On-line Rental Listings Debut

Whether seeking to rent housing units or rooms, help is available on-line to faculty or staff, thanks to the Internet service of the Community Housing Office (CHO).

After only three months on the Web http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/hchoices/cho-rental-home.htm CHO offers more than 300 listings. They range from entire houses and condominiums to apartments and rooms in private homes, with most listings in Goleta and Santa Barbara. Community housing will even arrange for a roommate, though that service is usually requested by students living in Isla Vista, reports Beth Ford, CHO assistant manager.

Registration for the service is on-line, too. Processing requests normally takes one business day. Once registered there is no charge to make a search, and employees are starting to use the system. "Between five and six faculty or staff inquiries come in on-line each day," Ford estimated.

Fees are charged if an employee wants to advertise a room ($10) or a vacant unit ($20). If a landlord from the larger community wants to advertise, the rates are higher and variable. Contact the CHO's Web site or call x4371 for more details.