Travel nurse housing in New Jersey: Furnished Finder, and what else to try

Where travel nurses actually look

Furnished Finder is the big one. It's built for traveling healthcare workers, and a lot of landlords near hospitals list there. It's a good place to start.

But it's not the only place, and in North Jersey it's often not the fastest. Other options: furnished apartment buildings on the Hudson waterfront that rent month to month, extended stay hotels for the first couple of weeks, and brokers like us who already know which owners have furnished units open near your hospital.

Pick the town by your commute, not the price

Twelve-hour shifts are rough enough without an hour in traffic each way. Start with the hospital, then look 15 to 20 minutes out. A few examples:

• Hackensack University Medical Center: Hackensack, Teaneck, Maywood, River Edge
• Morristown Medical Center: Morristown, Morris Plains, Madison
• University Hospital in Newark or Jersey City Medical Center: Jersey City, Harrison, Hoboken (the PATH helps)
• Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick: New Brunswick, Highland Park, Piscataway

What "furnished" should mean

Get this in writing before you pay anything: bed and linens, a stocked kitchen (pots, plates, a coffee maker), WiFi, utilities included, in-unit or in-building laundry, and parking. Parking alone can be a $200 to $400 a month surprise in Hoboken or Jersey City.

Watch your stipend

Most travel contracts include a housing stipend, and many agencies set it based on the GSA per diem lodging rate for that area. Look up your city on the GSA site so you know what your agency is basing the number on. If your rent plus utilities and parking eats the whole stipend, keep looking.

How to not get scammed

Rental scams are real, and travel nurses are a favorite target because you're renting sight unseen from another state. The FTC's warning signs are worth knowing:

• They want a deposit before you've seen the place, by video at least
• They ask for payment by wire transfer, gift card or crypto
• The price is way below everything else nearby
• They're "out of the country" and can't show it
• Ask for a live video walkthrough and look up who owns the property. In NJ, ownership is public record.

If you want help

We find furnished apartments and homes near NJ and NYC hospitals for 13-week contracts and longer, and we can bill the staffing agency directly. Tell us the hospital, start date and budget, and we'll send real options. See travel nurse housing in NJ or call (201) 241-2792.