U. Housing was born out of my desperate attempt to find housing across the country, with roommates I actually liked. I never ended up moving to Bozeman, but I had a hell of a time trying to. Below is the actual email I sent out to people on Craigslist explaining a system I wanted to create to make the process easier. 

 

Hello, my name is Gabrielle. It has come to my attention that you are in need of some roommates and a place to stay for the coming year.  I too am wandering through the landmine that is Bozeman’s online rental market. I decided to combat this beast head-on. I made a Google Doc of 8 or so houses that fit a certain set of criteria I established for myself and like-minded individuals. I will tell you a little bit about myself and my housing requirements.

 

If you feel it is a match, the next step will be to edit the Google spreadsheet with your information. Further along, I created a multiple choice quiz designed to see how you would react to various common roommate situations. Please answer them honestly so I can see if we are the perfect match.

 

If we don't work out, I will play middle man and connect you with any other students or young professionals that decide to continue with my method. Once I find a house and seal the deal, you are more than welcome to use my directory of other listings. I’ll play some exotic form of matchmaker for a bit.

 

So about me: Besides the drivel that you will see on the spreadsheet, I am a strong personality. I love to be loved but don’t seek attention. I am obsessed with words and writing and pretty much any form of crafting. I am a Pinterest extraordinaire, except I don’t use Pinterest! I fancy myself a bit of a thrift store Martha Stewart when it comes to design. I can make something out of nothing and everything out of something. I have an adorable goober for a puppy. His name is Archibald P. Uppy but his friends call him Banjo. Other names: Nugget, Little Bear, there are probably more but bet your butt you can’t call him late for dinner!

 

So about the house: I want each person to be in the $400 or under for rent and therefore $500 or under with utilities category. I insist on having a washer and dryer in the unit. I am going to try my darndest to get all the dogs permitted in our home that we wish to have there.

 

I’m moving from Florida so I imagine I will be inside a lot more than I am used to. I want roommates to ride out a storm with and have amusing tales for our trouble. I will know no one so I want friends and companions who are excited about life and interested in meeting new people and diversifying their lives. I’m putting a great deal of focus on finding an optimal living situation because it matters to me and I have the time.

 

The PDFs below are a more developed version of this primitive idea - a prototype for an entirely new leasing structure for both companies that rent single family homes and those that have larger properties. Please ignore the typos as they were only ever meant to be a mock-up and I no longer have access to my original InDesign files.