most common coins and their dollar equivalencies are as follows:

Paper currency is most often circulated in the following denominations: $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. Occasionally you will encounter a $2 bill. The denomination of all currency is clearly marked on the bottom of both sides of the bill, and on all four corners. Some stores will not accept bills larger than a $20

Checking Account

You will need a checking account to pay bills, such as rent and utilities. It is not safe to send cash through the mail. It also is not safe to carry large amounts of cash on your person, so you should pay for most of your purchases using a check or credit card

To open a checking account, visit a bank and ask to open a checking account. You will need to deposit money into the account when you open it. You can deposit cash or traveler’s checks, or arrange for a wire transfer from your home bank (cost around $35). American Express also offers a variety of services that make it easy to withdraw money from your checking account back home. Additional deposits and withdrawals may be made at any time

The bank will ask you for your Social Security Number. If you are exempt from this requirement, fill out an IRS Form W-8, which you can obtain from the bank

If there insufficient funds in your account to cover the check, the check will “bounce” and your account will be overdrawn. This means that the bank will refuse to honor the check and will return it to the depositor. In addition, the bank will charge you a bounced check fee of $15 to $35, so it is important to make sure you always have sufficient funds in your account to cover any outstanding checks

If you want your bank to honor checks even when your account is overdrawn, you must ask for overdraft protection. There is an extra fee for this service, and the amount your account is overdrawn up to a limit is treated like a short-term loan. (You pay interest on the balance due.)

When writing a check, the amount of the check is written twice, once using numerals and once using words. If you were writing a check for $23.35, you would write the words as “Twenty-three and 35/100 dollars”, where the word “and” separates the dollar amount from the cents. You would write $23.00 as “Twenty-three and NO/100 dollars”. Draw a horizontal line through any leftover space, to prevent someone from adding extra digits to the amount

At the end of the month the bank will mail you a statement showing all deposits and withdrawals from your account, as well as the current balance of the account. They will also return to you any cancelled checks. Cancelled checks are checks you wrote that have been processed. They are stamped (cancelled) to indicate that the money has been withdrawn from your account. Cancelled checks should be saved, since they provide proof of payment. This is especially important when you need a receipt of payment, such as for the security deposit on your apartment. You should reconcile the statement against your checkbook to make sure there are no errors

Most banks offer a variety of checking accounts. Some banks will offer a “free” checking account with no monthly service charges if a minimum balance is maintained in the account. Typically the minimum balance is $1,000, although some banks require as little as $500 and some banks as much as $2,500. If your visa allows you to work and you receive a regular paycheck, you may be able to avoid the monthly service charges by having your paycheck direct deposited into the account. Also, certain checking accounts will pay interest if a minimum amount of money is kept in the account. Such accounts are known as “Checking with Interest” or “NOW Accounts”. But the interest rate on these accounts is very low compared with other investments, so you are better off putting your savings elsewhere

When you deposit checks into your account, there is a waiting period of a few days before you can withdraw the money. The length of the waiting period depends on the bank upon which the check is drawn. Local banks will have a shorter waiting period than out-of-town banks. This delay is to protect the bank in case the check bounces

Most checking accounts will include a debit card you can use to withdraw money from your account at any ATM, 24-hours a day. This lets you make deposits, withdrawals, and other transactions at any time, even when the bank is closed. ATM’s are very convenient because they are located throughout the city near shopping areas and sometimes even inside grocery stores. Most people do not carry a lot of cash, because they can get cash from an ATM when they need it. ATM’s limit the amount of your daily withdrawals to a maximum of $300, as a safety measure

If your ATM card is ever stolen, notify the bank immediately. Your liability for a stolen or lost card is limited to $50 if you report the loss promptly

Be careful in selecting an ATM to use, because the bank that owns the ATM can charge a fee in addition to any fees your own bank may charge for ATM withdrawals. So it is best to use your ATM card to withdraw money only from ATM’s owned by your bank. Although you can make withdrawals from almost any ATM, deposits should be made only at your bank’s ATM’s

Some banks offer a debit card that combines the features of an ATM card with a credit card. You can use it like a regular Visa card, except the charges are directly debited from your checking account. This is in contrast to regular credit cards, which provide a grace period of 20 to 25 days for you to pay the bill before interest is charged. On the other hand, it helps avoid the temptation to carry a balance on the card. If you don’t already have a credit card, it is worthwhile because international students sometimes find it difficult to qualify for a credit card after arriving in the US

In recent years, utility companies have started offering direct debit services, where they deduct the monthly bill directly from your checking account. There is no charge for this service, and it saves you the cost of a postage stamp. It is recommended that you sign up for the direct bill payment services offered by the utility companies

All of your bank accounts are insured against loss up to $1,00,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The FDIC is a federal agency that protects you against losses caused by bank failure

Most students choose the bank that is most convenient for them. This may be the bank with a branch closest to their home, a bank located adjacent to the grocery store, or a bank near school. Another consideration is the fees charged by the bank (especially for ATM card usage) and the minimum balance required for waiving the monthly service charge

Bank lobby hours typically run from 09:00 a.m. to 04:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some banks open as early as 08:00 a.m. or as late as 10:00 a.m. Some banks are open on Saturdays. Very few banks are open on Sunday. Most banks are closed during national holidays

Credit Cards

If you pay for purchases at retail stores using a check, they will want to see some form of identification, such as a driver’s license or a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express). A passport can also serve as a photo identification, but it is not wise to advertise that you are an international visitor. Also, checks are only accepted if they are drawn on an in-state bank, so you cannot use them if you travel out of state

Credit cards are such an ingrained part of the American way of life that you will have trouble making certain purchases with anything other than a credit card. If you want to place an order by phone, cash a check, rent a car, or buy airline tickets, you need to have a credit card

So it is better to use a credit card to pay for purchases. But you must take care to pay off your balance in full at the end of the month. Otherwise you will incur interest on the balance. This can considerably increase the balance due

Many international students find it difficult to get a credit card in the US, because they do not have an established credit history. So if you already have a major credit card such as a MasterCard, Visa or American Express, it is a good idea to bring it with you. American banks can check your credit limit on the foreign card, and this may make them more likely to issue you a credit card. Also, if you opened a checking or savings account with a bank that offers credit cards, it may be easier to get a credit card from that bank since you have money on deposit with them

The Bank Rate Monitor and CardTrak web sites also provide information about the least expensive credit cards

The major credit cards in the US are Visa, MasterCard,and American Express, Visa and MasterCard are offered by many banks and financial institutions. American Express is offered by only one financial institution, but are accepted by many businesses

Traveler’s Check

Traveler’s Checks are one of the safest ways to transport money. If the traveler’s checks are lost or stolen, you can easily get them replaced. Do not countersign the checks until you are ready to use them

If you bring traveler’s checks with you to the US, you should bring traveler’s checks that are denominated in US funds. Most businesses will accept US-denominated traveler’s checks. Taxi drivers and bus drivers will not accept traveler’s checks, so you should bring some US currency with you as well

Within the US, you can purchase traveler’s checks from many travel agencies, banks, Thomas Cook, and American Express offices for face value plus a 1% commission. The American Automobile Association (AAA) sells them to members without charging a commission

Aside from the AAA, the three largest sources of traveler’s checks are American Express (1-800-221-7282), Citicorp (1-800-645-6556) and Thomas Cook (1-800-223-9920)

Exchange Rates

Some banks will exchange foreign currency for a fee but no bank, however, will exchange foreign coinage. You can also exchange currency at the airport or at a major hotel. You can also exchange currency through Thomas Cook Foreign Exchange. Call 1-800-287-7362 for the closest location.

Exchange rates are usually printed on the financial pages of the local newspaper. You can also get daily exchange rates from several web sites.

Universal Currency Converter from Xenon Laboratories

It is a good idea to read the advertising circulars that accompany the Sunday newspaper carefully, to familiarize yourself with current prices on a variety of products. This will help you learn to think in dollars, and to distinguish a bargain from a rip-off. It is also helpful to measure the cost of items relative to a common expense, such as the cost of a candy bar or can of Coca Cola. You can use this to get a close feel for the cost of an item. For example, a $5 lunch is inexpensive and a $20 lunch is expensive

International students sometimes run into trouble because of fluctuations in the exchange rate. If your home country’s currency is decreasing in value, it is strongly recommended that you conduct all transactions in the currency of the country in which you will be studying. For example, try to get loans issued in the foreign currency. Otherwise, if the value of your country’s currency drops, you could find that you have much less money than you expected.