FAQ

Contact StudentSpace! The first and most important step is to reach out. We are accessible via phone, email, text, skype, etc. We are here to answer your questions about anything ranging from the most common topics such as budget, safety, and public transportation to student life, nearby yoga/boxing classes, or signing a lease without visiting Chicago.

Review your criteria in detail (budget, location, size unit, pets, parking, furniture, etc.) We intentionally don’t have a search function on our website. The rental marketplace is overcrowded. We specifically work with you to narrow down your options as there is so much discrepancy and inaccurate listings online. We only work with reputable landlords so you know you are getting the best of what you expect and what you pay for!

Tour. Sounds pretty straight-forward and it is. We work with your schedule so you can visit anytime to visit a bunch of your top choices that we have worked together with you to narrow down for your trip. AND, for those of you that are not able to visit prior to your move-in date, we can help you sign a lease remotely! It’s a very smooth and easy process that we help approximately 50% of students with each year.

Sign a Lease! It’s really that easy when using our service. The service doesn’t stop there. Since thousands of graduate students reach out to us each year, we are getting more and more referrals from them given our level of service. We are always here to answer any questions during and after your move-in. This can range from setting up utilities, figuring your renter’s insurance out, or just finding the best places to eat nearby.

We focus solely on graduate students, PhDs, post-docs, and anyone affiliated with graduate level education. Your school has endorsed us based on incredible and consistent feedback. We’ve been in your shoes and know the pain points of students coming to a new school and city while trying to navigate the housing market. This often means understanding public transportation, budget constraints, safety concerns, student specials and on.

As mentioned above, we intentionally don’t have a search function on our website. The rental marketplace is overcrowded. We specifically work with you to narrow down your options as there is so much discrepancy and inaccurate listings online.

Yes! We are a 100% free service with no fees. The way we earn a living is by receiving a referral fee from whatever landlord you end up at. The nice thing about the Chicago market is whether you walk off the street and rent an apartment on your own or use an expert like us that is doing this every day, your rent and the entire process is not affected at all.

It’s never too early to early to start looking. While you may not be able to sign a lease until approximately 30-60 days prior to your move-in, you can take care of the hard part months in advance. We have students looking to move in August and September that reach out to us in January. We encourage you to reach out to as you’ve been accepted or know you’re coming to Chicago.

We help students find rentals all over the Chicago-land area including Hyde Park and Evanston. While we don’t get too much demand for the suburbs, we can help you there too!

The short answer is we handle everything: studios, convertibles, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, 4BR+, single family homes, and even individual rooms. High-rises, mid-rises, 6-flats, and on. It all depends on your criteria and what you want.

While many short-term options come at a premium, we can absolutely help with this. And we know of several furnished options as well (for both short and long-term leases).

Absolutely! Most of them are pet friendly.

We used to help with roommates over 5 years ago but it became so complicated and did more harm than good. The best thing we recommend is going to your Facebook page for your class (if it exists) or talking to admissions. Every year is different. Some years many people are looking for roommates, and others, most people want to live by themselves.

What’s great for you is most of the options we recommend will have both studios and 2BRs so you can always upgrade if you find someone.

Please ! We (and the buildings) book up fast, but we can often take late requests with some advanced warning.

It’s not initially required but it’s often a good idea to bring any documents that may be useful in the approval process: Proof of income (offer letter, tax receipts, pay stubs, etc.), past rental contact phone numbers, co-signer information (if applicable), as well as a payment method (such as a personal check) to secure the apartment. And it’s no problem if you don’t have any of that when you visit!

No problem! We help hundreds each year that are not able to visit. Helping you remotely is a very easy and smooth process. We can elaborate once you reach out and please know we are involved throughout the entire process.

Start by contacting us!