Relocation and Housing

Below is a list of places where you can look for housing – both apartments and houses, on and off campus. Explore school and municipality sites, to get a sense of the neighborhoods, where they are, how big/small, and what might interest you. If you can, take a bike ride around the neighborhood you are considering and get a flavor of what it is like, both during the day and at night. Look into parking availability, regulations (is overnight street parking allowed?) and options for public transit. Are grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants or other places of interest to you close by?

If you want to rent in East Lansing, find out about the rental licensing requirements. Some areas allow houses licensed for rental, other neighborhoods do not. This means that it will be easier to rent in those areas that allow rental housing, and these are often closest to campus. Most of the near-by houses will also be rentals.  Neighborhoods that do not allow as much rental property may make it necessary to purchase a home if that area is where you want to live.

Different areas also have different requirements for snow removal, garbage and recycling pick-up, and income tax filing. Check on these things wherever you settle to avoid any surprises!

How to Find Housing

Listing Services

  • On-Campus Guest Housing – Michigan State University’s guest housing options are conveniently located on campus and designed to support both short- and long-term housing needs for faculty, staff, and visiting scholars as well as their families. Staff and faculty relocating to the East Lansing area or experiencing life events who require temporary housing are invited to stay at either Owen Hall or the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. 
  • Off-Campus Housing – Looking for a place to live off-campus? Are you going on Sabbatical and need to list your house for rent? Are you new to the community and are looking for a home to rent? Do you have furniture you would like to sell? The answer is here! A new service that is secure to the MSU community; MSU’s Off Campus Listing Service to help you find the ideal place to rent. The Off Campus Listing Service features multiple property listings and includes advanced search filters, a roommate finder, message boards, and educational resources.  It’s a FREE service.
  • The Listing Service is offered in partnership by the MSU Community Liaison and the Department of Student Life.  Additionally, Student Life sponsors the Housing Fair each October which showcases housing options and features educational information.
  • Apartments.com – Free search of apartments throughout the country. Simply click on the state where you are seeking an apartment to explore many options.
  • ApartmentList.com – Offers the world’s first apartment-matching engine and if you log in with your Facebook account, it will map out your favorite gym, grocery store, church, where your friends live, etc.  It also has a “pet friendly” search and over 1.8 million listings.
  • iRentToOwn.com – With over one million listings, this site offers a great tool to search for rent to own and foreclosure properties. The site has also been ranked number one on Google for rent to own and rent to own homes.
  • www.michiganhousinglocator.com – MSHDA provides this rental housing search tool to the residents and prospective residents of Michigan. MSHDA expressly disclaims all responsibility for the contents and results provided through this search. For more detailed disclaimer information review the Housing Locator Disclaimer.
  • http://www.MyCheapApartments.com – Specializes in the development of nationwide, affordable apartment listings. Offers search options for apartments on or around campus by price range, proximity to campus, amenities, etc.
  • Marketplace Home Finder – Search engine for finding housing, provided by the Lansing State Journal.
  • Lansing-realestate.com – Search thousands of Lansing, Michigan real estate listings from the Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS® multiple listing service (MLS).

Housing Resources and Information

  • Michigan Housing Development Authority – Provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income Michigan residents.
  • Realtor.com – REALTOR.com® puts real estate listings for millions of homes for sale at your fingertips in regions across the United States and Canada

Sabbatical Housing

  • SabbaticalHomes.com – The academic community’s resource for home exchange, home rental, house sitting, and sharing opportunities, in addition to finding home tenants. This service is a leading internet-based directory for academic home matches across the globe.

Moving Your Belongings

The WorkLife Office looks forward to assisting you when you move to Michigan from elsewhere in the US, or to MSU from elsewhere in Michigan. Information on housing, schools, local resources and requirements, and where to find what you need is our specialty.  Call or drop-in and we’ll be happy to explore how we can help you land smoothly in the Greater Lansing area. 

Movers

There are several companies that offer moving services:

The MSU WorkLife Office and Michigan State University do not endorse any of the abovementioned resources nor does MSU control or guarantee the content or continued availability of the sites. They are listed with the intent of providing information to the campus community about available options; users are advised to access at their own risk.