The MIT Off-Campus Housing Service has information about hotel and motel accommodations, bed and breakfast inns, public transportation, rental furniture, and real estate agents. Realty offices maintain extensive lists of apartments and houses and, for a fee that usually equals the amount of one month's rent, will help you locate a house or apartment that matches your needs. Sharing an apartment with a roommate may help reduce expenses. The Off-Campus Housing Service maintains a list of people looking for roommates as well as people with apartments to share. These are informal gatherings that provide an opportunity for people to meet others who either have housing or are looking for roommates to share a pre-existing household.
Some people find a roommate and then look for an apartment together.
Housing costs vary widely depending on the neighborhood, the condition of the dwelling, and amenities included. We do not recommend renting a house or an apartment before you have seen it. Rent usually does not include costs for heat, electricity, hot water, gas for cooking, telephone charges, parking fees, or furniture. Most apartments are unfurnished, many do not have refrigerators, and very few are air-conditioned. Always ask the landlord or realtor to clarify what is included in the monthly rent.