Finding temporary housing can be a considerable challenge for travelers. As a traveling healthcare professional, you have two choices when it comes to finding housing on assignment:  

• 1. You can have your company provide housing. This has its pros and cons. As a pro, it’s less work for you. Your company does all of the work to set up and secure housing. You just move right in. Also, housing through your company would be private. However, as a con, it could end up costing you more money, because the money comes out of your bill rate. If your agency has to spend $3500/month to find you housing, then that money is coming out of your pay. 
• 2. You can take a housing stipend and find housing yourself. The pro to this is that you could find much more affordable housing and you are in charge of finding what works for you. The cons of this are that it can be a lot of work, stress, and potential to cost more money for you if you need to break a lease. Finding your own housing also means that you would be responsible for paying deposits, which can be hefty, and you are responsible for breaking a lease if your assignment gets canceled. Unfortunately, things happen and your assignment could be canceled at any time, or you may have to cancel an assignment. Breaking a lease could be extra stress and money.

If you do choose to find your own housing on assignment, here are some great websites to help you out. The sites are listed in alphabetical order, make sure to read all of them! 

Airbnb

Airbnb is an online marketplace where hosts can list properties for rent. Properties can be private or shared spaces (rooms). You can book on Airbnb for a day, week, or months. Weekly and monthly rates are often discounted, so make sure to check the rate before you dismiss a place for having a high nightly rate.

Furnished Finder

Furnished Finder connects traveling healthcare professionals with landlords for monthly rentals on furnished properties. You can rent both private or shared spaces. Furnished Finder does not get involved with the housing transaction. So, the lease agreement and rental payments are between the tenant and landlord.

Health Care Travels

Health Care Travels is a safe and secure online marketplace that connects traveling healthcare professionals with property owners. Health Care Travels ensures all platform users are verified and handles all payments between the traveler and the property owner as an additional safety feature to protect travelers’ payments each month.

Nurse BNB

Nursesbnb is an online marketplace that specializes in helping traveling healthcare professionals find and book suitable housing close to hospitals throughout the USA. They are the first ever online booking platform with dual legal protection. They also offer fully automated platform with online safety verification

Candlewood Suites and StayBridge Suites by IHG 

Owned by IHG, Candlewood Suites and StayBridge Suites are two brands hotels, that offer residential like suites for longer term hotel stays. Candlewood Suites offers spacious and comfortable suites with kitchens and home-like amenities. The longer you stay, the more discounted rates that you can get on stays. 

StayBridge also boasts complimentary hot breakfast every day and complimentary food and drink happy hour three days a week! They are pet-friendly and offer free laundry machines and high-speed wifi. 

Comfort Suites and MainStay Suites by Choice Hotels

Choice Hotel group brands, Comfort Suites and MainStay Suites, offer additional conveniences for long-term stay guests. Comfort Suites offer 100% smoke-free hotels with free hot breakfast, and in-room refrigerators and microwaves. MainStay Suites offer apartment-like suites that offer separate areas for working and sleeping and a fully-equipped kitchen. They also have complimentary continental breakfast daily and regular housekeeping service during your stay. 

Extended Stay America 

Extended Stay America has 629 properties of extended stay hotels across the US. The hotels include kitchenettes and offer discounted rates for longer term stays. All locations are pet-friendly, have high-speed internet, housekeeping services, and offer free grab and go breakfast! Select locations have pools, hot tubs, fitness centers, and shuttles to local sites. 

Facebook Groups 

Groups on Facebook can connect travelers with hosts who are posting housing. One of our favorites is Gypsy Soul Housing. Group hack: the feeds can get full quickly, so use keywords, such as the city or state you are looking for, to search for housing in your area. You can easily pull up old posts and see if anything is available. 

Also, Facebook groups tend to be full of scammers who are looking to trick you out of your money. Be careful when anything sounds too good to be true, or a landlord is pressuring you to send a security deposit.

Homeaway/VRBO

Homeaway and VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) are sister companies who allow hosts to list their properties for short-term rentals. While traditionally for vacation rentals, traveling healthcare professionals have successfully used these sites to locate temporary housing accommodations. 

June Homes 

June Homes offers flexible one month to one-year rentals on fully furnished properties. The properties are turn key ready and perfect for traveling healthcare professionals. June Homes has properties in some amazing locations and offer exclusive services, like HBO and Netflix and even espresso machines in certain locations. 

While finding temporary housing a traveling healthcare professional can be a challenge, these websites can help to make your search easier. 

 

Author: Julia Kuhn MS CCC-SLP is a traveling speech-language pathologist who is passionate about helping healthcare professionals travel for work. You can find her at http://www.thetravelingtraveler.com

Published June 26, 2019