1. What is the GSAS Housing Assistance Project (G-HAP)?

G-HAP is a web-based service designed to help GSAS students find private housing for themselves.  Although this web site is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the GSAS, this is NOT University sponsored housing.

The information on this web site is provided to assist you in finding your own place to live.  We are not Fordham University's Residential Life, nor are we real estate brokers paid to find you an apartment.  We are, however, making an effort to assist you in YOUR personal housing search and hope we can make finding a place a simpler and more hassle-free experience for you.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER:

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences hopes to provide you with information and contacts to make the process of finding non-University housing easier.  The information provided by this service is intended to put you in contact with members of the local community and apartment dwellers who may wish to share accommodations.  It is not intended as a referral service, nor does the University endorse or recommend the selection of any particular property, location, or individual.  It is expected that you will bear personal responsibility for using this service, and for any and all commitments made as a result.  In addition, those who use this service are obligated to abide by all institutional policies and applicable laws regarding access and use privileges that are provided through Fordham University's information technology systems.

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2. What information is provided on this site?

This web site contains lists of available apartments, shares, rooms and houses, as well as lists of landlords and management companies who service this area.  The site also includes pages that describe each neighborhood with pictures of each area and average rental prices (per month) listed by apartment type.

In order to facilitate networking between students looking for housing, the web site has a list of students interested in sharing apartments with other students (this is the apartment-mate networking list, to which you can add your name when registering).

We post as much information as we can gather on apartments and landlords (as it becomes available throughout the summer) with phone numbers and email addresses so you can follow up on items that interest you.

You will also find a set of Internet links (to rental services, maps, hostels, local newspapers, etc.) and other items like classified ads and information on mass transit, which will help you in your housing search.

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3. How do I sign up to use this web site service and is there a fee?

You must be a current or incoming GSAS student to use this service.  Sorry, but there are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule.  If you are a current or incoming GSAS student, there is no fee for using the G-HAP service, but you do need a password to gain admittance to the apartment, landlord, and apartment-mate listings.  Simply click on the "Web Site User Registration" link (above left) and follow the instructions on the corresponding web page to register.  It will take us about two business days to get back to you with a password and username.

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4. Where can I find information about University sponsored housing?

There is a limited amount of University sponsored housing for graduate students.  Because this housing is limited, it is reserved for International students and scholarship students first.  There is NO ON-CAMPUS housing for graduates.  The Office of Residential Life sponsors housing for graduate students in a private apartment building called Keith Plaza (view some pictures), which is a three block walk from the east end of campus.  Keith Plaza is one of the larger, more institutional apartment buildings in this area of the Bronx and sits between the "Little Italy" neighborhood and the Bronx Zoo.  It is popular with those worried about finding housing their first year, but most students soon find that local, private housing is more comfortable and more affordable.

If you are a GSAS student interested in University sponsored housing, you MUST contact Residential Life directly (719-817-3080) in order to apply for a room in Keith Plaza.

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5. Is it difficult to find housing near campus?

Finding local and affordable non-university housing is not difficult, but it does take time and patience.  Many students, both graduates and undergraduates, live in the neighborhoods surrounding campus and thus a lot of housing becomes available right after the end of the spring semester.  This means that many people are looking for new roommates for the coming fall and many other apartments are left empty.  We compile these available apartment listings on this web site.  IN addition we list the landlords that students commonly use.  Our aim is to list ONLY apartments that DO NOT require a broker's fee, in an effort to keep your costs down.

Housing is much easier to find in the Bronx than it is in Manhattan, but it does require some time researching, phone calling and making appointments to meet with landlords and view apartments.

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6. Is it safe to live in the Bronx?

Yes, the Bronx is safe!  Moving to the Big City can be frightening if your only experience with it has been a movie theater.  Every big city has crime, but the crime rate in New York City is as low as it has been in thirty-five years!  New York City is now one of the safest big cities in the United States.

Here as elsewhere, the best way to remain safe is to stay away from illegal activities.

Generally, all the areas we list apartments for are safe.  The "Little Italy" Belmont area and the Pelham Parkway area are very safe local neighborhoods, as are Riverdale and the most areas in Yonkers.

The farther north from Fordham you travel the more suburban and rural it becomes.  Many people choose to live in Riverdale, Yonkers, Westchester or even in Southern Connecticut, if looking for a suburban experience.

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7. What is the best way to use this web site?

Complete the Web Site User Registration form.  While that is being processed begin to look at the neighborhood information pages, which include pictures and descriptions, in order to decide on the areas that you are interested in.  If you do not have a car, for example, you'd likely be wise to stay within walking distance of the campus or live in an area near good mass transit. Looking at maps of the areas you are interested in is always a good idea as well.  Next, peruse the password-protected pages that list apartments, landlords and the apartment-mate list.  Call about any apartment that looks suitable and ask the landlord questions about it, or set up an appointment to view the apartment.

If nothing immediately jumps out at you, look at the landlord lists.  Call these contacts and ask about apartments that will be available when you are ready to move.  If you cannot move until August 15th, for example, you would be wise to call all the landlords and contacts listed for the areas you want to live in and ask each if he or she knows of anything coming available on or around August 15th.  Set up appointments for two or three places for the day you arrive.

Don't forget to also look at the Internet links for possible ways to make your search easier.  Look at the classified ads pages of Internet newspapers that service this area.  If you are on the apartment-mate networking list, you might contact other apartment seekers on the list and organize a group housing search.

Be creative, cover all the angles.  Talk to the department secretary and ask for his or her advice (they have helped with this kind of thing before).  Ask for e-mails or phone numbers of current students in your program and ask for their advice.  Someone may just need a roommate and have forgotten to tell us, or maybe there is a faculty member who is subletting an apartment for a year while they are off doing research or on sabbatical.  The more you network, the better your chances will be of finding the perfect place!

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8. When is the best time to start looking for housing?

If you want to find private housing, the best time to start looking is after the semester ends and people start to clear out for the summer (after May).  This, however, means renting a place for the summer.  Landlords here, like most any city, do not reserve apartments for people.  If they have a unit available they like to rent it as quickly as possible.  Many apartments that are available right after the school year ends sit vacant until the majority of students return in late August.

Most people don't want to rent an apartment for the summer unless they attend classes during summer session.  Typically, people begin their housing search in June or July but try to set up a place to live for late August.  This allows them to have a place to move into before classes start, but also means that they don't have to pay rent for an empty apartment over the summer.

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9. How does the apartment-mate networking list work?  Why should I put my name on this list?

Finding an apartment when several apartment seekers work together IS EASIER than when each looks separately.  It is also often easier to find two and three bedroom apartments or empty houses than it is to find inexpensive studios or one-bedroom apartments.  If you put your name on the list, you are effectively saying, "I'm looking for an apartment that I can share with others."  You should get in touch with people off the list and organize searches together.  For example, you might contact two other people and agree to look for affordable three bedroom apartments within walking distance of campus.  Maybe two of the three are able to visit Fordham in June or July and start looking, whereas the third cannot make it to the area until the week before classes begin.  Everybody can play a part in looking for places, one makes phone calls and does web searches, another meets with landlords, and the third signs the lease.  Working together, everybody pools their talents and time and each finds exactly what he or she is looking for.

You can request to be on the apartment-mate networking list when you register for a web-site password.

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10. What are average monthly rents for the Bronx?

This varies a fair bit from neighborhood to neighborhood.  Prices in Riverdale and Yonkers are starting to go up as Manhattanites move north up the Hudson.  Average prices are listed by neighborhood on the "Neighborhood Information Index" inside the web site.  Sharing an apartment is the way to go if you must keep to a tight budget.

In the Belmont ("Little Italy") area, which is a popular area next to campus and still reasonably priced, studios start at about $600/month and go as high as $900/month for a really nice place.  Depending on the number of rooms in a share (an apartment or house with 2 or more bedrooms) rents run from $400-$650/month per roommate.  One bedrooms in Belmont are between $850-$1200/month and three bedrooms are between $1000-$1300/month.  These are estimates, obviously prices will vary with the quality and accoutrements of each housing situation.

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11. Where do I find out about housing near the Lincoln Center campus?

Fordham University does not offer University-sponsored housing near the Lincoln Center campus.

Vacancy rates are extremely low and the strong economy has made trendy neighborhood rental prices increase.  Most people looking for housing in Manhattan resort to using a broker, which if you have the money is always the easiest way to find an apartment.  Broker's fees run anywhere from 12-20% annual rent.

The other boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx) have less expensive housing and higher vacancy rates.

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