What is a good rent rate near USC? Forum

[askhos]

Thinking about living in the law student housing at USC, but not sure what reasonable rent rates are in that area of L.A. to see if it's a good deal. Wouldn't like to commute too far if I can help it. Any information would be great.

[MusicNutMeggie]

Thinking about living in the law student housing at USC, but not sure what reasonable rent rates are in that area of L.A. to see if it's a good deal. Wouldn't like to commute too far if I can help it. Any information would be great.

I did my undergrad at USC. If you want to live really close to campus, you'll have to pay for the privilege. Studios are basically non-existent, and one-bedrooms tend to run somewhere in the $1000-$2000 range, minimum. If you can find a roommate or two and split a larger, multi-room apartment or rent a house, you can get by more cheaply, but the minimum you'll pay for your own room is in the $700 range. Rates are slightly cheaper to the west of campus (past Vermont), which is also a more dangerous area, but as long as you don't act like an idiot, you'll be fine.

Lots of students live on Ellendale, Menlo, and 30th, which are convenient, but also expensive. The cheapest place around is City Park Apartments, on 30th, but be warned: it's nicknamed Shitty Park for a reason. Some people never have a problem, but I'm in the middle of suing them, and everyone complains about the crappy plumbing (no pun intended) and just overall shoddy work. The management is also a nightmare.

If you're willing to commute a short way to campus (and to pay through the nose for on-campus parking or deal with metered parking around the school), you can get much cheaper rents to the north a few miles, especially around Alvarado Place. If you're willing to live as far away as Los Feliz or Silverlake (15-20min commute) or other east Hollywood neighborhoods, you can get a lot more for your money.

Cheapest option is renting a room in a house, but that can make for unpredictable living conditions, especially very close to campus. Check ads in The Daily Trojan classifieds (available online), and sometimes Craigslist is useful. The main thing is to START LOOKING NOW. Most people secure their housing for the fall by March or April, and if you're a guy, some landlords won't rent to you or will jack up the rent or put you on a "waitlist".

When I was considering going back to 'SC, I thought about the law student housing. It's not exorbitantly expensive, and the administration is great about things like maintenance and pest control. It is not, however, as close to campus as they say it is; you'd almost definitely want a bike.

PM me if you have any specific questions!

[askhos]

I applied for the law student housing yesterday. I'll PM you later when I haz time. Thanks.