Search the rental listing database. The information is updated daily and contains, at any time, several hundred listings of available apartments, houses, shares and sublets. Choose the Housing Search/Search Listings option on the main menu.
Disclaimer: Listing rental units with OCS is provided as a service to University of Pennsylvania students, faculty and staff and to local landlords. OCS relies on the users of its services to report information fairly and accurately, but cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of such information. Mere inclusion of a landlord's properties on the OCS list does not constitute and shall not be construed or reported as an endorsement or approval of the landlord, its properties or its business practices. All prospective tenants are encouraged to exercise their own good judgment when evaluating a prospective rental unit or landlord.
Use the building lists and the landlord lists by area, available through the Housing Search option on the main menu. While OCS provides detailed information about the buildings/properties of the landlords who subscribe to our services, we acknowledge that our users' needs may be more fully served by providing information about additional housing choices available from property owners/listers who do not subscribe with our office. The provision of such information does not represent an endorsement or recommendation from the Office of Off-Campus Services and you are encouraged to exercise your own good judgment when making your choice.
Local Newspapers
- www.philly.com - the site of the two main daily newspapers in Philadelphia: Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. Under the rental guide section at this site you can run a search by area.
- www.phillyweekly.com - the site of the Philadelphia Weekly, a free publication coming out every Wednesday, which is very popular with students and young professionals looking for housing especially in Center City.
- http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/ - The Daily Pennsylvanian is the University of Penn student newspaper. Check the classifieds.
Electronic Newsgroups / Websites
- If you are a member of the Penn community and have access to the Penn newsgroups through your email account, you can check for postings of available apartments, very often shares and sublets. The most popular newsgroups to check are: upenn.forsale and phl.housing.
- http://www.craigslist.org/ - Students have reported good results searching for housing through this website, which originated in San Francisco and expanded all the way to the East Coast.
Important Tips for the Online Searcher:
- If at all possible, do not rent a place sight unseen. If you cannot take a special trip to look for housing ahead of time and you must find a place and sign a lease from a distance, you may want to make sure that you have obtained very detailed information about the unit and that the landlord answered these questions for you in writing.
- Ask your questions before you put any money down. Once you have committed yourself by putting down a deposit, you may very well lose this deposit if you change your mind.
- Many landlords will showcase model apartments on the site. Photos may look very attractive but may not be for the apartment that you are going to get. Always ask if this is a model apartment or the actual apartment you are applying for.
