By Lana Lagomarsini, News Staff

For some Northeastern students, the hassle of finding an apartment may be a thing of the past.
The Office of Off-Campus Student Services launched a new website for students searching for off-campus housing or roommates.
‘One of our goals is to be completely free to Northeastern users,’ said Gail Olyha, director of Off-Campus Student Services. ‘Anybody with a Northeastern e-mail address can use the site for free.’
Since its launch April 13, the website has hosted 612 registered users. Olyha said the goal of the website is to help students find options for apartments, use message boards to find roommates and sublet to other students, graduate students, and professors in the Northeastern community. The website, northeastern.edu/offcampus/apartment, offers options in a variety of Boston neighborhoods and has options in other states for students looking for housing during co-op. The office of Off-Campus Housing Services worked with the office for on-campus housing, Olyha said, and decided to hire a Virginia-based vendor to make the website easier to use and safer for users.
‘I think that this [website] provides peace of mind because you are communicating with other people within the Northeastern community,’ Olyha said.
Senior electrical engineering major Andrea Roldan, who found a summer roommate using the site, said she first became intrigued with the website when it was recommended to her by the school because it seemed safer than Craigslist.
‘[There is a] thread of commonality between the people I’d be looking at,’ she said.
The website also provides a checklist for students to make sure they are getting an apartment that is up to date on codes, Olyha said.
Landlords who advertise apartments on the website are charged a fee, which keeps the website running without costing students, Olyha said.
Roldan said the website’s message boards made it convenient for her to find a roommate for the summer.
‘It was easy to use and I got calls and e-mails fairly quickly,’ she said. ‘I thought it was an efficient system. Generally with other websites they lock you into certain criteria, and with this website I could use a broad spectrum of criteria for students.’
Olyha said the Office of Off-Campus Housing Services will continue to distribute information to various graduate schools and other offices within the Northeastern community to help spread the word about the website.
Feedback from students will help the office continue to make the website catered to students needs, Olyha said.
‘Were just in the beginning of promoting this,’ Olyha said. ‘I hope people will check it out.’