Housing For VLGS Students

At Vermont Law and Graduate School, students are responsible for arranging their own off campus housing accommodations. To help students with this, VLGS has a rental housing database comprised of rental units posted by local landlords. The database is updated regularly and can be searched by criteria such as number of bedrooms, location, pets allowed, and cost.

As the academic year approaches, landlords will list rental properties for the upcoming academic year, which typically begins in late August. If you are planning a visit to our campus and intend to explore rental options during your stay, we strongly recommend scheduling appointments with landlords well in advance, ideally with 3-5 days’ notice, to ensure availability for property viewings.

Vermont Law and Graduate School offers a roommate finder database that helps students describe their roommate or housing needs, along with their lifestyle and housing preferences. They can then search the roommates database to find possible roommate or housing matches. Students should contact the Housing Coordinator at housing@vermontlaw.edu for information on accessing this resource.

Semester Sublet

Vermont Law and Graduate School offers a semester sublet database for students. This database is meant to help match students who need to sublet their housing for an academic semester with students who need a sublet for an academic semester. Students may enter a description of the housing they need to sublet or enter a need for single-semester housing and search the database for possible matches. Students should contact the Housing Coordinator for information on accessing this resource.

The Little Green Book

For helping you navigate the process of securing housing during your time at VLGS, the Student Bar Association Housing Committee at Vermont Law and Graduate School has created this comprehensive guide. We recommend using it as a resource while you evaluate your housing options.

Additional Housing Resources

Learn about the Local Services available to you in the area.

The following newspapers provide classified advertising of rentals:


You can also find rental housing available at Dartmouth College’s real estate website.

Transportation

The state of Vermont offers a very generous program for anyone interested in vanpools. They work similarly to a carpool arrangement, with a monthly fee for gas, insurance, and repairs.

Learn More About Vanpool

For more information, contact the Housing Coordinator via email at housing@vermontlaw.edu or call the switchboard at 802-831-1000 and ask to be connected with the Housing Department.

Information About The Area

Upper Valley Life and Times

Learn More

Seven Days Vermont

Learn More

Housing FAQs

Late April is the best time to begin looking. VLGS students are often still around, so it is the easiest time to ask student tenants questions about rentals and landlords. There are often a wide variety of apartments still available in June. By mid-July and August you can still find housing but it will be limited if you have pets, are on a strict budget, or want to be within walking distance of school.

Our housing list is for rental units only. We list a wide variety of housing types—including rooms in local homes with house privileges, studios, apartments, mobile homes, and full-size houses. Most homes are older. Additionally, several new apartments within walking distance of VLGS have been built in the last few years.

Most of our listings are within a thirty-mile radius of VLGS. Some of these towns include Tunbridge, Sharon, Randolph, Quechee, Woodstock, Norwich, and Bethel, as well as our own South Royalton.

VLGS does not have student housing.

We maintain rental listings in a searchable database that is updated as we receive new listings. Students are responsible for contacting and making all arrangements with the landlords.

Vermont Law and Graduate School offers a roommate website for Vermont Law and Graduate students only. You will need to complete a roommate questionnaire (ask the Housing Coordinator for the login) about yourself and your housing preferences. After you complete the roommate form and it is activated by VLGS Housing staff, you will be able to search a list of students who have joined the roommate finder service. You can then contact potential roommates with shared lifestyles from this list.

Students can also rent a house or large apartment and join the roommate finder service to recruit roommates to share it with. Or, you may be able to find a shared living situation by going to the VLGS Housing database and searching for Rooms, Shared Houses, or Shared Apartments. These shared situations may be with current law students or with local families.

Before signing a lease, we recommend asking the landlord for the name and phone number of a recent tenant for the same property. You should then contact the tenant for a reference regarding the landlord and the property.

The Vermont Law and Graduate School Mediation Project trains second and third-year law students who are supervised by an experienced attorney and mediator. The Mediation Project operates a Campus Mediation Program for disputes—including housing issues—that arise between students and landlords. Campus Mediation services are provided on a case-by-case basis as disputes arise. Contact Professor Robin Barone, at 802-831-1263.

Vermont Tenants, Inc. offers a free booklet for tenants called Renting in Vermont. Call 1-800-287-7971 to request a copy. The full booklet is available here. It provides comprehensive information on the legal rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants.

If you have reason to believe your landlord is violating health and/or safety codes, go to VT’s Rental Housing Health Code on the VT Department of Health’s web pages:

If you believe that your landlord may be in violation of state code, you may contact the town health officer. There is a list on the VT Dept of Health website. If you believe the town health officer is not effectively addressing the situation, you can also call the local district office for the VT Dept. of Health.

Royalton Health Officer: Robert Hull
288 Otto Merrill Rd.
South Royalton
(w) 763-7967 (h)763-8999

White River Junction District Office, VT Dept. of Health: 888-253-8799

It is more difficult, but not impossible, to find housing that accepts pets. Some landlords accept pets only with a pet deposit and pet insurance. Some landlords welcome mature pets but will not allow tenants to have or acquire puppies or kittens.

Dogs and cats must be licensed and have proof of current rabies shots. In South Royalton, you will need to call the Town Clerk’s office to license your pet. Most towns also have leash laws. If your dog is off your premises, it must be on a leash. Dogs are not allowed on the town green, on church property, or on the local public school grounds. Out of respect for the health and safety concerns of your neighbors, be considerate of where you walk your dog. Clean up after your pet and bring a pooper scooper with you when you walk.

If you are having a difficult time finding housing that allows your pet, some excellent ideas can be found on the Humane Society’s Web page under Renting with Pets, including model references from veterinarians and landlords.

Tips on Leases

Before signing a lease, we recommend that you ask landlords for the phone numbers of current tenants and contact those tenants for a reference regarding the property and landlord. If you are bringing a car, you will also want to inquire to ensure that an on-site parking space is included with your rental unit. Read your lease carefully. If you think you may be away for a semester, make sure the lease gives you the ability to sublet your rental. While 12-month leases are common, 9-month leases may better suit your situation. We do not recommend three-year leases. 

For more information, you can reference this guide which contains helpful information about tenant protections and housing resources at VLGS.

Phrases that Violate Fair Housing Laws

When describing your rental, please be aware the misuse of a phrase can, however innocently used, be in violation of federal fair housing laws. The list below is fromHousing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME):

The following list of words and phrases are considered to be in violation of the federal fair housing laws when used in advertising of the sale or rental of housing because they may indicate a preference, limitation or discrimination to the ordinary reader. This list is not all-inclusive but should be used as a guide and example of unacceptable language.

  • Max 2 people, 3rd extra charge
  • Great for one
  • 1 Person pref.
  • ideal for couple
  • ideal for working couple
  • ideal for adults
  • Suitable for couple
  • In quiet adult community
  • perfect for working single
  • adults pref.
  • ideal for 2 adults
  • professional & students only
  • looking for professional
  • mature adults
  • professional couple pref.
  • 1 person pref.
  • employed couple or single
  • ideal for a single
  • employed male/student
  • ideal for singles & students
  • ideal for single person /couple
  • perfect for students
  • suits 1-2 employed adult/student
  • ideal for male/female
  • great for students
  • no pets or children
  • max 2 people
  • ideal for single female
  • working single
  • male/female suitable for one
  • 2 bedroom maximum 2 person occupancy

Residential Fire Safety Requirements

Presented by the Fire Prevention Division, Vermont Department of Labor and Industry:

  • Hard wired smoke alarms with battery backup located outside sleeping rooms, and on each level of the apartment. These should be interconnected, installed by a licensed electrician, and positioned to wake up all sleeping occupants. New construction requires smoke alarms in sleeping rooms as well.
  • An egress window in each sleeping room, sized to allow firefighters to effect rescue. The minimum clear opening, when opened in normal operation, must be at least 5.7 sq. ft., with a sill height not exceeding 44 inches from the floor.
  • Ground fault circuit interrupters on bathroom circuits and kitchen outlets within 6 feet of sinks (Also required for wet areas and outdoor receptacles).
  • Reasonably safe wiring, including properly sized fuses(if fuse panels), adequately sized service and an adequate number of receptacles to avoid use of extension cords.
  • Reasonably safe and well maintained heating plants. Annual inspections are recommended to be performed by qualified oil or gas technicians.
  • Wood-burning installations with proper clearances from unit and vents to any wall surface, and placed on a non-combustible base.
  • Stair tread and risers within reasonable standards (generally 8 inch max. riser, 10 inch treads, with circular handrails on one side or the other.
  • Guardrails at decks or porches, 36 inches minimum height, with balusters having spacing not exceeding 4 inches.
  • Basic fire safety knowledge, including: people are most at risk from fire at night, when asleep; smoke alarms must be working to provide early warning; egress windows are meant to provide a second way out; in a fire, one should evacuate all occupants and notify the fire department before any other action (suppression, etc.); and, finally, to never re-enter a burning building.

Helpful Tips for Rural Living

Vermont’s Mud Season is famous! You can avoid the challenges of mud season by making sure that you live on a paved road, or a Class 3 (or better) road. It’s advisable to inquire with the landlord if the road is part of a school bus route, as these roads receive priority for plowing and maintenance. Don’t hesitate to talk to the current tenants or landlord and ask about road conditions in winter and early spring. Front-wheel drive vehicles are recommended, even if you don’t live on a dirt road. For more remote properties, a 4-wheel-drive vehicle may be necessary.

During some winters, we experience heavy snowfall, while others are relatively mild. It is highly recommended to talk with your landlord about snow removal and plowing arrangements. If plowing is included, find out whether you need to call for plowing or if it will be done automatically. Additionally, it is best to know the place where to park to help with plowing if you know a storm is coming. It’s essential to have contact information in advance in case your vehicle gets snowed in and need assistance to get out.

If your residence is surrounded by lawns or fields, talk with the landlord about who is responsible for mowing. If you are responsible, ensure that the lease specifies how often you should mow, as your standards and the landlord’s may differ.