If you are planning to bring a family to Grenada, the best advice from previous SOs is to arrive a week or more before school starts in order to find a place to live. Rent can run from $300 to $2500 US depending on the size, number of bedrooms and location. There are some decent places under $500, but they are usually 1-2 bedrooms and are small if you have a family.

Check out the new Unofficial Housing Guide for detailed housing search tips and apartment listings: http://www.w4designs.com/sguhousing

Things to Look for in Housing

1. Location True Blue, L'anse Aux Epines (pronounced lance uh peen), Grand Anse, Calliste and Point Salines are all within a 5-10 minute drive from both campuses and grocery stores. While the rent tends to be high when compared to other parts of the island, the convenience and the opportunity of being near other families and students is well worth the extra money. The roads beyond these locations can be poor and may cause you to spend more time in a car then necessary.

2. Security Are there security bars on all the windows? This is especially important if you live on the ground floor. What condition are the doors and locks? Have there been any break-ins on the property? Is the yard fenced in and has a gate that can be locked? While a fenced in yard is not always necessary, it is a good added security measure especially with children or dogs. It is a good idea to check with the previous tenants about crime problems or other safety issues. Many apartment complexes have security gaurds at night.

3. Landlord Find out as much as possible about the landlord or property manager. Are there other students currently living on the property? Talk to those students about how responsive to repairs and other problems the landlord has been.

4. Lease Make sure everything the landlord promises is written in the lease. Read the lease carefully and find out who is responsible for repairs on appliances, screens, gates, etc. Find out if you will have to pay rent during the summer (school break) to ensure that your place is available and not subleased during the summer months. Many units are rented during Carnival if the rent is not paid for July and August.

5. Water During the dry season (January-May), water supply can become a major problem. Be sure to ask what size water storage tanks the house has to ensure you will have water. The minimum size recommended is two 1000-gallon tanks. Will they be full when you arrive? Is there a water pump? Water pumps are necessary in order to obtain water pressure. If your house/apartment is on a hillside, water problems can be more frequent. Check the lease to see if the landlord will be providing water delivery during the dry season, and from what source. Private water deliveries can get expensive.

6. Hot Water Does the house or apartment have a hot water tank or electric showerhead? Some places are equipped with solar panels(so no hot water on cloudy days) or gas heaters. Some do not have hot water at all. If a hot shower is important to you, make sure the place is equipped before you rent. Electric water heaters for the shower are available to buy and have installed.

7. Cooking Gas Most houses/apartments have gas stoves. The gas tanks can either be large or small. Be sure to ask which size the house is equipped to hold. Both work just as well, but take transportation into consideration if you need to transport a portable tank yourself. Also ask to see if your rent includes the cost of the gas tanks.

8. Telephone Some rental places have telephone service already set up in the landlord's name. The advantage to having the phone already set up is you will not have to pay the phone deposit or wait for the installation. However, some of the phones will not allow outgoing long distance phone calls to be made. Again, you may use the internet (Dialpad) or use an international calling card. They are sold at the University mailroom.

9. Pest Control Ants, cockroaches, mice, rats and other insects and rodents are prevalent in Grenada. Find out if the landlord will provide regular extermination visits and if the pesticide will be placed around the perimeter of the house. This is very important if you plan on bringing pets with you. Make sure all the windows you will be opening have screens that fit the window on them and that the doors fit the doorway tightly. You may want to bring a sweep for the door if the doors do not. Screens are a must from August through December when the island is wet. Top floor apartments tend to have less bugs than the bottom; however, if bottom floor apartments are properly sealed and kept clean there shouldn't be any problem. Check if the areas around drainage pipes and electrical wires are tightly sealed. Centipedes and some other creatures tend to enter the house through drainage pipes.NOTE: While centipedes are rarely seen, they are poisonous and are attracted to milk and damp areas. They are fast moving insects that can grow to 8-10 inches long. Pesticides generally do not have an immediate effect on them. The best way to kill them is by cutting or smashing them with something large. If anyone in your family gets stung, contact the school physician extender or a doctor right away.

10. Air Conditioning, Fans and Breeze When viewing the house, open the windows and check if there is a breeze. This is very important because running the air conditioner all day can become quite an expense. If there is a cool breeze running through the house an air conditioner will not be necessary. Invest in a fan and you will save a lot of money. Fans cost around $75-150EC, and can be purchased used.

11. Extras A television, microwave, cable TV, laundry services, housekeepers, or gardeners may or may not be included in your lease. It will save you time and effort if you find these things out before you decide to move into your new place. If there is not a TV in your house/apartment, you may want to bring one, especially if you have children. You can have cable installed (except on True Blue campus at this time), and most channels are available such as NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, TLC, HBO, CNN and about 35 others.

Domestic Help

Domestic help in Grenada is readily available and inexpensive. You may wish to hire people to help with cleaning, laundry, babysitting, or gardening. Word of mouth is the easiest and most reliable way of finding help. If you are living off campus, you may want to check with your landlord before hiring. Sometimes landlords have specific cleaning people they work with and many hotels or apartment buildings offer cleaning services at no extra charge. The Round Houses include weekly maid service for all tenants. Laundry services are helpful because sometimes the machines are backed up causing you to spend quite a bit of time in the laundry room. If you hire help you can leave the laundry in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon.

Laundry

There are several laundry facilities available to you. On True Blue Campus, there are two laundry rooms. They both have several washers and dryers. Also in each dorm building on True Blue Campus, there is one washer and one dryer in the main hallways. Another laundry facility is located at the Grand Anse Campus. The laundry at Grand Anse has roughly 8 washers and 10 dryers. There is no cost to use the laundry facilities, however they can be quite crowded at peak times. Wherever you decide to do your laundry, all facilities are accessible by the bussing system provided by the University.

Back to Welcome Guide Main Page