Frequently Asked Questions
Not all positions qualify for housing. Check your offer or acceptance letter to see if it references rental housing or ask your direct supervisor. If it appears that you are eligible or you are unsure, the next step is to apply. You can receive a housing application by emailing rhd@amherst.edu
Amherst/Smith/Mount Holyoke Colleges each has a limited number of rental housing for qualifying positions. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee housing or a certain type of housing until you have (1) applied for rental housing and we (2) have reached your application for processing on the list. There is no way to know what properties may or may not be available to you when this occurs. It’s possible that you will be first on the list and not like any of the available properties, or that you will only have one choice and it will be a perfect fit, or it’s also possible that no housing will be available by the time we get to your application. Please refer to the Dean of Faculty's housing policy to understand the application ranking process.
Our office works with the Offices of Human Resources and the Dean of the Faculty throughout the spring to determine who is eligible for housing. In addition, we are working with our current residents to determine what properties will be available to new residents. All of this information must come together prior to processing your application. We typically contact applicants during the month of May or early June to share a list of available properties and indicate where they ranked on the applicant list. Until then, we do not have any additional information to provide applicants
Applications are based on a specific housing policy. Please review the housing policy at your college to better understand the ranking process:
Showings are only offered to the applicant whom we are currently working with. This may or may not work with your travel schedule. If a full list of applicants is not available or we are not working with your application, we cannot arrange showings. There is no way to determine what properties will be available to you prior to your application being processed. Additionally, we do not provide weekend showings.
Once a list of applicants and available properties are available (typically in May or early June) we will email you a link to a live website that will continue to update both lists. The list of applicants will remain anonymous but will show how many applicants there are, what type of property they are most interested in, and where they rank in relation to your application. The list of available properties will include addresses, floor plans, bed/bath counts, rent, and utilities. Until these lists are available, our office cannot provide individual updates for applicants.
We cannot provide proof of residency until you have signed your lease. Depending upon your ranking and available properties, this could happen any time between the months of May and July.
Eligibility for college housing is based on your employment at each college. If you are not employed at the college then you are not eligible for their housing.
Each applicant will be given three days to view and make a decision about which property to rent (or not rent). We do not make exceptions for those who wish to travel and view properties. We will provide floor plans, pictures, and detailed descriptions by phone to help you make your decision.