Travel Nurse Housing – The “Real” costs and steps to set up temporary housing (Part 4)
As a travelling nurse or medical professional you are away from home quite often and usually for long periods of time and moving comes with many things to do…including usually the most important…finding a temporary apartment or home. With more than 66 steps involved in setting up a temporary furnished apartment, why would anyone want to take on this challenge as often as those of you in the travelling nurse profession do? By using a professional temporary furnished housing company like Travel-Nurse-Housing.com, you not only save the incredible time but also a significant cost (25-50%) when compared to doing it yourself.
The very first thing someone needs to find is an apartment. There are 16 steps involved just in locating and securing an apartment that will rent to you on a short term basis. Last month I talked about the first eight, here are steps 9-12:
Step 9- You will need to write a check on the first of each month to pay your rent. While everyone has some sort of payment to make, whether it is a mortgage or rent, this is just one of the several checks you will need to write each month… and remember to do so…when you set up a temporary furnished apartment on your own. This is not such a big deal until you consider that many of you are working shift work and very long hours and trying to remember to write all those checks each beginning of the month can become a bit of a hassle. When you use a company, all of this can be automated for you, even allowing you to use your credit card to make your SINGLE monthly payment for everything, including your apartment rent. Just think about never having to worry if all your bills are paid on time each month!!! Added bonus…if you have a rewards card, gain valuable rewards points for a vacation or nice gift at he end of the year. How is that for convenience!!!
Step 10- What happens if you lose your mail key or apartment key? You will need to take the time to go get a new one made possibly missing work time… and the additional cost of those keys can be significant as most apartment communities will charge $25-$50 for each key. If you do lose keys, or just simply can’t find them, help is only a phone call away to your friendly customer service representative.
Step 11- What happens if you are locked out of your apartment in the middle of the night? If you are on your own, then it will be up to you to figure out how to get in. You may even need to find a reputable lock-smith to open your door for you… and you will have no idea who will show up. Just think about this…they already know you are locked out and in a bit of distress, what happens if the company or person you call decides to take advantage of the situation…any number of things can come to mind. With a professional company, there are procedures in place for just this occasion and many times a company representative will be able to come let you into your apartment. How is that for peace of mind?
[pullquote] There are 16 steps involved just in locating and securing an apartment that will rent to you on a short term basis.[/pullquote]
Step 12- You will only be able to move in to your apartment during normal office hours when doing it on your own. You will also need to be available in the beginning of the set-up process to pick up keys and sign lease documents during normal business hours. This can be especially hard if you are not in the vicinity while making initial arrangements. Working with a professional company, you can do all this remotely, and they will take care of getting your keys to you, even via overnight mail, if perhaps you were to arrive during other than normal business hours so that you can have a smooth check-in process.
By securing a relationship with a travel nurse housing company that does this every day, you will be relieved of the headaches as well as the financial burdens associated with doing it alone. For housing coordinators, your life will be much easier as well by making one phone call instead of potentially hundreds for each new location you need.
Dan Gorman is a Certified Corporate Housing Professional member and an expert in the field of furnished housing for traveling nurses. Please visit www.travel-nurse-housing.com for more information about travel nurse housing solutions and locations or email at Dan@travel-nurse-housing.com.