Graduate student needs affordable housing near UCLA (Santa Monica, Culver City: apartment complexes, renters)

[alan_overseas]

Hi everyone! My daughter recently finished her BA degree in the UK and will be attending UCLA as a grad student starting this August and needs a place that is safe, quiet and fairly close to the UCLA campus. We've had a very difficult time finding suitable accommodation for her. The housing affiliates that UCLA works with offer small studio apts that are about $1600 a month and are a bit out of her price range. We've been looking at student apts at Glenrock 507 which offer shared rooms at $800 per month and there are a total of 7-8 girls in each housing unit. This sounds pretty crowded and noisy and the Glenrock Regency got some pretty horrible reviews on Yelp and almost everyone there said to avoid Glenrock Regency.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/glenrock-regency-los-angeles-2

I would be very grateful if anyone could recommend some trustworthy agencies which offer safe and affordable housing or other options. I've heard many of the listings on Craigslist are scams or risky. Are there any other areas that we should be looking at that aren't too far from UCLA. What is the average range of a shared bedroom or studio apt in this part of LA?

She'll initially be staying in Venice, CA during August and plans to get a US driving license, so the accommodation could be farther away if the price warrants the commute but she'd prefer to be closer to UCLA. Finally, is it common or safe for elderly people to rent out rooms to students in the Westwood area and if so, can you recommend any agencies or websites?

Thank you so much for any suggestions or ideas that you might have!

[nightlysparrow]

What is your maximum price?

[alan_overseas]

Hi, my daughter's budget is about $850 for a shared room. What's the current range for shared rooms close to UCLA? She'd rather have a place of her own but it seems nearly impossible to find a studio in the Westwood area for less than $1500. Are there any other areas close to UCLA that are safe and more affordable?

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by alan_overseas

Hi, my daughter's budget is about $850 for a shared room. What's the current range for shared rooms close to UCLA? She'd rather have a place of her own but it seems nearly impossible to find a studio in the Westwood area for less than $1500. Are there any other areas close to UCLA that are safe and more affordable?

Padmapper is a good website to look at listings. This is what $850 will get in that area:

https://www.padmapper.com/apartments...,34.1218702844


A futon mattress on the floor of a shared bedroom. She might get lucky if you keep looking but the problem is that it will be hard to rent anyplace until she is actually psychically here because places go very fast. LA is one of the hottest rental and housing markets in the country especially in the west side. Sherman Oaks, Encino or maybe Reseda are good areas to look where she might be able to find a roomate situation for $850/mo.

UCLA is in a tricky area because rents are going to be very high around there, more affordable areas that are relatively close are in less then desirable neighborhoods and more affordable places in safer areas could mean 1+ hour commutes each way to get to campus. Sherman Oaks would likely be 30 minutes by car most of the time, very safe, lots of young people, plenty to do and relatively cheap but even there I think $850 would require multiple roommates these days. And $1500 isn't going to get a studio in Westwood or anywhere decent on the westside, $1500 in those areas would still require roomates

[nightlysparrow]

You might want to try this option:

https://homestayfinder.com/searchhos...A#.WWbSXBS0A64

[pharmboyinSD]

Recommend your daughter to reach out to the grad school and get in touch with some grad students to get their input, advice, and if there are any roommate opportunities. I say this because grad schools have their own lifestyles and requirements that will need to be accommodated.

An example would be someone in the biochemistry dept may need to work long hours and be near the lab, which would limit the radius for residences. If the grad school was in journalism then the student may want to have access to affiliate intern places. There is safety in numbers, especially when they all are in the same department or program.
Hope this helps.

[_Clinical_]

Palms, Culver City, West LA

Probably could get a 2 bedroom 2 bath with a roommate for ~1100-1300 in these areas. Deals can be found. While the rental market can be tight, since she will already be in the area it should be manageable for her to find a place. She will be able to live on most UCLA stipends (that I've heard of) in this price range.

Edit: Just remembered there is a housing bulletin board through UCLA. It is mostly undergrads though, so she might not be happy with the quality of roommate. Another option is most departments have a mailing list, where roommate wanted or room needed requests are posted.

[saybanana]

Check UCLA's housing website for more information. https://housing.ucla.edu/

Also UCLA's newspaper website the Daily Bruin. dailybruin. com Usually something in the classified section.

Not sure what other places students go to to post shared rooms. Technology these days, I cant keep up.


Check out this co-op housing near UCLA's western border
UCHA Co-op - Student housing near UCLA

It is shared furnished basic housing and food, where you do several hours of work a week to keep costs down.
I had a friend stay here many years ago (15 years ago) and said it is fine. Undergrad/Graduate students, check to see if it is still openings.


Starting in August and finding housing is quite late. Students usually secure housing in late June and lease for a year and despite starting school months later, they are paying for rent despite not living there. Housing at UCLA is very expensive. I remember it being $2200 back in 2003 for a 2 bedroom. So a shared room was $550 or more per person. Now it is just blows your mind how much it costs. I would suggest she stay near campus the first year (if multiple years), rather than commute distances. The problem is that housing rental costs dont really go down too much as you go away from campus. So you trade off major traffic congestion and high parking fees just to save little by living far away. Plus you tend to have long days/nights at UCLA and long distances just add to ones day.
But if looking, try Palms which is a mostly renters area with many students from UCLA, USC, Santa Monica College living there as rent is cheaper but many do shared rooms.

Since it is August soom, try looking at AirBnB if you cant find housing right away or cheap hotels/or hostel in Santa Monica. Maybe something might come up while at the place as she is able to meet with the people who are renting, look at the area and see if it is OK. Sometimes students have issues and have to leave for a semester or a year and people will need a roommate to fill the vacancy. It is hard now because students are not at school yet.

Good luck.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by alan_overseas

Hi, my daughter's budget is about $850 for a shared room. What's the current range for shared rooms close to UCLA? She'd rather have a place of her own but it seems nearly impossible to find a studio in the Westwood area for less than $1500. Are there any other areas close to UCLA that are safe and more affordable?

This is just a thought. Their is a large British community here in LA.

In fact there is a website called "Brits in LA", there might be some links or suggestions, or maybe even someone who would be willing to rent rooms.

Just an idea.

[RosieSD]

Has your daughter looked into the UCLA housing co-op? That will probably be her best option for shared housing at a reasonable cost and their rates include some meals. You do have to contribute a certain number of hours of work in exchange, but that keeps the cost low. Here is the link:

UCHA Co-op - Student housing near UCLA

In addition to the great suggestion above to contact the department she'll be studying in, she should also get in touch with UCLA's international graduate student's office (the Dashew Center). They can offer suggestions on housing and perhaps put her in touch with other international students who are also looking. Here is the link

https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/spe...dashew-center/

Your daughter might also try some of the resources on the Santa Monica College housing website:

Housing Information

SMC also has an excellent housing website for international students that explains all of the options and things to know about renting an apartment and living in LA. They even have some information on temporary housing options international students can use while looking for apartments:

http://www.smc.edu/EnrollmentDevelop...s/Housing.aspx

Finally, I would be cautious about dismissing possible housing options based solely on internet reviews.

Let's face it: the people most likely to post reviews about their apartment complexes are those who are unhappy. What you often aren't getting are the reviews from people who are satisfied. So don't immediately dismiss options based solely on internet reviews.

In any case, your daughter's goal is to find a place to live for the first term. It doesn't have to be perfect. She can then look for another place for subsequent terms.