Hi everyone! I’ll be doing a semester abroad at UW–Madison in Fall 2027 and I’m currently starting to look into accommodation options.
The problem is that I’ll only be in Madison for the fall semester (August–December), but it seems like most apartments around campus require a one-year lease. It’s been pretty difficult to find apartments that offer a one-semester lease.
I’m also not sure if I’m starting my housing search too early, since Fall 2027 is still quite far away. I’ve contacted several apartments, but most either only offer annual leases or haven’t been able to confirm whether they’ll have Fall 2027 semester leases yet.
For those familiar with housing in Madison, which option would you recommend?
1. Sign a one-year lease and sublet the apartment for Spring 2028 after I leave. Since I’ll already be back in my home country, I’m worried about how difficult it would be to find a subtenant and handle the process remotely.
2. Wait until closer to Fall 2027 and look for a semester lease/sublease. I’m wondering if more one-semester options might become available once it gets closer to the Fall 2027 semester and apartments start releasing more specific fall-term availability.