Host Healthcare provided this article.
Authors: Megan Patek & Brett Seeburger, Host Healthcare Housing Specialist
You’ve secured your next travel nurse assignment, but have you determined your place of residency? If housing is still a pending item on your checklist, don’t fret! With so much change in such little time, the thought of finding somewhere to stay for the duration of your assignment can be a little overwhelming. Between contributing factors from cost to commute, four-legged friends to roommates, how do you begin your search for somewhere to stay that will fit your requirements?
The fact of the matter is that furnished short-term housing can be difficult to come by. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a place that not only fits your needs but can feel like a home away from home while on assignment. Host Healthcare has you covered with all the best resources to help you find your next residential setup. In addition to a dedicated housing department to assist healthcare travelers with finding a place to stay, Host Healthcare takes note of which housing option sites and resources are most reliable so that you, the traveling nurse, feel ready to take on a new city.
In no particular order, here are our top 10 recommended travel nurse housing sites for you to explore:
Furnished Finder
For those looking for short-term, furnished housing, Furnished Finder is one of the best options. Not only do they offer competitive prices, but they also provide property verification to eliminate the worry of scammers. Using Furnished Finder, you can perform a background check on any residential property you are interested in and gain access to property owner ratings. You can even check out what other listings property owners have rented out. There are no hidden fees with Furnished Finder as they provide you with the direct contact of the property you wish to rent, so you may book directly through the homeowner. Furnished Finder is geared towards helping travel nurses discover furnished homes, apartments, and even single rooms that fit their every need. They even go the extra mile by providing city guides to help both new and well-seasoned travel nurses get familiarized with their new location.
Airbnb
The most well-known company in short-term rentals, Airbnb, goes beyond short-term vacation rentals. The platform also serves as one of the best resources for travel nurses to find housing when on assignment. With extensive options to filter your search, you can find the exact needs you are looking for in a short-term home. Airbnb also offers the most accurate availability listings when looking for specific dates to book. Because Airbnb properties are typically owned and managed by independent homeowners who can dictate their own pricing, there are certain fees to be aware of when searching for homes on the platform. For example, cleaning and service fees may come attached to your booking reservation. There are, however, in most Airbnb bookings discounted rates for monthly stays. Airbnb is a must-start website when looking for your short-term home.
VRBO
A very useful alternative to Airbnb, VRBO offers many of the same searching features, along with clarity in when your future home is available and whom you are renting from. Like we noted for Airbnb, VRBO allows property owners to determine pricing for their rental property, which includes fees for cleaning and service. All fees will be communicated prior to booking your reservation. However, it is important to note that there are far fewer monthly discounts offered on VRBO than there are offered on Airbnb.
Transplant Housing
A temporary housing website built just for traveling nurses? You bet! Transplant Housing prides itself on its ability to provide unparalleled comfortability in knowing that these homes are strictly open to travel nurses on assignment. Considering the lifestyle of a travel nurse, this platform connects healthcare professionals to homeowners who truly understand the constant shifts in this profession and the uncertainties that come with being on a traveling contract. They help take the hassle out of travel nurse housing so that you can focus on the job that awaits you!
Zillow
You may associate Zillow with purchasing a home, but did you know that Zillow actually has its fair share of short-term leases? Like other platforms, with Zillow, you can filter your search by price, location, house amenities, and even the style of home you are looking for to fit your preferred aesthetic. Before you start your search, we must tell you that the only way to find short-term or furnished housing is through the keyword bar. Once you’ve found a property that looks promising, you will want to read the description on the rental to help determine if it is the right fit for you.
The Gypsy Nurse Facebook Group
A Facebook page created for traveling nurses by traveling nurses. Could it make more sense for travel nurses? The Gypsy Nurse community is filled with travel nurses who are open to sharing their experiences traveling and working in different facilities across the country. Created to equip travel nurses with useful insights and tools they need to navigate the experience, this Facebook page built by Gypsy Nurse provides a caring community of both nurses who are renting out their homes and nurses who are searching for housing. For those who would rather avoid communicating with landlords who may not completely understand the nature of this unique travel profession, the Gypsy Nurse Facebook Group lets you do just that. By joining this Facebook page, you are instantly connected to a host of travel nurses who may even be looking for somewhere to stay in your area.
HotPads
A smaller subset of Zillow, Hotpads primarily offers rental opportunities rather than homes and apartments available for purchase. This housing platform allows you to edit all the same filters as Zillow, making it a simplified process for traveling nurses searching for their next place to stay. Hotpads gives users the ability to search for a variety of furnished options, whether that be a specific style of townhouse, condo, apartment, or even house. Although Hotpads is connected to Zillow, Hotpads provides unique listings different from what’s available on Zillow. To start searching for properties, create a profile, add your favorite listings to your account, and begin reaching out to landlords to make easy, seamless connections.
Kopa
Kopa has built a great platform to find flexible short-term housing, whether you are looking to sign a month-to-month contract or plant seeds and book a year-long stay. With rental opportunities in over 100 different cities across the United States and the platform continuously adding move-in ready homes, apartments, and rooms for rent daily, Kopa is a perfect avenue for travel nurses to explore. The platform allows you to control your entire rental experience electronically. You can speak with hosts, book your stay, and pay for your rental all through Kopa’s website. Whether you are taking an assignment in San Francisco or New York, Denver or Dallas, Nashville or Seattle, Kopa has move-in ready spots awaiting your arrival. Get a head start and begin exploring the hidden gems found on Kopa.
Landing
As a travel nurse, you already have a lot on your plate. If you want to skip communicating with flighty landlords, avoid possible scams, or prevent getting locked into a lease that’s not fit for your situation, Landing may be a great option for you. To get access to Landing properties, a membership is required. A year-long membership costs $199, however, when you partner with Host Healthcare, you can score quite the deal. When you become a travel nurse with Host Healthcare, the team of trusted housing specialists will help you apply a $250 discount code to your reservation.
Once you’ve completed your new member sign-up with Landing, you will get access to more than 35,000 fully furnished, WIFI-ready, pet-friendly apartments. You will be able to book and pay for your furnished apartment conveniently through your profile online or through their app. A 24/7 hotline that you can call or text gives you a sense of ease while checking in, living, and checking out of your Landing home.
Apartments.com
Say goodbye to third-party servicing fees and hello to countless apartments across the nation right at your fingertips. Apartments.com is a very reliable website whether you are searching for a townhouse, condo, or any other type of apartment-style of housing. Aside from the never-ending listings on tap, a major advantage of using Apartments.com is that you will be working with the apartment complexes or real estate agency directly. However, one disadvantage of using Apartments.com is the lack of short-term housing options. Many of the options available on the platform are listed as 12-month leases, so before you start your search, be sure to apply the appropriate “short-term” filter in the lifestyle tab. Once you have the proper setting selected, start exploring a variety of suitable apartments for your upcoming travel nurse assignment.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Travel nursing is an exciting career path filled with opportunities, challenges, and adventures not everyone will experience. Whether you are about to start a 3-month or 12-month assignment, it’s important that you feel at home in your new city. Leave it up to the short-term housing experts at Transplant Housing, Landing x Host Healthcare, Airbnb, and so many others to help you settle into your new home away from home. It’s the least we can do. After all, you are out there saving lives.
We hope this article on the top 10 housing sites for travel nurses was helpful in your housing search. Do you have any housing sites you use that we didn’t mention here? Comment those housing sites below.
Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page powered by one of the housing sites: Furnished Finder.
If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:
Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)
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