Help finding housing near DU for Grad Student with a German Shepherd (Denver: apartment complexes)

[DUGradStudent]

Hi Everyone,
I am going to be moving to Denver in August to attend Grad. School at DU and I am having some trouble finding housing.

What I am looking for is a apartment/condo/townhouse/single family house for my fiance, myself and our 60 pound german shepherd. We are only staying for 2 years and then moving for my job so I do not want to purchase a property. We are willing to spend up to $1200 dollars but need a place that allows German Shepherds. We are hoping for at least 2 bedrooms and somewhere close to the light rail.

We have been using craigslist, rent . com, and various other websites but we won't be able to actually travel to the area until early next month to look at places. we have found 1150 S. Birch apartments that are run by BlueLine Properties but we aren't sure if anyone has an opinion on this place. (Blueline)

If anyone knows of apartment complexes or homes that are being rented out, I would appreciate the information!

Thanks.

[2bindenver]

Keep looking, daily, hourly. Most landlords or property managers will post rentals 2-4 weeks prior, or you can post on CL in situations wanted.

[FentonForche]

First off, congratulations on going to DU. It's the greatest school in the history of western civilization. And yes, I'm an alum.

Here's basically the way the surrounding neighborhoods sketch out: east of DU is Observatory Park. Rentals there are rare and if you find them they're going to be prohibitively expensive. You MIGHT be able to find something NE of campus (i.e. north of Buchtel Blvd) closer to I-25. There are some smaller mid century places up there that may include rentals.

West of campus is a different story. There are a lot of landlords out there who rent to students. Being a grad student is a plus (you're more stable, less likely to punch holes in drywall, throw keggers, etc), so make sure to let them know that when you're going through the rental app process. Tell them you're married too; that'll help.

West of campus, generally speaking, the further away you get, the cheaper the houses get. You'll pay a premium for being right next to campus. You'll also be more likely to wind up next to 4 or 5 undergrads in the same house; not sure how you feel about noise issues. You may be able to find something in the $1200 range. But DU is by no means the cheapest place to rent a house. You'll have to pay a pet deposit and it could be a significant sum, but I bet you can find a place that will let you have a well behaved dog.

An alternative option for you would be University Park (which, ironically, is not adjacent to DU). It's basically bounded by Yale on the north, Colo Blvd on the west, Hampden Ave on the south and I-25 on the east. They call the west tip of it Eisenhower Park. The houses aren't as cute as the DU houses (1950s ramblers rather than 1920s bungalows), but they're going to come cheaper and rental homes are going to be in abundance. You can walk 5-10 minutes up to the Yale light rail stop, take it a few miles up to the DU/Buchtel stop, and connect up to campus that way.

[livecontent]

The previous post is very helpful with good information. I would just make one minor correction. The neighborhood of Denver, east of Colorado Blvd and south of Yale, which is being described is University Hills. University Park is West of Colorado Blvd. Here is the official city map of the neighborhoods:

http://www.denvergov.org/denvermaps/downloads/maps/citywide/Neighborhoods.pdf (broken link)

Livecontent

[FentonForche]

Right, Hills, my bad, I knew Park didn't sound quite right--and to think I lived there for 3 years.

[Vynlriche]

DUGradStudent, If you like direct message me. I think I can help you with what your looking for?