Hey guys, I really need some help. I am graduating in May of 2027. I am doing the two year ag tech program. I’m trying to find an apartment that I can lease for the academic year that is NOT a 12-month lease, since I’ll be gone. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Many kids sublet.
There’s a risk, of course, but my daughter (not Va Tech) - we sublet our last 2.5 months. We gave the renter the half month and they paid us two.
I’m sure you can get a list from the Va Tech housing department or on line. Or you might find a sublet through normal social media channels. For example, another has a 12 month lease but graduates early or is going abroad and needs a tenant.
There’s always Airbnb type things but that wont’ work due to high cost..
You’d probably have to go landlord by landlord to find one - but depending on how long you need, a sublet could work. If you are the one with the lease and need to sublet, there is risk. If you can sublet….then there’s less risk.
Good luck.
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Most off-campus apartments run on a 12-month lease. Virginia Tech has a sublet group on FB. You can post you needs there:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/361159194086916
Also, if you are involved in any student pages or groups for your class year, you can also post there.
If your parent is a member of the VT parent group on FB, they can also post on your behalf there. The mods will ultimately move it to the sublet group but until they do, it will be visible to 32,000 members of that group and someone may reach out.
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The VT parent page usually recommends this page for students to join:
You have to sign up with your vt.edu email, so its just for students.
Leases are typically 12 months - August 1st (though you often can’t move in until mid-August) through July 31. If you don’t mind moving twice during your second year you could sublet someone’s apartment for the fall semester and then negotiate a different sublet for spring semester. Fall sublets are harder to find, but during the spring there are far more sublets available than there are students looking for for housing. You may be able to find someone who is happy just to have the rent covered from January-May.
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My son leased an apartment near campus, right off Main Street, through Steel Rose Enterprise, office no. (540) 739-3391. You might give them a try.
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Not sure about VT, but in most college towns, the rates just increase for 10 month leases, so you basically end up paying for an entire year. Compare 10 and 12 month leases. The total will probably be pretty comparable. You might be able to sublease the summer months. Depending how far away you live, it also means you won’t have to put things into storage. We found it cheaper for S23 to do a 12 month than 10 month lease.
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Yep, just about every off campus student has a 12 month lease. I doubt that you’ll be able to find anything less than that.
There ARE students that look for subletters every semester, but I would be wary of not leasing an apartment and waiting to find a subletter for four semesters. A lot of times sub leases are advertised very last minute and even after the semester starts. It would be anxiety inducing IMO.
Best bet would just trying to find a really cheap apt.
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Thank you guys for the advice! I did not give enough context, so this may help, sorry ya’ll! Our biggest problem is that we are all in this two-year program — it’s three of us. We are currently living on campus because we are freshmen this year. But next year will be our last year here in Blacksburg, and we are starting jobs literally the summer we graduate, and we won’t be local.
So basically, we need a place for the fall semester and spring, and that’s it. We can’t afford to risk subletting for the summer to others because, for me at least, I have the GI Bill, so I get a housing stipend, which means I won’t get that money to go towards rent for the summer since my benefits will be up.
So like most you’ll have to eat the summer - or you can separate and try and sublet each semester on your own.
Landlords near colleges have kids in a bind.
If they leased for only the school year, they’d have no summer revenue.
Maybe further from campus you might find a 9 month or 6 month plus month to month leave - places where non students live.
Or how about an on campus apartment ?
Yep - just ate June & July rent as my daughter graduated VT in May. Welcome to off campus living in every college town!
VT may have a very limited number of apt. style living in a couple of its dorms (West AJ and the Graduate Center), but I’ve heard they are earmarked for professors with families who also double as advisors for the dorms they are living in. Call the housing office for clarity on that.
Your best bet is trying to find someone desperate to sublet who agrees not to charge you for the summer months.
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Some upperclassmen do live on campus after freshman year, in LLCs, as Student Leaders (formerly RAs) or through a housing lottery. Since the ag program is the only 2 year program at VT, maybe they give special consideration to those students?
There are some property management companies in the area that offer shorter term leases. Check out Pointe West Mgmt. Also, the Flats at Uptown offer shorter leases, but may be kind of pricey. If you go on Zillow, you can search for houses to rent (most will say available August 2026) and talk to the landlords about a 9 or 10 month lease.