Tips for Home Seekers Using This Site

Welcome to Emory's Off Campus Listing Service. This program is provided as a free service to students, staff, and faculty of the Emory Community and others who are looking for housing in the Emory area.

Our program is run in an informal fashion, much like a public bulletin board, but there are a few rules on our site and a few things we'd like you to remember.

These listing are not for home seekers to post themselves. Sorry, but there's a limit to how much we can do.

This is not a place to post complaints or comments on your favorite landlord. These will be removed as soon as they are seen.

We do not sell or redistribute any information which might be collected on users of this website.

You should be aware that when a landlord lists a property, the distance to campus is computed automatically by MAPQUEST. This service also verifies that the address listed actually exists. Since MAPQUEST is measuring from the center of campus, some properties may actually be very close to the perimeter of campus while MAPQUEST adds nearly a mile to their distance. In these cases landlords are encouraged to clarify their location in the text of their description. Likewise, the map that our system generates comes from YAHOO MAPS. It is automatic, and the landlords cannot improve or alter it in any way. If there is any confusion, it's probably not their fault.

It is impossible to say how important it is that home seekers understand that this listing is not screened in ANY way. Like a public bulletin board, we have no way of checking to see if a landlord is being truthful. Horror stories have been very rare among our users, but they have occurred. There are laws in the State of Georgia and all counties (We are in DeKalb County) which protect renters, but you need to be smart coming into the deal.

Leases are very important tools and when done correctly. They can protect both the landlord and the tenant. The following link is to a site developed by the State of Georgia which offers advice and information for first-time landlords and home seekers. http://www.dca.state.ga.us/housing/RentalAssistance/index.asp

Make sure you know what privileges you have and don't have in the property you are going to rent.

---If you're sharing a house or apartment What about privileges inside the home or apartment? Kitchen? Laundry? Guests?

---How is parking handled?

---Who pays for utilities or how are they split among co-renters?

---When and under what circumstances can the landlord enter your home?

---How safe is the neighborhood? How safe is your parking?

---Ask to speak to previous renters. How long have they lived there?

Please understand that if you have problems with a landlord, our office is not in a position to take a role in its solution. You have certain rights under state and county laws, but You may need to research these laws yourself or work with a legal adviser. Students, staff, and faculty of Emory University may be able to get help from a volunteer organization in our Law School known as Student Legal Services.

You can find other helpful advice in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. http://housing.emory.edu/off-campus/help.cfm