Family Student Housing FAQs

While we are not currently offering in-person tours, you can preview floor plans and video tours on the University Village page. If you are in town, you are welcome to visit the public areas of University Village. 

You can also hear from University Village residents Giovanni, Char, and Camila, who offer a window into family student housing at UC Berkeley. Giovanni highlights family-friendly resources, Char shares the advantages of being able to live with their partner as a graduate student, and Camila introduces the Village International Program (VIP).

All family student housing apartments and townhouses are unfurnished. Bring your own furniture or rent through CORT Furniture Rental. For details about fixtures, appliances, amenities, and utilities in family student housing, visit the University Village page.

Eligible undergraduate and graduate students receive family housing priority over postdoctoral and visiting scholar applicants, with priority given to students who need housing for children. Visit Family Housing Eligibility for Tenancy for a detailed priority list for family student housing.

Housing offers are determined by a number of factors: 

• When you apply
• The length of the wait list
• Your eligibility priority
• How many apartments are available
• Time of year — summer months and the beginning of spring semester tend to be the busiest 

Typically, we aim to send offers four to six weeks before your preferred move-in date. Since our residents are on a month-to-month agreement, they can vacate their apartment at any time by providing at least 30 days’ notice; 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 residents.

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 Berkeley email.

If you decline your first offer, you will be moved to the end of the wait list to wait for a second offer. The time it takes to receive a second offer may vary depending on the current length of the wait list. If you decline your second offer as well, your application will be cancelled. Visit Family Housing Assignment Process and Offers for details.

If you are still interested in receiving housing, update your want date in your application to your new preferred move-in date. Your application will be automatically cancelled if the want date you indicated has expired by three months. Visit Family Housing Assignment Process and Offers for details.

The Family Student Housing agreement is month-to-month. Student residents of University Village must renew their rental agreement each year. Before you move out, you must submit an Intent to Vacate form with 30 days notice. Find details at Family Student Housing Move-Out.

All sublets MUST be approved by the UC Berkeley Housing office. Summer subleasing to UC affiliates is allowed during June to August only. For information about subletting, please contact UC Berkeley Off-Campus Rental Services at 510-643-6544 or homeinfo@berkeley.edu.

Family student housing is not guaranteed, and we recommend applying early and listing multiple apartment preferences to increase your chances of receiving an offer. Visit Family Housing Assignment Process and Offers for details about our wait list process. 

We suggest checking out UC Berkeley Off-Campus Rental Services, which can help with your search for off-campus housing.

Residents wishing to relocate should first review Family Housing Relocation. Relocations within Family Student Housing are not guaranteed, and your ability to relocate will depend upon a number of factors. New, eligible applicants on the wait list receive priority for vacant apartments.

The Family Student Housing agreement is month-to-month. When you decide to move out for any reason, you must complete and submit an Intent to Vacate (ITV) notice at least 30 days before you will vacate. 

If you are moving out because you are graduating, cancellation is not automatic and you must still submit the ITV form with 30 days notice. If you are graduating, submit your Intent to Vacate by:

• Spring graduates: May 30
• Summer graduates: June 30
• Fall graduates: December 1

Download the Intent to Vacate form at Family Student Housing Move-Out or access through “Online Forms” in the Housing Portal. Submit the form using one of the following methods:

• Email: Send a scanned copy to apts@berkeley.edu.
• Docusign: Log in to the Housing Portal, click “Online Forms,” select the Intent to Vacate form, and complete it using Docusign. The Docusign ITV form will automatically be sent to the Family Student Housing department for processing once completed.

Do not submit the Intent to Vacate form to the University Village Office; it must be submitted to the Family Student Housing department directly.

Visit Rental Verification for details.

Rent is prorated based on your move-out date, so you will not be charged the full month's rent if you submit the Intent to Vacate form on time and your vacate date is before the end of the month. You must submit an Intent to Vacate at least 30 days before you move out. Find details at Family Student Housing Move-Out.

If you do not submit the Intent to Vacate form at least 30 days before you move out, you will be billed 30 days of rent from the day the ITV form is received, even if you move out earlier. If you do not move out on time, you will be charged a $125 daily fine in addition to your rental rate for each additional day. 

• According to the rental agreement: "[Residents] agree to file the Intent to Vacate form at least thirty (30) days prior to vacating, and that, if for any reason the apartment is vacated before the end of the thirty (30) day period, they will continue to be responsible for the payment of the rent for thirty (30) days following the date of the notice." 

If there is a possibility you will need to move out later, you can submit an extension request by completing the Family Student Housing Extension Request Form. It is recommended that you submit the form at least 45 days before your current move-out date. Please note, extension requests are not guaranteed to be approved, so we recommend preparing to vacate on time in case your extension is not granted.