UW rentals under 5 minutes from campus: what's open right now

If you are studying in Seattle and want the shortest possible trip to class, this guide looks at UW rentals under 5 minutes from campus that are open on Off-Campus Universe right now. Every listing named below carries a Distance by Car value of under 5 minutes in our records, which is the measure we use for closeness to campus. We do not publish walk times, bus times or bike times, so when this post talks about being close, it means a listing whose Distance by Car field reads "< 5 minutes" and nothing more. You can see the full set of current Seattle options on our listings page, and the sections below explain how to read each listing, what the lease fields mean, and which questions to ask before you sign anything.

Short car distance is only one part of the decision. Price, the number of bedrooms, whether the unit is furnished, and when the lease starts and ends all matter just as much. The listings in this post differ on every one of those points, so read the details on each listing page rather than assuming two nearby places work the same way.

Begin your search at Off-Campus Universe, where you can browse current listings near Seattle.

Right now you can check out real listings near Seattle that are listed as under 5 minutes by car from campus, including ROOMS FALL 2026 BY UW U DISTRICT at $750/month (an 11-bedroom, 4-bathroom unfurnished listing marked Rent by Room), 2 Room in 3-bed, 1.5-bath Apartment at $850/month (unfurnished, lease timing listed as Oct 2026 to Aug 2027), Lease Takeover for 1 bed 1 bath at $1,000/month (a furnished 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment), 4759 15th Ave NE at $1,589/month (furnished, 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, timing listed as August 2026-2027), and UPPER FLOOR DUPLEX BY UW U DISTRICT at $2,399/month (an unfurnished 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom listing). Four of the five are marked available now in our listings, and each one has its own page with the full details the lister supplied.

Reading Seattle Listings Near the U District

The University District, usually called the U District, sits right next to the UW campus in Seattle, and two of the listings above use that name in their titles. When you compare places in this part of the city, the most useful thing you can do is read the listing fields side by side instead of relying on the title alone. A title is written by the lister and can be short, informal or in all capitals; the fields underneath it are where the facts sit. On each Off-Campus Universe listing you will see the monthly price, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, whether it is furnished, the Distance by Car, the Timing of Lease and the Type of Lease.

Those fields already show how different these options are. ROOMS FALL 2026 BY UW U DISTRICT is marked Rent by Room, which means the lister is renting individual rooms rather than the whole 11-bedroom unit. The 4759 15th Ave NE listing shows 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms with a price of $1,589/month, and the listing fields alone do not tell you whether that figure covers one room or the whole home, so that is the first question to ask. The UPPER FLOOR DUPLEX BY UW U DISTRICT listing is a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom unit at $2,399/month and is not marked Rent by Room. The Lease Takeover for 1 bed 1 bath is a furnished 1-bedroom with a Year Lease (12 Months) and lease timing of Sept 2026 - Aug 2027, and as a takeover it means stepping into a lease someone else already signed.

Furnishing is another split. Two of the five listings above are furnished and three are not, which changes what you need to buy or move before you arrive. If you are coming to Seattle with a suitcase and little else, a furnished listing may save you a lot of effort; if you already own furniture, an unfurnished one gives you more control over the space.

UW Rentals Under 5 Minutes From Campus: How to Compare Them

When you shortlist UW rentals under 5 minutes from campus, start with the Distance by Car field and then move straight to the lease details, because that is where nearby places differ the most. Every listing in this post carries the same "< 5 minutes" Distance by Car value, so distance alone will not separate them. What separates them is the Type of Lease and the Timing of Lease. For example, 2 Room in 3-bed, 1.5-bath Apartment lists a Year Lease (12 Months) with timing of Oct 2026 to Aug 2027, ROOMS FALL 2026 BY UW U DISTRICT lists Sep 1 2026-Aug 2027, and 4759 15th Ave NE lists a Year Lease (12 Months) with timing given as August 2026-2027.

Those dates matter more than they look. A lease that runs to August 2027 commits you through the summer, so if you plan to leave Seattle after spring quarter, ask the lister whether a sublet is allowed and under what terms. If the listing is a lease takeover, ask to see the original lease, the remaining term, and how the transfer is handled with the property manager, so you know exactly whose name ends up on the agreement.

Price needs the same care. A monthly figure on a multi-bedroom listing can mean the price of one room or the price of the whole unit, and the listing does not always say which. Before you compare 4759 15th Ave NE at $1,589/month with Lease Takeover for 1 bed 1 bath at $1,000/month, confirm with each lister what the price covers, whether utilities are included, and whether there are any one-time fees on top of the rent. Once you know what each figure covers, you can compare them fairly instead of guessing.

Finally, use the listings page as your working list. New places are added as listers post them and others are taken down when they are rented, so the set of UW rentals under 5 minutes from campus on Off-Campus Universe changes over time. Checking back regularly gives you the best chance of seeing a new listing before someone else contacts the lister.

Tips for Renting Close to Campus in Seattle

• Ask each lister whether the price is per room or for the whole unit, and get the answer in writing before you compare listings.

• Read the Timing of Lease and Type of Lease fields together, and confirm the exact move-in and move-out dates with the lister.

• For a lease takeover or sublet, ask to see the original lease and confirm how the property manager approves the change.

• Ask which utilities are included and what the deposit and any move-in fees are, so the monthly price is not the only number you know.

Ready to find your place? Browse all listings at Off-Campus Universe.

This article is provided by an independent housing resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the University of Washington.