Housing

Finding housing can be difficult, especially if you have to select your first place before you move. Check out the resources below to look for listings!

The Graduate Student Guide contains useful information concerning transportation and housing. Once you have a UC Davis email address, you will be placed on the student listservs and you are welcome to send an email message to biosci-ggg-stu@ucdavis.edu (all of the graduate students in our graduate group) if you are interested in finding a roommate/house-mate within the program.

Housing in Davis fills up very quickly, so it is important to start looking as soon as you can. As a friendly reminder: many rentals require the first and last month’s rent and/or a security deposit when you sign your lease. Information to obtain California Residency can be found here. It takes one year to obtain California residency so it is important to start this process soon after arriving in the Davis area.

Pros of living in and outside of Davis

LIVING IN DAVIS

makes it convenient to get to/from campus (if you're a student or work on campus)
helps save money on transportation, e.g. gas, parking, vehicle wear
can be safer than commuting after a late night
lots of fun things to do & social opportunities with like-minded people
no need to worry about arriving early to find parking on campus
makes getting together with friends more convenient
gives you the protection of the Davis Model Lease, used by most landlords & originally drafted by the UC Davis Student Housing Office years ago - this annual lease runs September-September

LIVING OUTSIDE OF DAVIS

exposes you to more diverse populations
gives you more options outside a 12-month lease
additional shopping options, restaurants, and entertainment and community events
offers cheaper rents in areas like Sacramento and Woodland
usually provides abundant parking
can provide a greater diversity of neighborhood atmospheres
where available, easy to commute in and out using a bus or the Amtrak (check out the transportation page)
much greater availability leading to more choice, variety, and more competitive pricing (see the Davis Wiki)

Since housing in Davis is so heavily impacted by the university and its academic year schedule, some people start looking for housing around November/December for the following fall, and property management companies generally start releasing new listings after March, when they're reasonably able to query current tenants on future plans. Owner-managed properties and cooperative housing seem to hit the market a bit later - April through summer.

If you've decided to live in Davis, here are some helpful websites to help you get started:

Davis Moving Day is Aug 31st

Nearly every Davis Model lease in the city expires on August 31st, and it can be chaotic! According to the Davis Wiki, nearly half the student population moves on this day. Proper planning for move-in/move-out can be essential. Make sure you rent any necessary moving vehicles well in advance and plan ahead. Checking the Moving Day page for more information.

House, Rent, or Room?

House versus Apartment

Living in a house can be great because you have a nice noise buffer zone, generally more space and often an outdoor area - but you'll also have to worry about yard maintenance if it isn't included in your rent.
Apartment complexes generally offer amenities such as a pool/spa, community room, weight room, and often (but not always) include laundry facilities and/or parking.
Sometimes private homes include live-in landlords - this has its own suite of positives and negatives. Live in landlords usually have washer and dryers, include all bills in the rent so you can accurately budget, and are prompt at dealing with any maintenance issues. However, they tend to be concerned about who comes over, how much electricity is used, have tight standards about chores and maintenance, etc. because they have a vested interest in the property.

House/Apartment versus Room

Choosing to rent a room in an existing household can be a great first option as you get to know the city and meet some people you might want to live with in the future. Rooms are also often available as sublets or other short-term leases. However, you may find yourself working harder to mesh with a group with previously established relationships and ways of doing things. If things aren't going well, this can become a problem and you can potentially find yourself odd-man out. Another plus to renting a room within a house is that you'll probably only have to furnish your own room... this can be a minus if you already have a lot of furniture that you want to keep, though.

If you're considering living in a co-operative household, the interview process can be fairly in-depth. At some co-ops, you may be expected to meet all members of the household so you all have an opportunity to assess the potential fit. Other co-ops have an open membership process, where you can sign up on a first-come/first-serve basis. In any case, it is usually a good idea to attend dinner or go for a co-op tour; that way you'll learn a lot about the rules and ways of the household before moving in. Be prepared to ask lots of questions and potentially answer lots of questions about your willingness to participate in co-op living.

Short Term v. Annual Leases

Most rental units in Davis require you to sign an annual lease that runs September-September. With this type of agreement, expect your up-front costs to include first and last month's rent as well as cleaning and/or security deposits. Ask your landlord for the Davis Model Lease or the Month-to-Month Rental Agreement approved by the City / UCD Student Liaison Commission; both of these documents were drafted to protect the interests of both renter and landlord.
Some landlords/property managers may offer month-to-month leases, but these are rare. Again, expect your up-front costs to include first and last month's rent as well as cleaning and/or security deposits. These types of leases can be terminated by either party with a thirty-day notice. However, if you rent a unit for more than one year under a month-month agreement, you must then give (and be given) sixty days notice.
Alternatives to a month-to-month lease are subletting options, which are reasonably common in the City of Davis. Check out the UCD Sublease & Short-Term Housing and the UCD Last Minute Housing Facebook groups.

Organizing Your Search

Find out if you're eligible for low-income housing, utilities, cable, etc. It may take awhile to get approved, so make these calls early!
Take note before beginning of your list of requirements (upstairs v. downstairs unit, dishwasher, washer/dryer, pets, etc)
Talk to your IGG student mentor about locations and recommendations, and red-line the crappy places; keep these notes so you'll remember which places to avoid like the plague. If they have not lived in Davis, ask them to point you to someone who has!
Call each place, run down your list of requirements, note the price, availability, and attitude of the person answering the phone. Schedule appointments as you go.
Take notes - don't assume you'll remember the details of each place later.

- Adapted from the Davis Wiki Rental Housing Guide