TRAVEL NURSE HOUSING: 5 TIPS TO FIND HOUSING ON YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT

May 2, 2017 | posted by Axis Staffing

So you’ve secured a travel nursing placement, but now comes the real challenge: where will you live and how will you secure your housing? Although finding a place to live may seem daunting, we want to arm you with all the necessary information to find the housing situation that works best for you. The good news is you’ve got options. We’ve put together our top 5 tips to help you find the best housing for your budget and lifestyle in the hopes that you’ll feel prepared and confident when you start your next nursing assignment.

Know Your Options

When you work with us, we offer two great housing options. The key is understanding both options so you can make the choice that best fits you.

Option 1: Paid housing provided by Axis

If you choose this option, we will locate and secure housing for you, based on criteria you provide to us. All you need to do is show up and everything will be ready and waiting for you. Easy enough.

Option 2: Housing stipend for a living situation of your choice

For those who qualify and want more freedom in choosing their living situation, you can opt to take a housing stipend and find somewhere to live on your own. There are many perks that come with finding your own housing, and we’re happy to discuss what’s important to you and determine if the stipend is the best route to purse.

Weigh the Benefits

When figuring out what kind of housing you will choose, it’s very important to weigh the benefits. This means not only weighing the benefits of provided housing vs. a housing stipend, but also weighing the benefits of different types of housing if you do opt to find housing on your own.

Benefits of choosing provided housing: You don’t have to search for housing in an unfamiliar city, all the guesswork is eliminated because we assign your new digs, and your accommodations will be fully furnished when you move in.

Benefits of choosing a housing stipend: You have the freedom to choose your neighborhood and style of housing, and the flexibility to find the perfect housing arrangement that meets all of your requirements for your next gig.

Additionally, it’s important to do your research and decide what type of housing you want. You might choose to live in a hotel for an extended stay, rent an apartment, sublet a room, or stay in an Airbnb, but make sure you’re asking all the important questions. Are the accommodations fully furnished? Does it have facilities for laundry and cooking? What are your transportation options? How safe is the neighborhood?

Looking for your next travel assignment? Search our gigs here.

Know Where to Look

There are a ton of helpful websites to find housing, but it can be a little overwhelming to jump around from site to site. A great option is to use Padmapper. Padmapper is an extremely useful housing resource because it collects information from all the top housing websites including Craigslist and Airbnb, among others, and provides all the information for you right on one page. As an added support, it can be helpful to search Extended Stay, Kayak, VRBO, and Gypsy Housing depending on the city of your stay.

Beware of Scams and Be Prepared

It’s important to approach your housing from an informed position. It is very common for housing listings to end up being major scams, especially on Craigslist. We’ve seen and heard about everything from scammers asking for wire transfers and money orders to people listing fake properties or properties with inaccurate descriptions. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. And you should never ever send money to anyone until you’ve seen and researched a property thoroughly.

We also can’t emphasize enough the importance of looking into your upfront costs. Some property owners and advertisers may not list things like security deposits, pet deposits, fees for credit checks and other costs. It is crucial that you ask for any and all upfront costs so you know exactly what your housing option will cost you upon arrival.

Read the Fine Print

If you remember anything from this list of tips, remember this: we truly encourage every nurse to read his or her contract very thoroughly. It is very beneficial for you to know if your new assignment has a cancellation clause of any kind so that you can plan accordingly. For example, there are many contracts that can be cancelled or terminated without much notice. You don’t want to be stuck with a housing lease if you’ve lost your assignment. In this case, you might consider doing an extended stay in a hotel or in an apartment or professional housing complex that allows you to pay week-to-week.

In the long run, it might be a bit more expensive than a monthly lease, but the risk is considerably lower if your contract happens to get cancelled. Just remember, even if you choose a housing stipend, we’re to help you secure the best housing option for your situation. Be sure to be prepared, ask important questions to housing providers, and always make decisions from an informed place. Happy hunting!

Need help finding housing or want to talk about available assignments? Then hit us up! We’d love to chat!

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Axis Staffing

At Axis, sometimes it's easier to describe ourselves as what we're not.

We're not your average corporate "big box" staffing company. We're not sleazy business people in bad suits pushing around resumes, lying or overselling positions. We're not a tiny, inexperienced company either, we have the same amount of nationwide travel nursing jobs as those giant, corporate staffing companies. We've been placing top talent in adventurous careers since 2004 and we can prove we're different from the rest.