North Texas Daily

With the fall semester beginning in a few days, many students may be left in a crunch while trying to find a last-minute housing option.

While UNT does offer assistance for its off-campus housing page, there are other places students can turn to when trying to find a last minute home.

“Social media can be your best friend when it comes to [an] emergency situation like this,” business senior Ana Garcia said. “It’s quick, and people are always on it. There’s this one Facebook page that one of my neighbors used when they were trying to find someone to take over their lease.”

Of the many Facebook pages to turn to, Denton Rooms for Rent is a common go-to. The group has more than 2,500 members and has multiple moderators. 

“People are posting on there at all times of the day, and everyone is really desperate, honestly,” Garcia said. “That whole ‘poor, struggling college student’ stereotype plays out on that page.”

The page typically consists of people, mainly students, trying to get their leases taken over, with the occasional person making a post to seek out a housing opportunity. There are a large number of places to choose from.

“We all need help sometimes, and there are always people there that can be of some kind of assistance,” Garcia said. “Whether it be by actually taking over a lease or maybe referring someone to another apartment.”

When it comes to looking for someone to take over a lease, human development sophomore Emely Guevara believes persistence is key.

“Never place an ad about your apartment on sites like Craigslist,” Guevara said. “It’s such a dangerous site full of people with bad intentions.”

To try to find someone to take over her lease, Guevara said she utilized social media, messaged multiple people and posted flyers on campus.

“[It was] really hard to find someone, and I don’t think it’s fair on the apartment to put all the pressure on us since they are the ones who get people coming in daily looking for apartments,” Guevara said. “I would advise people to [post their lease] earlier since most of the people I messaged already found a place.”

Though she had success using her methods, other students have a different way of handling these situations.

“I would say, one: Be proactive rather than reactive, and get your housing early,” psychology junior Alex Dickson said. “Two: With what’s going to be left, you’re going to want to jump on, so you’re going to have to put a lot of your wants below your needs.”

When time is limited, Dickson said students don’t have time to be too picky.

“You’re just going to have to choose from what’s out there because [the housing] will be gone and you’ll have to live in your car,” Dickson said.

If she were searching last minute, Dickson recommends checking crime rates of potential neighborhoods and learning bus routes of student living areas.

“I would first look at student housing because at this point, they’re trying to cover the rooms if they have any left,” Dickson said. “Next, I would go out as far as your radius will let you — usually 15 to 20 miles from campus — and start there because those are going to be the places that have any availability.”

Featured Image: As the fall semester is about to begin, some students may experience last-minute options for housing. Some of the best ways to find a home is to look online, ask around or look on UNT’s Off-Campus Housing website for assistance. Dimmagio Escobedo