According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual “Out of Reach” report, Santa Cruz County is classified as the most expensive rental market in the U.S., a title the county has maintained for the last three years.
This can be daunting for prospective and current students alike, especially with the unfamiliar jargon that comes with renting for the first time.
“Be prepared very early. It might seem like something that you can push off or something you don’t have to worry about,” said Emily Candela, a fourth-year student at UC Santa Cruz. “As soon as the housing lottery is done, you have to fight every single person that didn’t get housing for a place to live off campus, and that’s a completely different fight in and of itself.”
In an effort to combat this issue, City on a Hill Press compiled a student guide to assist with the complex housing process, both on and off campus.
On-Campus Housing and the Lottery System
The university only guarantees housing for incoming students, including both first-year and transfer students. For each subsequent year, students must apply for housing through a lottery system.
Those that take their chances with the lottery system receive randomly assigned times for room selection after their application is submitted. Students then have to log on to the housing portal to view their assigned date and time for first pass, or the first “round” of trying to secure on-campus housing. Last year, the university proposed two passes. However, due to the limited housing availability, the second pass was canceled.
“You have to go so fast,” Candela said. “You get five minutes to make a make-or-break decision for the next nine months of your life.”
If students are unable to secure housing, they can opt onto a waitlist. It is important to note that only students who have lived in on-campus housing the year prior are allowed to enter the housing lottery system. Once you move off campus, you will be added directly to the waitlist.
Navigating Off-Campus Housing and Defining Renter’s Terms
The search for housing in Santa Cruz is a competitive process. Finding housing close to campus is even harder.
“I commuted from home in Los Altos. It was a 45-minute drive each way,” said Bomi Choe, a recent UCSC alum. “One overarching thing about that experience was how tiring it was. Some days, I remember I would either wake up or get to Santa Cruz at 6:45 a.m. … At the end of the day I was exhausted because I had woken up early and was in classes all day. Sometimes I felt too tired to drive [on Highway] 17.”
It is important to know the resources available when navigating this process. UCSC Community Rentals is a website for students that provides resources such as workshops, rental applications, move-in checklists, landlord resources and housing search timelines.
They offer resources like Places4Students.com where you can search for open listings, sublets and roommates. UCSC also offers an eight-module-long Canvas Renter’s Workshop course that provides information on student responsibilities and legal rights.
Other ways students can find off campus housing include Facebook Marketplace, Zillow, Redfin, Craigslist or by word of mouth.
Regardless of whether you end up living on or off campus, it is important to understand the different steps in housing processes.
“This is part of the process where you start to come into your own, start handling financials,” Choe said. “Being in university is not just an academic experience, it’s a life experience as well. Living on your own off campus is part of that life experience and it’ll prepare you in the future.”
Without proper knowledge, students are more susceptible to being taken advantage of in the process of finding housing. Below is a quick list of common rental terms to help beginners understand the process better:
Rental application: A formal documentation of your personal information for landlords to determine your eligibility. The application requires a history of past employers, previous addresses, income status and references. Most times, there is a non-refundable application fee that is required.
Cosigner: In some cases, landlords require you to have a cosigner, which is an individual — usually a family member or friend — that will assume responsibility for any missed rent payments. As most students have not established credit, this is to ensure that someone with a good credit score will be able to pay the rent on time.
Security deposit: Typically the sum of one-to-two months’ rent — held by landlords as monetary protection for any potential damages or if the renter breaks the lease.
Lease: A legally binding contract between renters and landlords that outlines renters’ legal rights and responsibilities.
Sub-lease: A contract with a renter who decides to charter out their space to another individual for a period of time, while assuming all damages and legal responsibilities.
