For those who do get accepted (hopefully all of you!), let me just say that you should NOT feel too rushed to find a place. The majority of rentals in Davis follow the Davis Model Lease, which runs from Sept 1-Aug 31, but the apartment complexes start advertising their fall openings in February. It's absolutely insane!! But unless you really want to live in an apartment complex, I wouldn't worry too much about being behind the curve. Even if you DO want to be in a complex, they definitely still have openings throughout the summer.
When I got in, I had the impression that every place in Davis would be gone and I had to pick the first semi-reasonable place I found - in early April! I wound up getting a place that was a really bad fit for me, one that I never would have chosen if I'd given myself a little more time to look around and do some research. If you're looking for a duplex or condo, or even a privately-owned house (not managed by a rental company), you will find that there are plenty being advertised throughout the spring and summer on Craigslist, the Davis Enterprise, and Davis CHL. Many individual landlords don't even advertise until about 1-2 months before vacancy (like any other normal city!). The whole college town/model lease thing has really screwed up the timing of rentals here, in my opinion, but if you don't put in a deposit on a place in March there will still be plenty of options for you, so don't let it freak you out.
I hope that helps some of you! It's something I wish I'd known a year ago 😳
) I'm looking forward to having access to the ARC again (yeah a gym)...and the arboretum for running...and quitting my job.....(although that's going to happen no matter what!)
