Housing in Memphis

When to start looking

It is important to start looking for housing beginning as early as April. Often times, City Year Memphis’ start date is late July, so it is important to try to get a lease that starts prior to the start date.

Deciding where to live

You won’t receive your school placements until after you begin your service year and therefore after you’ve secured housing. However, all of the schools that City Year partners with are within a similar radius, so not knowing school placements should not impact your ability to secure housing.

We recommend looking for housing in the following neighborhoods, where our current and past AmeriCorps members have said they pay somewhere between $500-$900 a month in rent.

• Bartlett
• Cooper Young
• Downtown
• Germantown
• Midtown

Finding roommates

You will be added to our Facebook group, where you’ll be able to connect with fellow AmeriCorps members who also may be in need of housing or roommates. This is a great place to meet and find roommates.

Budgeting for housing

Our corps typically find housing through online posting sites, word of mouth and sometimes on the City Year Facebook group (current members advertising their apartments). Postings should outline who to contact to learn more about the property, costs and lease terms.

When renting an apartment, ask about the following fees as they frequently apply.

• Broker’s fee – typically one month’s rent or a percentage or the annual lease
• Security deposit – typically one month’s rent, returned at the end of the lease if the property’s condition is maintained
• First month’s rent – typically due upon signing of the lease agreement
• Last month’s rent – may be requested upon signing of the lease agreement

Be prepared to have three months’ rent for any apartment. This usually breaks down to first month, last month rent, and a security deposit. If you leave your apartment in good shape, you should expect to be refunded 100% of your security deposit. We recommend you take pictures and video of your apartment upon move in, to document the state of the unit and email this information to the landlord to timestamp the move-in conditions.

Some utilities are included in the price of rent, so be sure to ask your landlord. When viewing apartments, most landlords or current tenants will gladly tell you the average price of utilities, so don’t be afraid to ask. It is also helpful to ask what utilities the house uses, such as gas or electric heat. Some units and buildings include laundry, for free or a cost, while others are located near laundromats.