Family Student Housing - Frequently Asked Questions
How can I view an apartment?
We highly recommend viewing the apartment before you accept an offer. To make an appointment, please contact the Cal Housing Office at (510) 642-4109 or at apts@berkeley.edu. Please note that appointments need to be made with at least 48 hours notice.
If you are unable to view an apartment, we suggest looking at the University Village map to view the location of your apartment offer:
View map of University Village Albany
What is the difference between an INACTIVE and ACTIVE status on the wait list?
INACTIVE – Your application is incomplete and missing documentation. We are unable to make offers to the INACTIVE wait list, unless we have exhausted the ACTIVE wait list. Regardless, if you still want housing, please submit all necessary documentation to complete your application as soon as possible. Official housing offers can only be made after the application is complete.
ACTIVE – Your application is complete and all documentation has been submitted. You are eligible to be offered housing.
What happens if I decline an offer?
We will ask if you would like to remain on the wait list and for your new want date. Your position on the wait list will not change if you decline an offer. Your wait list position only changes when someone with a higher priority submits an application.
What happens if my preferred move-in date passes without receiving an offer?
If you are still interested in receiving housing, please update your preferred move-in date on your application. If we do not hear from you after your want date passes, then we will assume that you are no longer interested in Family Student Housing and will cancel your application.
Please note that your application will be automatically cancelled if the preferred move-in date you indicated has expired by six months.
How is priority determined in Family Student Housing?
Clients are housed according to the following priority below:
Postdocs & Visiting Scholars will be offered housing only when there are no students on the wait list and only for vacancies in University Village in Albany.
**Please note that your wait list position will change if a person applies with a higher priority than yours. **
Priority is determined as follows:
- Single (unpartnered) students with children.
- Married or partnered students with children.
- Single (unpartnered) student under the age of 18, dependent and living with parent or guardian.
- Single (unpartnered) students with a dependent over 18.
- Married or partnered students without children.
- Single (unpartnered) re-entry student and graduate students (eligible for 1 bedroom apartments only)
- Post-doctoral fellows & Visiting Scholars married or partnered, with children
- Post-doctoral fellows & Visiting Scholars married or partnered, without children
If I am offered housing, for how long is my contract? Do I have to provide notice when vacating my apartment?
The Family Student Housing (FSH) agreement is month-to-month. When you decide to leave FSH, you must complete and submit an Intent to Vacate (IV) notice at least 30 days before you will vacate your unit. You may download the IV form at our website at: http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/housing/family/intent_to_vacate.pdf
You may also pick one up from the Cal Housing Office at 2610 Channing Way in Berkeley or the Village Office at 1125 Jackson Street in Albany. The IV form may be submitted to either the Cal Housing or Village Office. Please remember that you must submit it 30 days before the day you intend to vacate. You can also submit the IV via a scanned attachment email to apts@berkeley.edu, or fax to (510) 642-4026.
How soon can I expect to receive an offer?
Housing offers are determined by a number of factors: when you apply, your priority, the length of the wait list, how many apartments we have available and the time of year (the summer months and the beginning of spring semester tend to be our most busy times of the year). Typically, we will begin making offers about a month before your preferred move-in date. Since our tenants are on a month-to-month agreement they can vacate their apartment at any time providing at least 30 days notice, and therefore we cannot predict or guarantee that something will be available when you need to move in. We are unaware of what apartments will be available in the future until we receive a vacate notice from our tenants.
**Postdocs/Visiting Scholars: Please remember that students get priority for available apartments.**
We will notify you by email when an apartment becomes available and your name is reached on the wait list. Please be sure to check your email.
Is subletting allowed in Family Student Housing?
Summer subleasing to UC affiliates is allowed during June to August only.
**All sublets MUST be approved by the Cal Housing Office. For information about subletting, please contact the Cal Housing Office at 510-642-4109 or apts@berkeley.edu.
Is Family Student Housing guaranteed?
Newly admitted incoming undergraduate fall freshmen and transfer students with families who meet the following criteria are guaranteed to receive a Family Student Housing (FSH) apartment offer:
- Student must be married, domestic partnered, or single parent(s) with full or joint custody of child(ren) who resides in FSH at least 50% of the year.
- Student must complete a Family Student Housing application by June 7. http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/livingatcal/applications/FSH_application.pdf
- Student must submit their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by the Registrar’s deadline.
- Student must be flexible with their housing preferences and preferred move-in date.
Please note that while new students receive priority for housing, we can not guarantee a preferred housing choice or apartment will be available on the preferred move-in date. We guarantee to make new students an offer from the available housing inventory. The student understands that if their first apartment choice is not available, an offer for an alternate apartment will be made which fulfills the housing guarantee.
Graduate students, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Visiting Scholars are not guaranteed housing. The best way to increase your chances of receiving housing is to apply early, get your name on the wait list, and be flexible with your housing preferences.
We also recommend looking elsewhere for housing besides FSH, since housing is not guaranteed. We suggest checking out Cal Rentals, which can aid you in looking for housing in the private market. Cal Rentals provides listings and guidance to help you find the housing right for you. Their website is https://calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu/ and their phone is (510) 642-3644.
Can I transfer to a different apartment in Family Student Housing?
Transfers within Family Student Housing are not guaranteed, and your ability to transfer will depend upon a number of factors. New eligible applicants on the wait list receive priority for vacant apartments. Residents wishing to transfer should first review the Family Student Housing transfer policy.
If you meet our transfer criteria, please submit a transfer application and the appropriate supporting documents to the Cal Housing Office, 2610 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-2272, (510) 642-4109, apts@berkeley.edu. If your request is approved, and there are no new eligible applicants on the wait list, you will receive an offer according to your position on the transfer list.
Do Family Student Housing apartments come furnished?
No. Each apartment will be equipped only with a stove and a refrigerator.
What utilities are included in University Village in Albany (UVA)?
UVA – Water, garbage, recycling, gas, electricity and landscaping, internet, basic cable and 1 free parking space.
**Phone Service – You must activate your own account for UVA.**
What type of apartments does University Village in Albany offer?
University Village in Albany (UVA) is composed of West and East Village
West Village offers the following housing options:
1 bedroom, 1 bath flat
2 bedroom, 1 bath flat (sizes may differ)
3 bedroom, 1 ½ bath flat
Note: West Village units can be located on the first, second and third floors.
East Village offers the following housing options:
2 bed, 1 bath flat
2 bed, 2 bath flat
2 bed, 1 bath townhouse (sizes may differ)
2 bed, 2 bath townhouse
2 bed, 2 bath townhouse w/study
3 bed, 1 bath flat
3 bed, 2 bath flat
Notes about East Village townhouses:
**A townhouse is a two-story unit. In East Village the townhouses can be located on either the first and second floors or the second and third floors. A townhouse located on the second and third floors includes a first set of stairs to reach the second floor.
**Also note that Buildings 100-117 CANNOT accommodate a queen-sized box spring mattress. These buildings can accommodate a queen-sized bed only if a split box spring is purchased.