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Find housing before you start service

You will be required to be living within the city of San Antonio for the first day of service to allow you to focus on building relationships with your teammates, immerse yourself in training and adjust to your new neighborhood before the school year begins.

When to start looking

Most complex or rental properties will not list their available units until 60 to 90 days before the lease would begin. It is a good idea to have your eye on a few and be in communication with them, so when an apartment, unit, or house does become available you are able to apply early.

Deciding where to live

We currently serve in six schools on the west side of San Antonio and two schools on the east side of San Antonio. We recommend living on the West, East, Central or Northwest side of San Antonio.

San Antonio has a fairly low cost of living compared to other cities of the same size! San Antonio is very spread out, though. We recommend AmeriCorps members live close to highways to cut down travel time, living just north of downtown will give you the best commute times. Many of our AmeriCorps members also live in the Medical Center, which is a further commute but is known for its affordable apartment complexes.

Finding roommates

Use the Slack group to find roommates under the tab roommate-finder. This will be a place to post about yourself and what you are looking for in roommates! You will also be able to see other posts and introduce yourself to others who are looking for roommates.

We highly recommend living with a roommate or two (or there)! This will drastically cut down costs and bills and will make service more financially feasible.

Budgeting for housing

With roommates rent will be around $300-$500 a month. But location will also play into the price. The closer you get to downtown and just south of downtown rent does go up. Far north the rent is fairly expensive, as well, and has longer commute times. When renting an apartment, ask about the following fees as they frequently apply.

• Broker’s fee – typically one month’s rent or a percentage or the annual lease
• Security deposit – typically one month’s rent, returned at the end of the lease if the property’s condition is maintained
• First month’s rent – typically due upon signing of the lease agreement
• Last month’s rent – may be requested upon signing of the lease agreement

Some utilities are included in the price of rent, so be sure to ask your landlord. When viewing apartments, most landlords or current tenants will gladly tell you the average price of utilities, so don’t be afraid to ask. It is also helpful to ask what utilities the house uses, such as gas or electric heat. Some units and buildings include laundry, for free or a cost, while others are located near laundromats.