How to Find Short-Term Housing

Sep 4

Housing is often one of the first and most obvious concerns that comes up when someone begins to consider travel therapy. The good news for you is that there’s really a very simple way to break it down.

However, even though there’s a simple way to break it down, there is a lot of options for housing. Though it is generally a positive thing to have options, it might be overwhelming for some people. When there are too many options, I generally begin to fret over knowing how to pick the best one. Hopefully this article can help!

FIRST, DECIDE IF SAVING MONEY OR CONVENIENCE IS YOUR PRIORITY.

As a traveler, you can either use company housing or find housing on your own. As a general rule of thumb, finding housing on your own is going to be cheaper. While I cannot say this is ALWAYS the case, I can say it is MOST OFTEN the case.

So, what happens when you use company housing? If you ask your reruiting company to find housing, they will deduct your whole housing stipend from your take home pay and use this amount to take care of all of your housing needs. You can refer back to our article or video, “What’s in a Travel Therapy Pay Package”, to get familiar with the components of travel therapy pay.

FOR REFERENCE, CURRENTLY MY HOUSING STIPEND IS 30% OF MY PAYCHECK. IF I CHOSE TO USE COMPANY HOUSING, THAT FULL 30% WOULD BE GONE EACH MONTH. AS AN EXAMPLE, IF YOU MAKE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE WEEKLY PAY AS A TRAVEL PHYSICAL THERAPIST ACCORDING TO ZIPRECRUITER ($1,800), YOU WILL BE MISSING OUT ON $2,160 MONTHLY FOR HOUSING.

When they choose your housing, you don’t have much of a say as to where you live or what you live in. However, you can generally be sure that it will be safe and reasonably comfortable. There are a few nice things about having your housing taken care of through your recruiting company. First, you don’t have to hassle over housing before being comfortable signing onto a contract. You don’t have to put down a security deposit. If your contract is terminated early, you don’t have to pay early termination fees or penalties. You don’t have to set up or cancel utilities. You don’t have to worry about toting around furnishings for your next living space.

Before assuming all of these positives however, I would make sure to confirm with your recruiting company that they do indeed take care of all of these things. Additionally, you could ask about which services are included in utilities (water, trash, gas, electric, internet, tv). You should also clarify which furnishings will be included (big furniture items, kitchen appliances, cookware, tv, linens, etc). It’s also good to ask about laundry. Will you have to pay extra for launry at a mat or will you have your own washer and dryer?

After checking all of those things, it really is that simple if you choose to use your company housing option. All you have to worry about is getting to the job.

IF YOU DECIDE TO SAVE MONEY, MAKE SURE YOU USE THIS CHECKLIST TO FIND THE BEST OPTION FOR YOU.

So, if you’re still reading, you’re interested in saving money and trying to decide if the hassle of finding your own housing is worth it. Let me give you a few simple steps so you can make sure you have your bases covered before securing a place to live on your own.

THE FIRST THING I LIKE TO DO, ALWAYS, IS CHECK MY PROSPECTIVE AREA FOR SAFETY.

For me, this step actually starts as soon as I know the location of the potential job. Not only do I not want to live in a dangerous place but I also don’t want to work in a dangerous place. I primarily use https://www.bestplaces.net to learn more about a city. I love this website because they offer data on different types of crime in the city compared to the national average. They list things like median income, unemployment rate, weather, and people who have lived there can even leave reviews of their experience. Another helpful tool is google maps satellite and street view. Sometimes seeing a house or work location and its surrounding structures helps give you a vibe of what the area is like!

ONCE YOU DETERMINE SAFETY, SECURE AN INTERVIEW AND ASK ABOUT HOUSING THEN.

During the interview is a great time to bring up the topic of housing. You’d be surprised how welcoming and helpful people can be! This is how we found housing at our first contract. As you might know, Ryan and I live in an RV. We mentioned this to the site manager, and he connected us with a coworker who had hookups in her driveway. It has worked out perfectly! So, what should you ask? If this facility previously had a traveler, you can ask about their housing arrangements. You can ask if the facility owns a rental property that you can use. You can even ask if there are coworkers who rent out rooms to travelers. At the very least, it’s helpful to get a local’s opinion on the best areas to rent in town.

ONCE THE INTERVIEW IS OVER, START LOOKING AROUND FOR HOUSING. BUT DON’T SECURE HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE SECURED THE JOB.

If you didn’t secure a lead for housing during the interview, there are many different options for housing online. The type you look for will depend on your situation. If you are traveling alone and want to save as much money as possible, you may look at just renting a room. Maybe you like a little more personal space and would like a whole unit to yourself. Maybe you are traveling with a spouse and kids and need a much larger space. Whatever your situation, there’s a way to find something that will work for you! Many websites offer filters to allow you to tailor your search to your specific criteria. One of the first criteria I would start with is monthly budget if I am wanting to ensure that I save money by finding housing on my own. If your company has already told you what your housing stipend would be per month, just make sure you are below that number. If you only know the general take-home pay, start with a housing budget that is <30% of your monthly pay. Housing stipends change from contract to contract based on gsa.gov cost-of-living estimations, however 30% is my experience and a good starting point if you’re just looking for a rough estimate.

There are many websites to use to help you in your housing search. Most people know about Airbnb and vrbo. A couple websites that are built purposefully for traveling health professions are Furnished Finder and Travel Nurse Housing. You can also look on Corporate Housing by Owner. The reason these sites can be a bit more helpful brings me to my next item on the checklist.

WHATEVER HOUSING CONTRACT YOU AGREE TO, MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND THE UNIQUE CONDITIONS OF A TRAVELING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL.

As a traveler, your contract can get extended and cut short. This should affect how we negotiate our housing contracts. It is important that the person renting understands that you may have to end the housing contract early. Ideally, you will want to negotiate month to month or week to week renting terms. You could also discuss and clarify the cancellation policy with the person renting to ensure you will have fair terms if cancellation should happen. Consider if there is a security deposit and if they will reimburse it if you shorten your housing contract. Make sure you sign a formal lease with the terms that you have agreed upon.

Oftentimes, the websites built specifically for travelers already know the unique situation of travelers and have arranged their contracts with that in mind. This cuts out some negotiations and potentially uncomfortable conversations with people who are less familiar with travelers. Another thing that these websites may offer is housing with utilities included, or already set up. This eliminates a HUGE hassle and is worth looking into no matter where you end up staying.

LASTLY, CARRY RENTER’S INSURANCE.

This is a normal thing to carry if you are a renter – it’s just a little more cumbersome because of the frequent changes in address. Still, it is nice to know that you have your belongings insured should something happen.

That’s it! Those are the main steps I would take to ensure I end up in a good housing situation. Not too bad right?

After all of that, if you are still looking for some additional ways to find housing… read on!

ADDITIONAL UNIQUE WAYS TO FIND HOUSING

If you have done all of the above steps, but you just don’t like your housing options on the websites listed, here are a few more options for you to look into. Some travelers join Facebook groups built to help travelers find housing. A few to look into are Travel Nurse Housing – The Gypsy Nurse, Travel Nursing: Places/Rooms For Rent, Traveler Talk | Travel Nursing & Healthcare Traveler Community, and Travel Therapy Therapists.

You can also call local churches and see if they have any members that would like to rent out a room. Hotels and extended stays are always an option, but they are usually more expensive and can become claustrophobic after some time. Local realtors can also be a good resource for rentals that aren’t visible on public sites. Your travel company may know of other travelers in the area you could room with. Lastly, you can look into the RV lifestyle! Even if you aren’t ready to commit to buying your own to live in full time, sometimes campgrounds have rvs or cabins for rent!

I hope this article gave you some good direction and ideas for your housing situation. Let me know in the comments what ended up working for you or share your tips for others to benefit from down below!

Let us know below! 👇

- Written by Dr. Megan M. O’Rear, PT, DPT