Life in the United States

Housing

The following will provide you with a general idea of common neighborhoods, as well as some renter guidelines, in Milwaukee county. There is also a binder in the waiting area of the Student Support Services Office (3rd floor in Academic Affairs) that has a list of apartments for rent, and the bulletin boards around campus always have postings of people looking for roommates.

• Wauwatosa is a suburb of Milwaukee. It is located both east and west of MCW. The average driving time is about 10 minutes to MCW.
• The East Side is located near the lake, about a 15-30 minute drive to MCW, depending on traffic. It is also very close to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is only minutes from downtown Milwaukee.
• West Allis is located to the southwest of MCW, it is a convenient location because of its proximity to many useful stores and freeways. Average drive time to MCW depends if you take the freeway or surface streets, but is hardly ever more than 10 minutes.
• Milwaukee is about an 8-15 minute drive to MCW depending on where you live in the city.
• Other Popular Places:
  • Waukesha: West of MCW – 30 minute drive
  • Brookfield: West of MCW – 10-30 minute drive
  • Downtown Milwaukee: East of MCW – 15 minute drive
• Northern Suburbs:
  • Menomonee Falls: 15-30 minute drive
  • Germantown: 20-40 minute drive

Price Guidelines

Use these prices as a guideline; the prices reflect the areas above but will vary from city to city. The length of time to find an apartment varies from one week to one month, so leave plenty of time for searching.

Housing Hints

• The best way to find an apartment is to personally visit the neighborhoods you are interested in. Many places only advertise by signs on the lawn.

• Make sure to check out the place personally before signing any lease. If you are interested in an apartment, practice driving to and from MCW to see if you'll actually like living in that location.

• Consider parking as well, because many places require an off-street permit. Also, there may be alternate side of street parking over winter that may affect you if you do not have off-street parking by your apartment. It is best to find a place that includes off-street parking as part of the rent.

• If you have pets, start looking early because many places do not allow pets! If pets are allowed , many places will charge an additional fee per month for having a pet.

• Make sure you clarify whether or not heat is included in your rent.

• A lease is a binding legal contract between you and the property owner, or landlord. When you sign a lease, you are obligated to pay the landlord monthly rent for the duration of the lease. Most leases are for 12 months, and it is usually difficult to break or alter a lease. Therefore, before you sign you should be reasonably sure that you can live with your decision for the duration of the lease. If a landlord verbally agrees to make an improvement prior to you moving into the apartment, write it into the lease agreement before you agree to sign the lease.

• When you sign a lease, you will typically be required to pay a security deposit which is usually equivalent to at least one month's rent, in addition to the first month's rent. The security deposit will be returned to you when you move out, provided you leave the apartment in good condition.

• Look at the boards at MCW or the housing book outside of the Student Support Services Office for any upcoming vacancies! There are also housing magazines in the entrances/exits of many grocery stores that may be of help.

• Tenant/Landlord Rights and Information

Housing Websites

ApartmentList.com
The world's first apartment-matching engine. Each city on our website is broken down into neighborhoods, highlighting pricing, noise level, nearby attractions, restaurants, shopping, etc.

apartments.com
This website is very comprehensive. Most of the apartment complexes that are listed in the books found at grocery stores can be found here as well. In addition, the web site provided local apartment listings for the Journal Sentinel.

MSN Real Estate
This site provides the option to compare neighborhoods using statistics in the areas of demographics, education, crime, cost of living, health & safety, economy, housing, and transportation.

ForRent.com
This site is very similar to the For Rent magazine.

StartRenting.com
Gives some good information about the major apartment complexes around the area.

move.com
There is some information on the Milwaukee area under the "rentals" section.

Utilities

AT&T (Local Telephone Company)

WE Energies (Gas and Electric Company)