Perhaps you are a student or contractor with no need for a permanent home. Right now, only short-term lease options will work for you. Whether you need shelter for a few weeks or a few months, it’s good to know that affordable options are available.

Such options include hotels or motels, bed and breakfasts, boarding or rooming houses, corporate suites, extended-stay suites, and flexible-term apartment rentals. There are many websites and businesses that connect potential roommates or people who want to sublet apartments. There are also temporary housing options like home stays and opportunities that include house sitting or housing exchange programs. These are options that international students and visiting faculty members may be interested in as well.

Here is a more in-depth look at short-term lease options.

Hotels and Motels

In every community there are hotels and motels that offer reduced rates and/or separate rooms for customers who wish to stay longer than the average visit. Towns that have low occupancy rates might have lower pricing and good discounts available for visits that require an extended stay.

Bed and Breakfasts

These are charming and sometimes inexpensive options that allow you comfortable accommodations with the feeling of home. If the surrounding community has a shortage of hotel rooms, the prices might go up. But be sure to include in your cost comparisons that usually a warm and hearty breakfast is included in the rates.

Boarding Houses

Once quite popular, boarding houses are no longer as prevalent in modern towns and cities. If you do find a boarding house, you can expect fewer amenities, but rates are generally less expensive than hotels or beds and breakfasts.

Check certain websites and local newspapers for the town in which you find yourself. You may be able to find families and homeowners who make a bedroom or two available for rent in their homes. If you find yourself drawn to this type of an arrangement, make sure you’re aware of whether use of the entire house is permitted or if you’re restricted to only certain rooms. Get to know the family with whom you will share living quarters to make sure you are compatible.

Find out their expectations.  For instance, will you be expected to perform light housekeeping or childcare duties in exchange for room and board? Exercise a bit of caution and weigh all your options before signing on for such a deal.

Corporate Suites

These are furnished and often upscale apartments used by visiting executives and paid for with generous housing allowances from the company in which the executive is employed. Many apartment complexes and hotels have rooms set aside for this kind of use. You may be able to find service agencies that coordinate many units of this nature in different areas of the city. Be sure to read the fine print of any short-term lease because often there are minimum stay requirements.

Extended-Stay Suites

Hotels that have suites sometimes offer short-term lease options. Weekly or monthly rates are quoted and units range from a simple hotel room for one person to a suite with a kitchen. It depends on your needs and your budget. Amenities often include swimming pools, exercise facilities, wireless internet access, and social programs. Many hotels have shuttle services available at no extra charge.

Flexible Lease Apartments

Call local apartment communities to see who offers leases of less than a year. If you want to stay less than 12-months, you may have to pay a higher monthly rent. Unless the landlord handles certain services like utility charges, phone rates, and cable fees and incorporates them into the rent, you may find you’re paying higher fees for these as well. Check online for complexes who offer their apartments for short-term leases.

Sublets

In many large cities, you’d probably have good luck seeking to assume an existing lease from a renter and subletting the apartment. Depending on the circumstances, you might be able to sublet at a discount. It’s important to keep in mind that this is a contractual agreement between the landlord, lease-holder, and yourself. All three parties must come to agreement on the terms of the deal.

Roommates

If you’re looking for short-term lease options in an area where there’s a university or college nearby, you may find many people who are looking for roommates to share housing or apartment costs. Landlords and tenants alike want long-term, stable conditions in which to rent. However, when it comes to higher education and the terms where students are looking for roommates, the choices tend to be plenty. Just be aware that you’ll be required to sign a lease, provide a security deposit, and list references.

Home Stays

Host families are often available for international business people, visitors, or students. They share everyday living expenses after a careful prescreening process conducted by organizations that are either private or government-sponsored.

House Sitting/Exchange Programs

More and more, homeowners or condo owners seek to find someone who will live in their homes while they’re away for a while. Third-party organizations and businesses may formally arrange these matches or the people themselves find each other on the Internet. Either way, credit and reference checks are exchanged.

With so many short-term lease options available, you are sure to find something that will match your needs.