Finding a Rental

Finding an off-campus apartment may take more time than you anticipate. The housing market in the D.C. area is competitive and apartment hunting can be frustrating if you aren’t prepared. ONL recommends that you clearly define your budget and housing preferences including whether you want roommates, and style of housing (apartment complex, townhouse, basement unit, etc.) before you begin your search.

Get your bearings on where your classes will be (Main Campus, School of Continuing Studies, Law Center Campus, etc.) and/or work locations in proximity to local neighborhoods to learn more about the character of the neighborhood you’re considering.

Additionally, you should not feel pressured by anyone to immediately send money upfront and ONL recommends that you always view the rental in person before signing any lease or providing a deposit.

Start Your Housing Search

Start your search for properties at OCHListings.georgetown.edu. Login with your Georgetown University NetID. If you have not received your NetID yet, create a guest account, and your access will be granted onto the website shortly.

D.C. law requires that property owners obtain a Basic Business License (BBL) from the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) in order to legally rent an entire house, a basement unit, an apartment unit, or simply a portion of their home. A condition of obtaining a BBL is the property’s satisfactory inspection by the DCRA for basic life safety requirements, such as egress, electrical systems, smoke detectors, and so forth. You should not assume properties located outside of the District are licensed and if you search for a rental property using other sites, be sure that any property you rent in D.C. has a BBL. You can self-verify that your property has a BBL.

Basic Business License

In the District of Columbia, property owners who decide to rent an entire house, a basement unit, an apartment building, or simply a portion of their home are required to obtain a Basic Business License (BBL). This enables the District to ensure the property is safe to occupy and triggers an inspection by the D.C. Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and the D.C. Fire Marshal.

If a property in the District is not legally licensed, there may not have been an inspection and unsafe conditions could exist in the rental unit. Only rent properties in D.C. that have a BBL. Although D.C. properties on our rental site are licensed, you should not assume that rental properties listed outside of the District are licensed.

Additional Information for Your Search

  • Consider using Georgetown University Student Association’s (GUSA) & Georgetown Student Tenant Association’s (GUSA) Hoya House Hunter tool. On this site, you can search different properties’ landlords, rental price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and see fellow students’ reviews of the property and the landlord. Georgetown University does not endorse, support, recommend, verify, monitor, review, approve, or otherwise take any responsibility for any reviews, property listings, assertions, ratings, or other information posted on, or obtained in connection with, Hoya House Hunters.
  • Visit the property during the day and at night to make sure you feel safe in the area. Use the DC Police Crime Map to see recent criminal activity near your potential home.

Short-term Rental

Looking for something more short-term? Check out this short-term housing list! Georgetown University does not endorse any of the properties on this list; please do your own due diligence and research these properties.