We recently distributed a survey among the graduate students on the NIH campus and asked for their suggestions about finding an agreeable housing arrangement near the NIH. Here are some of their suggestions:

• Set aside ample time to search for housing.
  • The 60 days rule. Most apartment complexes in the area require tenants who move out to give 60 days notice. This means that the ideal time for you to ask about vacancies is about 60 days prior to when you want to move in. If you call before that, the management will tell you they can't predict when apartments will become available. If you call too much later, you run the risk of finding that the anticipated vacancies have already been filled.
  • Waiting lists. Some apartments have them, some don't. Of course, if there is a waiting list, the sooner you get on it the better.
  • Shop around. You could pay as much as $2000 in rent or as little as $400, depending on where you choose to live (and how lucky you are). Spending the extra time to check out all your options could save you a lot of money.
  • Do long-distance apartment shopping using the Internet. On the GSC's Housing listings and resources web page are some Internet apartment search engines. I would suggest using Internet resources to compile a short list, more than 60 days before you plan to move, of apartments that look attractive. Then, about 60 prior to moving, visit those places on the list to check them out and ask about availability.
  
  
  • Consider a "temporary" housing arrangement for the first few months. It is much easier to look for housing when you are already in the area. If it is possible for you to arrange to be in the area for a few months while you look, it will make your search easier.


• Look for the "non-commercial" rental properties. Many people in the Bethesda area rent rooms or apartments in their homes to NIH students and fellows. The NIH Recreation and Welfare Association maintains a listing of "room for rent" or "roommate wanted" advertisements can be posted to the NIH community (http://www.recgov.org/housing/housing.html). Such accommodations are almost always at better prices than you would find from a commercial apartment complex. In addition to the R&W website, other places to look for "room for rent" postings include:
  • Campus bulletin boards (ask around about these-the main one is by the B1 level cafeteria in bldg 10, but there are many others)
  • Other students and lab mates-the best deals are usually spread by word of mouth


• Look for the "non-advertised" housing complexes. On just about any street corner or supermarket you can pick up one or more apartment guides. These can be a good resource, but you should realize that there are some apartment complexes in the area that do not advertise in these publications. Often the apartment complexes that offer the best value never need to advertise-the rents are so low or the location so good that the only advertising they need is by word of mouth. So how do you find out about these places?
  1. The apartment search engine http://gis.co.mo.md.us/dhca of the Montgomery County HCA website http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Content/DHCA/index.asp. This is the best resource I know of and the one site I wish I had known about when I was looking for housing. This is a county registry of all commercial rental properties-no one pays to advertise here (in fact most places I have spoken with have no idea this site exists), so the information is straight forward and objective. It should also be exhaustive, in that every commercial apartment complex in the County will be listed. The only disadvantage: last I checked, it had not been updated since April of 2000. Still, although the listed prices may no longer be accurate, it is extremely useful for comparing relative prices, locations, and amenities.
  2. Ask around. Tap in to the experience of those who are already here; ask them how they found a place to live. The more you ask, the more you are likely to learn.


• Don't forget to factor in transportation. The DC metro area has great public transportation options. Through the Transhare program, NIH offers free transportation vouchers (metro trans-share program) to students, fellows, and employees who wish to use public transportation to get to campus. In addition, there are free shuttles to other NIH locations and facilities. You can save yourself a lot of commuting time if you choose an apartment that is near public transportation. Information about DC area public transportation can be found at:
  • http://www.dpwt.com/TransSvcDiv/fares2.htm#transit. Price and route information for Montgomery County RideON busses. Take particular note of the FREE express busses to more distant parts of the county. The following Ride On Routes are FREE: 28 and 92 and the fares on routes 93 and 96 are $0.25.
  • http://www.mtamaryland.com/. Maryland Transit Administration
  • http://www.dpwt.com/TransSvcDiv/anywhere.htm. Links for transportation in Mont. County.
  • http://www.wmata.com/. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Administers metro busses and Metrorail (subway).
  • http://rideguide.wmata.com/. The ride-guide. This very useful section of the WMATA website will tell you how to use public transportation to get to anywhere in the DC area.


• Consider buying vs. renting. With rents in this area so high, you may find that you could buy a decent condominium or small town home and still have a lower monthly mortgage payment than what you would pay each month in rent. If you are planning to be here for more than a couple years, this might be an option you should consider. There are several county, state, and federal programs to help first-time homebuyers. Links to information on these can be found on the GSC's Housing listings and resources web page. In addition, the NIH R&W housing website (http://www.recgov.org/r&w/r&w.html --see next paragraph) recommends some realtors.



• Don't use the word "student" when applying at an apartment complex. According to the Montgomery County Housing Commission (http://www.hocmc.org/), it is illegal for property management companies to discriminate against students, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. I recommend using the term "trainee", or telling them you are doing a "research training fellowship". Both of these statements are true, and they more accurately portray to the potential landlord that you have a stable income.



• Get an award letter (proof of income) that accounts for all applicable benefits, such as health insurance, etc.
  • Many apartment complexes subscribe to the 30% rule-they will not rent to you unless you can show that your rent payment will be less than 30% of your total income. If you include all benefits in your proof of income, you will increase the number of apartments for which you may qualify.

We hope that all this information will be useful to you and that you are able to find a good housing deal for your stay at NIH. In addition to the suggestions made here, several of the current graduate students at the NIH have expressed a willingness to give more personal advice about specific areas of town or housing options with which they have experience. To protect against too much spam, we will make sure that the NIH GPP (see link above) office has a list of these students and their email addresses for you to contact. Good luck!

--GSC Housing Committee