OCS updates the listings daily.
OCS policy allows for a listing to be active for 30 days after the availability date. We ask the landlord or property manager to inform us as soon as the property has been rented, so as to remove it from the list of availabilities. Listers have direct access to their listings on line and can update or remove old listings and post new ones. OCS reviews all comments posted by landlords to ensure compliance with fair housing laws. Some property owners do not let us know the property has been rented and in this case you may find a listing for a place that is no longer available. If this is the case, please call us and let us know.
No, they are not recommended properties. As part of the Annual Subscription Program, OCS asks property owners who list in our office to represent that the properties listed are in compliance with all the applicable housing rules and regulations. We do not, however, assume liability for the problems you may encounter in your rental experience. Should you have a problem or a concern, please let us know. We will make every attempt to ensure that landlords who list in our office comply with the code requirements and the rental practices are not unfair, illegal and discriminatory.
Our sliding scale fees are based on the total number of units owned and/or managed in the Greater Philadelphia area. The assessment of the fee is based on the total number of units, in this case 20 units, even if at any particular time a landlord is only posting one, two or three listings. In this case, even if you only need to list one unit, you will still pay $181. Remember, this is an annual fee, which will give you listing privileges for 365 days a year.
Yes. Whether you are a Penn student posting a sublet or a house-share or a landlord posting available apartments, you can subscribe and make a payment online by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. Another option is to download the application form and listing form, read and sign to acknowledge that you have read the OCS policy requirements and guidelines, and mail them or bring them in person, together with your payment, to the OCS office, located at Stouffer Commons, 3702 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6027.
Yes. Once you have submitted your application and payment to OCS, you will be given an account name and a password, which will allow you online access to the information you have submitted. You can change all fields, however, the text comments will have to be approved by OCS for compliance with fair housing laws and other rules and regulations pertaining to advertising.
The surest way to find an apartment is to check the interactive database.
The landlords on our landlord list may not have any apartments available at the time you are calling. Unless you want to rent from a particular landlord or unless the landlord has a large number of units, it is not a good idea to use the landlord list to make your phone calls for apartments. Use the landlord lists for your reference.
If you are interested in sharing a large off-campus house with other students, you will probably have to start thinking about housing as early as October the year prior to your move. Actual listings of places available do not get advertised until the last two weeks of November and throughout December. Be aware, however, that many places are never advertised - they are just handed down from one group of students to another. For detailed information abount the undergraduate housing search, see the The Off-Campus Undergraduate PDF document.
Studios, one and two bedroom apartments are not usually posted before January 15th. Listings usually become available around that time and continue to be posted through late March for June 1st availability.
Most graduate students start inquiring about housing in March and actually begin their search in April. An early start is important if you want to live in a popular Center City high-rise with a waiting list. In April, OCS organizes an Annual Rental Housing Fair at which time information about off-campus housing options is widely available.
