Parents

The Neighborhood Housing Office understands that finding quality housing for your student may appear to be overwhelming, especially if you do not live close to Milwaukee.

We are here to assure you, however, that finding housing and roommates can be simplified if you follow some basic steps.

Step 1: Empower your student! As your student is about to enter college, it is important to teach them how to take care of things by him/herself. Encouraging your students to contact our office and take responsibility for finding off-campus housing and roommates will pay huge dividends for their off-campus living success.

Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the Milwaukee rental market, average rent, city ordinances, neighborhoods, safety, and NHO policies.

Step 3: Understand Housing Search Basics.

Step 4: Understand Roommate Search Basics.

Step 5: Contact the Neighborhood Housing Office with questions or concerns.

 

If you are coming to campus in search of neighborhood housing, we recommend you do the following BEFORE you arrive in Milwaukee:

1. Talk with your student and determine his/her roommate situation. We recommend lining up roommates before signing into a lease. If your student is in need of a roommate, click here.

2. Browse through the NHO online listings and take notes.

3. Schedule rental unit appointments for the days you will be in Milwaukee. Please note: Landlords may request up to 24 hours notice before being able to show you a rental unit. This is why it is critical to plan ahead! When scheduling appointments, make sure to leave some open time in your day to make some last minute appointments with units you will drive by.

4. Have your student call our office with questions or concerns.

After the rental unit appointment/showings, you will want to have your student:

1. Contact the Neighborhood Housing Office to see what type of landlord and/or property management company feedback information may be on file.

2. Look up each rental unit on the Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) website. Look specifically for violation data. This is key to finding quality housing.

3. If your student intends to live with more than 3 unrelated people. Call our office to verify the landlord has a rooming house license.

4. Have your student set up an appointment with the University Legal Clinic (ULC) to review the lease ( FREE ) before it is signed.

Keep in mind...

  • As the parent, you may be asked to co-sign the rental lease. Know all parties involved before making the commitment to pay.
  • Renter's insurance is highly recommended for your student's belongings. If you have homeowners's insurance, please check with your provider. Some providers consider rental living as "temporary housing" and thus, your student's housing would be insured.