Travel Nurse Housing Guide
Yes it’s true, as travel nurses we receive a tax free housing stipend in our paycheck! Housing is not “free” but we do get the benefits of a tax-free stipend to go towards housing. You can either have your company find accommodations or find your own but I HIGHLY recommend finding your own. When you leave it up to your company, they can shuffle you around multiple times and sometimes put you in a hotel with a limited kitchen. Also, I’ve never let the my company place my housing because I would rather take the stipend and find my own housing because this is how I will save more money.
Finding clean, safe & affordable housing as a travel nurse has been attainable everywhere I’ve lived, you just have to be patient! If you really want to save $$$ on housing here are my tips and websites I use!
1. Always choose furnished housing unless you plan on staying 1+ year. There’s nothing more stressful than having to move all your belongings multiple times a year!
2. Don’t sign a lease until you have your job. Plans change a lot but some nurses choose to commit to a location before securing a contract.
3. Make sure your lease is flexible! Consider discussing month to month options or utilities included with your landlord.
4. Always Always Always speak on the phone, FaceTime or meet in person. Verify the legitimacy and see the neighborhood if your facility is in a questionable area. It is very important to validate this before sending any money over. Most scammers will not want to talk on the phone with you!
Various housing I found through Furnished Finder, Craigslist and Airbnb
TRAVEL NURSE HOUSING SITES
1. Furnished Finder is one of my favorite websites for housing. I prefer to only stay in furnished places to avoid traveling with furniture. It connects you with the landlord renting the property but you will have to handle your lease and payment options outside of the website.
2. Travel nursing Facebook groups for your area can be a great resource for housing and can connect you with other travelers seeking housing.
3. Airbnb- This may be your most expensive option BUT if I find a place I really like I will try to see the place before booking and ask the host to arrange a lease outside the app to avoid additional fees. There is a possibility you could save $200-400/month and you can always offer a large security deposit so they feel better about going off the app!
4. Craiglist - I have found absolute gems on craiglist but you need to be careful of scammers! Always be sure to call, FaceTime, or meet in person before sending any money. By avoiding going through a third party, the landlord saves a lot of money and they may charge less. It can be a pain to dig through all the listings but can be totally worth it! My shortcut to finding housing for my area is typing into google "(city where I'm living) furnished housing Craigslist" and it will take me to that areas Craiglist.
5. Hello Landing is another great option for a fully furnished apartment with flexible leases. They are located in 375 cities around the U.S. and you can transfer homes throughout the network with just 2 weeks notice. There is a $199 membership fee but there are also 7 free bonus nights you can use anywhere per year within the network! If you are doing a crisis contract that has higher potential for cancellation, this company is a great option to avoid signing a longer term lease.
6. If you are having a very difficult time with any of these options, I suggest asking your recruiter to get you in contact with the manager for suggestions. While I was on contract in Alaska, the summertime housing can be very difficult but there were multiple staff members that had rentals and chose to only rent to family, friends or travelers!
Finding housing can be very stressful which is why some nurses find housing through their company or book with airbnb for simplicity. If you're willing to put in the extra work using the resources I have provided above, it can be the key to securing affordable housing!
One of my favorite cabins in Alaska!
