Off-Campus Housing
Welcome to the Off-Campus housing section of our Web site. Our office does not find or place students in off-campus housing units; we do, however, provide relevant information necessary for students to successfully find off-campus living options.
Housing Policies and Procedures
The following forms are for students needing to apply to be released from their housing contract and for those who wish to commute from home.
Requests to Be Released from Hall Contract is for students who wish to move out of the residence halls for reasons of marriage, exceptional causes, Greek membership, etc.
Application to Commute is for freshmen who wish to commute from home as opposed to living in the residence halls.
If you are wondering about the cost and convenience of living on and off campus, utilize this cost comparison sheet to see which housing option would be most beneficial to you!
Off-Campus Housing Fair
The Off-Campus Housing Fair takes place every year in October and features local apartment representatives in order for students to obtain information about off-campus housing for the next academic year. If you have any questions, please contact us at 815-753-9999 or at ocntss@niu.edu
Northern Star Housing Guide
The Northern Star provides a complete Housing Guide with all of the local apartment complexes available for rent. This listing includes all relevant information necessary to help to make the apartment search as easy as possible. It is broken down by rent, bathrooms, bedrooms, and distance from campus.
View the Northern Star Housing Guide.
Daily Chronicle Classified Section
The Daily Chronicle is the daily news publication for the DeKalb and Sycamore areas. This particular media outlet offers a current classified section where advertisements are placed regarding housing on a consistent basis.
View the Daily Chronicle Classified Section.
Northern View Community Apartments
Northern View Community is our newest residence hall at NIU for undergraduate and graduate non-traditional students who may be married, have a domestic partner, or have dependents. Three of Northern View's buildings are dedicated specifically to non-traditional students. Each apartment comes with a full kitchen with appliances and a washer and dryer. There is a community center that has a computer lab, kitchen, common area with two flat screen televisions, a ping-pong table, and a playground.
Check out the Northern View Community Apartments.
Section 8 Housing/ Subsidized Housing Options
Housing Authority of DeKalb County
The Section 8 Program was authorized by Congress in 1974 and developed by HUD to provide rental subsidies for eligible tenant families (including single persons) residing in newly constructed, rehabilitated, and existing rental and cooperative apartment projects.
Places4students Inc.
Visit Places4students Inc., an online, off-campus referral service for DeKalb and surrounding areas.
- Property Listings - Browse landlord and homeowner advertisements.
- Roommates Needed - Have a place... need a roommate? Post your wanted ad.
- Roommate Profile - Need a place or a roommate? List your desires and let roommates find you!
Any questions or concerns for the places4students team? Please contact Places4students Inc. toll free at 866-766-0767 (Available Mon. to Fri. from 10am-5pm EST) or via email at admin@places4students.com.
Browse the Places4Students database.
Rate Your Apartment
In order to gain a better perspective on a particular apartment or townhouse you may be interested in, our office has provided a link for a website designed to allow tenants/former tenants to rate apartments. In addition, if you currently reside in one of these apartments or townhouses, please feel free to rate your apartment.
View the Rate My Apartment database.
Pet Friendly Rentals
Wondering what apartment complexes allow pets? Visit the Tails Humane Society Web site to learn more about the pets allowed at different property management companies in the area.
Sycamore RV Resort
If you have an RV and are wondering what housing options are available to you, visit the Sycamore RV Resort Web site. This Resort provides clean restrooms with hot showers, laundromat, campground store, and many other amenities.
Moving Tips
Moving off campus can be overwhelming. To help you through this transition, our office has created a tip sheet which provides pointers for making your move as stress-free as possible! Resources for Planning Your Move.
Roommate Agreement
Having a roommate can present students with challenges. To prevent potential disagreements before they occur, we encourage students to use our sample roommate agreement to help discuss and understand their apartment responsibilities.
Our office is only providing links to these sites. We are not affiliated or agree/disagree with the views and comments expressed by those who utilize the services.
Additional Resources
Moving Truck Rentals
U-Haul Co.
1802 Sycamore Road, DeKalb
815-895-2842
Budget Truck Rental
901 East Lincoln Highway, DeKalb
815-756-3479
North American Van Lines
Based in Rockford, IL - Moving Company
815-756-3517
Atlas Van Lines
Provides moving and storage services, international relocation, tracking tools and more.
800-638-9797
http://www.atlasvanlines.com
STORAGE UNITS
Running out of storage space in your home? Need to find a place for storage? Utilize this list of local storage facilities in DeKalb and Sycamore.
Portable On Demand Storage (PODS)
866-229-4120
www.pods.com
Dimensions: 8'H x 8"W x 12'L and 8'H x 8"W x 16'L
DeKalb County Self-Storage
Units in DeKalb, Sycamore, Malta, and Cortland
1005 West Lincoln Highway, DeKalb
Phone: 815-756-3606
J & D Mini Storage
2131 East Lincoln Highway, DeKalb
815-756-2706
Blue Van and Storage Inc.
328 Bietz Avenue Suite A, DeKalb
815-756-2781
Mini Storage of Sycamore
2200 Gateway Drive, Sycamore
815-748-3616
Sycamore Self Storage
1420 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore
815-895-5668
Floit Brothers Self Storage
416 Wyman Street, Sycamore
815-899-6706
Self Storage Finders
Visit this self storage directory to find a quick and simple solution to self storage rentals in your area
http://www.selfstoragefinders.com
EZMoves
Moving? Living off campus? There is now a new service that helps you to connect all your utilities. EZMoves can help get the following resources connected in your new home:
- Local telephone
- High-Speed Internet
- Cable/Satellite
- Newspaper Delivery
- Change your address
- Electricity
- Natural gas
- Water and sewage
Also available:
- Financial services
- Moving services
- Additional services such as trash collection and security
Craigslist
Craigslist is a database of forums and local classifieds for over 450 cities worldwide – community moderated and free. You can find anything from jobs to furniture on Craigslist. This database can also be very useful for finding apartments and houses.
(To view searches for apt/houses in the Dekalb/Sycamore area, please click the link above, go to apts/houses, and in the search for box please enter: DeKalb/Sycamore)