Understanding Housing: Your Options and Why They Matter

Housing Options for Travel Nurses

One of the biggest factors a nurse considers when deciding to travel is housing. Giving up the safety and security of home for life on the road can be intimidating, so it’s not hard to understand why this is at the top of so many nurses’ lists of priorities. Plus, as any savvy travel nurse will tell you, it’s where you can pocket extra money. So, do you go with the subsidy and find housing yourself or use company housing? Bonus — those aren’t your only options!

When you accept a travel assignment, you will have several housing options. These will vary depending on which agency you’ve chosen to travel with, as each one offers something slightly different. Some provide private housing while others provide shared housing, and furnishing packages can vary widely.

We’re exploring housing options below, but check out our Housing Guide where we’re breaking down everything you need to know — even if you take the stipend!

Option 1: Company-Provided Housing

When you take a travel assignment with TNAA, one housing option you’ll have is company-provided housing. This option offers a simple solution to finding a place to live in your new city, as our housing specialists locate, lease and furnish an apartment for you near the hospital where you will be working. You’ll receive a studio or one-bedroom apartment, basic furniture package, and basic utilities including electricity, gas, water, sewer, and trash – all set up and ready to go! We take care of the entire process, leaving little for you to do besides sign the paperwork and pay the rent and any deposits.

We love offering this convenient program to our nurses, but believe it or not, it’s not our most popular option. What could be the downside of having your housing completely handled for you? Well, company-provided housing is the most costly option. When you choose this program, 100% of your housing subsidy is used to provide you with the best possible accommodations, leaving no excess.

Option 2: Find Your Own Housing

Many travelers opt to save money from their housing stipends by finding their own housing. This is a great way to help your housing stipend go farther, as many good deals can be found when renting from private parties. Popular resources for finding private-party rentals include Craigslist, Airbnb and Furnished Finder.

Saving all that money is great, but finding your own housing in a completely new city is certainly intimidating. The downside to doing it yourself is that you could wind up wasting money on a property that doesn’t meet your standards, or in the worst case, be the victim of a scam. (Read our Craigslist Safety Tips) Our housing specialists advise travelers who want to find their own housing to stay in a hotel for the first two weeks of their assignment while they tour properties and meet apartment managers in person – and they are always happy to help set up reservations!

TNAA’s Easy Stay Program

Unique to TNAA, our Easy Stay Program helps you make the most out of your housing subsidy. Through our partnership with Travelers Haven, the country’s largest supplier of temporary housing to the healthcare industry, we give travelers access to their nationwide network of apartments, extended-stay hotels and privately owned properties, plus discounted rates and the convenience of rent, deposits and utilities in a single monthly payment. With the guidance of our housing specialists and the power to choose your own housing, it’s easy to see why this is our most popular option!

Our Housing Guide explores solutions for common roadblocks when finding your own housing.

We also offer our travelers other forms of assistance in setting up housing. For those who need a little help with start-up costs like deposits and utilities, we offer payment assistance which can be conveniently deducted from the first few paychecks of your assignment. Just want some advice on your new area? We’re happy to provide leads on apartments where we’ve placed happy travelers many times before and information about other vendors in the area.

Here for You at Every Step

At TNAA, we make the housing process as seamless as possible with one of the most trusted, experienced teams of housing specialists in the industry. No matter where you’re traveling or what your housing needs are, we’ll be here to help you have the best experience – and assignment – possible.