Finding Housing: Agency vs. Stipend
Housing can make or break your assignment experience. To help you decide which works best for your lifestyle, here’s a comparative look on the two most common options.
Agency Provided HousingYour work agency will arrange your housing. | Payment of StipendYou will be paid a stipend, and arrange your own housing. |
| Pros | |
Simple – You won’t have to deal with security deposits and utilities. Available – You are sure to have a place to stay even in smaller cities with limited housing options. Better Prices – Housing provided by the agency may be better than what you can afford with the housing stipend. Better Landlords – Landlords and property managers are more attentive to large corporations than individuals with short-term leases. No Money Up-Front – You won’t have to pay for the lease, deposits, or anything else out of pocket. Cancellation Safeguards – You avoid a potentially costly situation if your assignment is canceled before your lease expires. | Choose Where You Live – You have complete discretion over where and how you live. Control How You Live – You get extra move-in/move-out time. You build your moving timeline and control how you live. Save Your Stipend – You may look for low-cost lodging, bring your own furniture, travel in pairs, etc. to save your stipend money. Get Extra Time To Get Settled – You can have a few days before the start of your assignment to explore the new city, go grocery shopping, find the best route to the hospital, and so on. |
| Cons | |
| No Control – You will have no say on where you will stay. | Budgeting – It may be challenging to find lodgings within the allocated budget. |
Other Housing Options
As a traveling clinician, you have plenty of housing alternatives. Here are other common housing options you may consider.Travel Nurse Housing Sites
There are dedicated websites for travel nurse lodging such as:
Airbnb – https://www.airbnb.com/
Furnished Finder – https://www.furnishedfinder.com/
VRBO – https://www.vrbo.com/
Hotel Engine – https://members.hotelengine.com/join/stabilityhc
Kopa – https://www.kopa.co/kopa-for-good
Snap Stays – https://snapstays.com/?utm_source=jpnursebd
Facebook Groups – Travel Nurse Housing
The Gypsy Nurse: https://www.thegypsynurse.com/housing/
We also recommend to clinicians to always look at monthly or longer stay bookings as the prices are typically reduced due to the length of stay.
They present housing options that are:
- Fully equipped
- Near hospitals
- Have short-term lease
They offer a wide array of lodging options — from private rooms to complete apartments, and may have bonus features such as incorporating utilities in the monthly rent or being pet-friendly.
Extended-Stay Hotels
Staying at hotels can be a terrific option when you are looking for convenience.
Hotels often provide perks such as:
- Free continental breakfast
- Free Wi-Fi
- Fully furnished kitchen or kitchenettes
- Bed and kitchen linens
- Pool and hot tub
- Workout facilities
- Events for guests
Ask your nursing recruiter if they have partner hotels that give discounts.
Friends and Relatives
Living with your friends or family is always an option. You can spend quality time with them, and save some money. If those sound good to you then this is a great option to consider.
Housing Considerations
To help you choose the best lodging option that fits your priorities, here are some questions you should ask yourself before finalizing your decision.
General Considerations
Experienced travel nurses prefer self-placement because it allows them to maximize their earning potential. Let’s imagine your rental agency will pay you $3200 per month to find a place to live. If you can get a rental property for $1200, you can save the remaining $2,000.
Are you looking for a way to get a better income? Is it more vital to go on a new adventure? If you want to make as much money as possible, finding your own lodging and taking advantage of the non-taxable travel nurse housing stipend may be the ideal option. You need to have your mind cleared regarding why you are taking on the job.
The typical duration of a travel nurse assignment is 12-13 weeks or three months. This makes it difficult to find rental properties, as even most short-term contracts begin at six months. Monthly furnished rentals are now available through Furnished Finder for traveling professionals who want the convenience and stability of a real home without the credit checks and applications that come with it. But any traveling healthcare workers should visit any travel nurse housing sites, or any housing platform for that matter, and leave no stone unturned in their search.
Any housing-related questions should be answered by your recruiter. Most travel nurse companies strive to maintain accommodation as close to the hospital as possible—usually within a 30-minute commute—but each location will have its own set of alternatives.
When it comes to parking, each area will have its own set of rules. Off-site parking can add time to a daily journey, so it’s crucial to know ahead of time what the situation is. Some hospitals or healthcare facilities charge fees for parking in staff lots, while others provide shuttle service to and from lots farther distant from the facility.
Most travel medical professionals declare a home base (which allows them to receive the additional stipends because they are only considered to be “traveling” if their destinations are a certain distance from their homes) and usually have financial obligations related to that home base, family members, or personal finances such as loans, medical expenses, transportation, and so on.
Furnished apartments should include all essential items, such as tables, seats, lights, and mattresses. Except in places where it is difficult to bring a car, travelers must carry their own cooking supplies, devices, and linens.
Your temporary housing may be located close to the medical facilities, but is it safe? Do basic research regarding the neighborhood where you’re going to live before accepting any travel nursing job.
Housing Stipend Considerations
A housing stipend is a certain amount of money built into your contract to cover the cost of accommodation while you’re on assignment. This can include funds for accommodation, transportation, and food. The stipend is provided weekly through your paycheck and is based on a monthly rate. If you choose a monthly stipend, you will be responsible for your own accommodation and utilities.
When individuals hear that the stipend or budget for housing is connected to the government in some way, they often assume that the government provides it. Sometimes, you’ll see this on social media, but this isn’t the case.
Instead, the stipend, like the rest of the travel nursing pay package, is deducted from the bill rate, which is the hourly amount at which the hospital agrees to pay the travel nursing agency for an hour of work.
A few healthcare travelers will sell their homes, store their belongings, and travel without a “home” where they can pay rent or a mortgage. In this case, any funds raised for housing will be taxed at the standard rate.
You can collect any money granted for accommodation without paying taxes if you have a tax home established wherever you are from. This can make a big difference in your take-home money, especially if you can locate affordable lodging wherever you go.
Simply defined, your tax home is where you earn the majority of your nursing income. For many travel nurses, their tax home is their permanent address, which is the address on their driver’s license.
You may be asking why the GSA refers to it as “Per Diem,” but we refer to it as a “stipend.” The Latin term “per diem” means “per day.” The GSA gives lodging charges as daily figures. For example, the current Per Diem lodging rate in Sacramento, CA is $145 per day.
A “stipend,” on the other hand, is a “set recurring sum received as a wage or allowance.” Because most agencies pay their lodging reimbursements in lump sums, this term is better suited to the travel healthcare sector. They usually pay them on a weekly or bimonthly basis. Furthermore, most agencies quote their housing reimbursements as a monthly amount.
Also, adopting the term stipend avoids the ambiguity caused by the healthcare industry’s usage of the term “per diem” to refer to daily or on-call staffing.
If they spend their whole stipend on accommodation and only take home $25 after taxes and insurance, the majority of travel nurses would be unable to cover their complete expenses at home and while on assignment. As a result, while assessing whether or not a pay package will fit your budget, you must consider the entire package.
Most recruiters will structure their pay packages to maximize pay while staying under particular taxable ranges. This means that while the housing stipend may appear to be generous, you may be earning a lesser hourly wage (imagine $25 per hour).
For travel nurse lodging, there is no defined stipend amount. While housing stipends vary per agency, each must adhere to the Government Services Administration’s guidelines (GSA).
Furthermore, the amount granted for travel nurse lodging is determined by the following factors:
- The assignment’s location.
- Season of the year.
The pay for housing for a travel nurse is determined by the next three factors:
Assignment location
Due to the higher cost of living in some areas of the country, travel assignments in those areas pay higher stipends. Rental costs and living expenses in larger cities, such as New York City, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, are likely to be more than in a tiny town in Missouri or Iowa, for example. As a result, the GSA stipend maximum will very certainly be higher in such places.
Time of the year
Let’s say you’ve always wanted to work in Florida during the winter. Because of the increased winter population in the state, the GSA may increase the stipend limit for the winter months to account for rising living costs and a lack of affordable homes at that time of year.
Type of housing
Naturally, a travel nurse who chooses to live in a single-family home or two-bedroom apartment will pay significantly more per month for accommodation than a nurse who decides to live in an Airbnb studio.
Housing Tips
Whether you are an experienced travel nurse or just about to begin your first assignment, finding housing may feel overwhelming. So we curated some tried-and-proven tips to help lessen the burden of finding the right accommodation and preparing for your next move.Packing Tips
The amount of items you need to pack will greatly depend on your housing arrangement. But for any assignment, these basic necessities should be in your packing list.Important Documents
Store them in one secure container to avoid the hassle of transporting them from great distances or paying for replacements.Toiletries
Make sure you have enough supplies to last you through the first few days. Be extra careful in packing liquids to avoid spills in your luggage.Electronics
It’s hard to survive our modern world without our devices. So be sure to pack your phone, tablet, laptop, etc. and their corresponding chargers and adaptors.Personal Items
Even if you’re a seasoned travel nurse, it’s helpful to have a few items that remind you of your loved ones with you.First-Aid Kit
Having a first aid kit hand when you’re not at work is important. See here for recommended list.Clothes
Bring work clothes (e.g. scrubs) that fit your prospective employer’s criteria. Pro tip: check the average temperature inside and outside of your work location to pack accordingly.Household Items
The amount and type of household items you’ll need to bring is determined by the level of furnishing offered by your landlord.Pet Supplies
Bring medications and a file (on paper or digital) with your pet’s health certificates and medical history, and contact information for the veterinarian who last treated them.Independent Housing Tips
Finding a place that fits your stipend may appear daunting at first, but you have several resources at your disposal to make the process go smoothly. Consider the following before signing any documents:If it looks too good to be true, it is
On Craigslist, you can find real home alternatives, but they come at a price. You can’t believe everything you see on Craigslist. Someone will post a too-good-to-be-true Craigslist housing offer, and you need to ask yourself whether it’s real or not. Thankfully, if you are part of a travel nurse community, you can ask them about it and get great advice. Always dig more about a place before saying yes to any offer.Research your potential landlord online
Remember these three rules when dealing with potential landlords through email:- Use your instincts; they’re generally correct.
- Verify that the visuals correspond to the price.
- It’s almost certainly a con if the photographs are stunning, yet the rent is ridiculously low.
- Never send money to anyone. Scammers are online bullies who prey on stranded tourists.
Vacation rentals yield good results
Websites that specialize in vacation rentals are a fantastic place to start. HomeAway, VRBO, and Airbnb are three of the most popular. These sites offer some excellent housing possibilities and, for the most part, keep scammers at bay. Simply enter a location or state, and you’ll be able to see a large number of vacation rentals. You’ll need to filter out the houses that don’t make sense for you, just like any other site.Extended hotel stay is an option
Travel nurses frequently use extended stay hotels as a bridge between standard accommodation and as a housing alternative in and of itself. Some travelers like hotel services such as breakfast, housekeeping, and fitness facilities, and most hotels accept animals weighing up to 60 pounds. In addition, the majority of these hotels include kitchens, which can help you save money on food when traveling and give you a sense of home while you’re away on business. In addition, compared to an apartment, hotels offer more flexibility on the back end in the event that your job is unexpectedly canceled.Housing FAQs
Yes, if you accept agency-provided housing and do not request any upgrades. The answer is also yes if you take the housing allowance and find anything within that budget. You’ll have to spend more if you want luxuries like two bedrooms, a vacuum, or a washer/dryer in the housing. Similarly, if you can’t find what you want for the stipend amount, you may have to pay for it yourself.
Most agencies cover the cost of utilities (gas, electricity, and water) up to a certain point; you might have to pay extra if going past an amount. Cable and internet are normally paid for by travel nurses, though some companies may reimburse them, especially in cases of short-term stays.
For the most part, the agency will supply the following:
- Queen-size bed, one-night stand, one dresser, and a lamp in the bedroom
- Dining area: Four chairs at a small kitchen table
- Couch, chair, end table, coffee table, lamp, and TV stand in the living room Dishes, linens, a television, mattress, and a vacuum cleaner are all considered extras that will increase the cost. A washer/dryer and even a microwave are not often included in the usual package. Some of these items are negotiable.
If you ask, the housing team on most staffing firms will give you two to three housing choices if they have more than one. You’ll hear the disclaimer that just because you put in a request doesn’t mean it’ll be fulfilled.
The amount of the housing stipend is defined by the contract, the city, and how the specific agency divides its compensation package. As a result, each travel nursing assignment may pay you a different amount.
Most of the time, no. On the other hand, you may be forced to share a room with another nurse or take a lesser income in return for a private room because of short-term assignments. This is something you should be aware of before applying for the job.
Yes! It’s something you’ll want to talk about with your recruiter right away. They’ll have to look for pet-friendly homes, and you’ll almost certainly be required to pay a pet deposit.
This does, unfortunately, happen in agency-placed housing. Contact your recruiter right away, and they’ll most likely solve the situation if it’s genuinely bad. It is recommended doing your homework before leaving on an assignment as it will help you avoid unpleasant housing surprises.
It could be any of the aforementioned, as well as a hotel. If your assignment takes you to a big city, you’ll most likely be living in an apartment complex. However, in smaller places with fewer alternatives, there is greater diversity in where you may be placed.
It could be any of the aforementioned, as well as a hotel. If your assignment takes you to a big city, you’ll most likely be living in an apartment complex. However, in smaller places with fewer alternatives, there is greater diversity in where you may be placed.
Contact your staffing agency and the landlord immediately. The agency should offer to put you up in a hotel overnight if it’s not solved. Usually, issues are more minor than this, if they happen at all.
On a case-by-case basis, this will be decided. Travel nurses tend to face pushback if their organization is locked into a lease that they can’t get out of. They should, however, address the issue if the home is in dire need of repair. However, if it’s just because you changed your mind because of personal preferences, relocating at the last minute can be challenging.
Taking the housing stipend carries a significant risk of having your contract terminated. If your contract is canceled, the hospital will usually notify your recruiter, who will then notify you. This tends to happen rapidly and with little warning. In rare situations, though, the hospital would give you two weeks’ notice before ending your contract, leaving you and your travel nursing recruiter time to find another assignment and agency-placed housing.
Finding Housing for Travel Nurses: Agency vs. Stipend
Housing can make or break your assignment experience. To help you decide which works best for your lifestyle, here’s a comparative look at the two most common options: Agency-placed nurse housing and paying your housing stipend.
Agency Provided HousingYour work agency will arrange your housing. | Payment of StipendYou will be paid a stipend, and arrange your own housing. |
| Pros | |
Simple – You won’t have to deal with security deposits and utilities. Available – You are sure to have a place to stay even in smaller cities with limited housing options. Better Prices – Housing provided by the agency may be better than what you can afford with the housing stipend. Better Landlords – Landlords, property owners, and property managers are more attentive to large corporations than individuals with short-term leases. No Money Up-Front – You won’t have to pay for the lease, deposits, or anything else out of pocket. Cancellation Safeguards – You avoid a potentially costly situation if your assignment is canceled before your lease expires. | Choose Where You Live – You have complete discretion over where and how you live and more freedom to look for affordable housing options. Control How You Live – You get extra move-in/move-out time. You build your moving timeline and control how you live. Save Your Stipend – You may look for low-cost lodging and short-term rentals, bring your own furniture, travel in pairs, etc. to save your stipend money, especially in major cities. Get Extra Time To Get Settled – You can have a few days before the start of your assignment to explore the new city, go grocery shopping, find the best route to the hospital, and so on. |
| Cons | |
| No Control – You will have no say on where you will stay. | Budgeting – It may be challenging to find lodgings within the allocated budget. |
