How to Find Housing for Travel Nurses

There are many different ways to find housing for travel nurses. Some nursing professionals choose to take a tax-free stipend over agency-provided accommodations because they prefer doing the research and picking their own housing. Others may expect you to handle the accommodations. If so, it’s important that you give them safe and affordable housing that enables them to rest and recover between shifts.

In this article, we review key points to consider when searching for temporary accommodations and provide a list of frequently used housing options that appeal to a wide variety of travel nurses. With these resources, you’ll be able to improve employee work-life balance and ensure a more successful placement for your contracted staff.

Types of Housing for Travel Nurses

You have plenty of choices when looking for short-term rentals for healthcare workers. While you want to stay within your budget, remember that nursing can be a stressful job and reasonably comfortable housing can help alleviate burnout and ensure a more successful placement.Here are five of the top housing options used for nursing accommodation:

1. Extended-Stay Hotels

A common type of housing provided by agencies is an extended-stay hotel. These hotels are convenient because units usually include a kitchenette and amenities. However, if your nurses work night shifts and sleep during the day, the hotel’s housekeeping schedule might interrupt their sleep or leave them without clean towels. If you’re booking several rooms in one hotel on a consistent basis, you might ask if the hotel can adjust the housekeeping schedule for those rooms.

2. Condominiums and Apartments

You may be able to find condo or apartment units to sublet for the typical 13-week travel nurse stay. If you send a steady supply of nurses to the same location all year, it might be worth signing a year’s lease for an empty unit that accommodates four nurse rotations. You’ll need furnished housing for travel nurses, so look for fully appointed units or be prepared to buy or rent what’s needed.

3. Off-Season Vacation Rentals

Rates are usually less expensive in vacation destinations during the off-season. Housing for travel nurses in California, for example, may be easier to find in the fall and winter seasons. Accommodations in these areas discount their rates when tourists aren’t there; and you may find rentals near attractions, dining, and shopping.

4. Bed and Breakfasts and Guest Rooms

B and Bs, guest rooms in a home, or cottages on residential property can be cozy short-term rentals for traveling professionals for stays lasting just a couple of days or weeks.

5. RVs

RV rental companies provide housing for traveling nurses and doctors who love the outdoors and prefer driving over flying. This can be convenient for a travel nurse who expects to go to several consecutive assignments. Open campground spots are listed on Airbnb.

What to Consider When Choosing Housing

The perpetual cycle of hiring, training, and reposting vacant positions makes short-term staffing a costly and time consuming option for facilities in need of clinical employees. If, after considering all clinical and financial goals, your facility decides to hire temporary staff, it’s important to select accommodations that will appeal to a wide array of ages, genders, and lifestyles.

As you find housing for travel nurses, you’ll come across a number of different facility types. To choose between them, you also need to consider the individuals themselves and what the assignment requires. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind:

Spousal and Family Considerations

If spouses or children come along, you’ll need to find housing that is appropriate for the family. For example, a small hotel room will not be comfortable for a nurse, spouse and child. You’ll need to know if a travel nurse intends to bring a pet, and then make sure the accommodation allows pets. Check to see whether a deposit or additional monthly fee is required.

Amenities Needed

When you hear “amenities,” you might think of luxuries like hot tubs. In this case, we’re talking about basics like laundry facilities, parking, Wi-Fi and cable service, paid utilities, snow removal, yard maintenance, house cleaning, and emergency services. Depending on the type of housing, these services and conveniences might come with the rent or lease. Otherwise, consider those costs in your budget.

Furniture and Housewares Required

Not all travel nurse housing will be move-in ready. If it’s an apartment, it may or may not come furnished. Most extended-stay hotels and some vacation rentals come equipped with dishes, coffee makers, linens, and other household necessities. Otherwise, you’ll need to rent or buy these items.

Preferred Location/Transportation

As you try to find housing for travel nurses, you’ll naturally want it to be close to their workplace. Some travel nurse websites that list available housing include maps with hospitals and medical centers. Other considerations include whether parking is accessible and free and if public transportation is nearby.

Safety Considerations

Many variables contribute to whether housing is considered safe. Adequate lighting, security systems, close parking, and neighborhood location are just some of the things that impact whether a property is a safe place to house travel nurses. Be sure to look at online reviews and area crime statistics to get a clearer picture of the location’s safety.

Logistics

Someone on your staff needs to be the point person when arranging housing for travel nurses. Will you have a person dedicated to providing this service? You might need an entire travel department if you’re a larger agency.

How to Find Housing for Travel Nurses: Some Cautions

You want your travel nurses to have a positive experience with your agency. Here are some things to watch for when sourcing housing:

• If it sounds too good to be true, especially regarding price, it probably is.
• Perform a background check on landlords to assure you’re dealing with someone reputable.
• Never wire any money for deposits, etc. That can be a sign of a scam because wired money is not traceable.
• If you are signing a lease, make sure it is short-term only.
• Run a Google image search of the property to see if it matches up to the description.
• Look for online reviews of the property.
• Question high-pressure sales tactics.
• Check the listing for misspellings, confusing language, and odd hours of communication (e.g., calling/emailing you at 3 a.m.) that could signal a scam.

Resources for Housing Travel Nurses

We’ve given you some ideas for types of housing and what else to consider as you find housing for travel nurses at your facility. But where do you find these safe, affordable, convenient, and available places? Check out this list of both general and traveling nurse housing websites and apps to start your search:

Reach Nurses Today With the Largest Nationwide Nurse Hiring Network

Figuring out how to find housing for travel nurses is just one of many challenges associated with keeping your facility fully staffed. If you’re trying to find the right nursing professionals at the right time — and coming up short — we can help you reach over 1 million nursing professionals looking for work. Find out how by posting your open positions on our nationwide nursing job board today.

IntelyCare writer Kathleen Walder contributed to the writing and research for this article.