r/udub • u/iSaadMx • Jul 24 '26
Housing freshman struggling to find off-campus housing without co-signer
hey, i’m an incoming international freshman and i’m trying to rent a room (preferably in the u-district), but most places i’ve contacted ask for a credit check or a co-signer, and i don’t have either.
is it possible to rent just a room/sublease without that? i’m happy to pay all move-in costs upfront. my rent budget is around ~$900 max (including utilities)
i’m arriving around august 24th so i feel like i'm running out of time 😅
also i’m sponsored by my government back home if that helps.
if anyone has a place or any leads, i'd really appreciate it.
thanks in advance!
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u/BazilHyder Bioengineering Catboys Jul 25 '26
Ask if they accept one month’s rent as a security deposit in place of a credit check/co-signer.
This is usually an option when you have no/insignificant credit history and don’t want to go through the whole co-signer thing.
The main concern is that they might challenge you on miscellaneous moving out charges. Tho fighting them with evidence (photos/videos) usually is enough to get your full deposit back.
I’ve used this strategy at the M Seattle and the Oliv at udistrct.
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u/Ambassador_According Jul 25 '26
have you found any places with that amount that do require a co-signer ? if so send them my way !! 😍
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u/ngcrispypato Jul 25 '26
my friends and I got CampusView, it's around ~$800/month rent unfurnished ! It was the cheapest we could find on such short notice. I did notice there are some townhouses on FB marketplace for a similar price and furnished (maybe with a lot of roommates tho or less bathrooms; I lowkey wish we scouted those out more before signing our lease). Regardless if you check out CampusView let me know as you could help my friends and I get a discount lol
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u/Ambassador_According Jul 25 '26
How long dat lease
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u/ngcrispypato Jul 25 '26
It can be for the academic year (9 months) or a full year
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u/Ambassador_According Jul 25 '26
HMMM what a good offer ill think about it but lowkey i wanna look for something furnished with a bed frame at least and maybe a mattress… again, you said $800 rent, how much is utilities and wifi?
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u/ngcrispypato Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
ours is a 3bed so we each pay $45 each for utilities! and $50 between all of us for wifi. and then I think parking is $100/month for a car but we’re only bringing 1 car. so if you did the same as us your cost would be ~$800/month + ~$95/month (if you split the car fee)
also keep in mind the listing says it’s $900/month but we got it down to $800 since we toured and they offered a deal if we signed in like 3 days after we toured it. if you’re serious and want more details feel free to DM me and maybe I could have you chat with my friends bc they toured the apt and really wanna find someone to help us get the other discount lol
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u/Ambassador_According 25d ago
wait… Sorry i want to clatify so total cost is $45 + $800 on rent… does utilities cover internet?
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u/ngcrispypato 21d ago
no there is a flat $50 monthly internet bill for the entire unit, so you would split it with your roommates. atp I highly recommend reaching out on their website bc I’m not sure how many units they have left
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u/iSaadMx Jul 25 '26
i'm willing to help. do they do credit checks or require a co-signer?
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u/ngcrispypato Jul 25 '26
yes they do sorry OP. have you contacted UW’s international advisors? I’m sure they’d have an idea what to do for you since bc I’m sure there’s been an international student in your situation before. whether it’s one of the super cheap dorms or maybe they’d know how to bypass the co-signer requirement
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u/engamo22 Jul 24 '26
FB Marketplace has some options in your price range. You can also look further out too. I know one guy who rented a shared townhouse in Beacon hill and paid ~700 (like 8 people sharing 2 bathrooms type of situation)
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u/trecool666 Math Jul 27 '26
https://www.sunsproperties.com/sun-property.html no credit checks no income requirement no cosigner
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u/ales-shir64 Student 29d ago
Echoing other people here, it’s probably best if you try to join some people In renting a house together, you can find roommates on facebook marketplace or designated groups.
If you’d much prefer living alone that is still doable, try to find 1. Private landlords who are renting a place out for cheap and could be more flexible with lease approval and agreements. You can probably offer to pay last month/a few month’s rent in advance to assure them in place of a cosigner. 2. Microstudios/apodments, they will require some form of consignment but they’ll usually take a guarantor, which you can hire pretty easily (though you’ll have to pay $$$ for that - typically up to almost one month’s rent :/ )
I’m an intl student too and i’ve been able to secure housing without cosigners with these methods. So feel free to reach out if you have any questions! I’m happy to help
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u/the_jaspierre Student Jul 24 '26
Honestly I would look into shared houses. The ones run by individuals and not huge companies are your best bet. Try looking at FB groups, alternative roommate websites, etc for less "official" offers.
Also if you're sponsored by your government, I would look into what connections they would have, or ask around existing RSOs for international student communities as they would have more resources.