Living in an off-campus apartment can have many benefits over living in a traditional campus dorm. It is a popular choice for a lot of students, especially upperclassmen who’ve already had the dorm experience. While renting your first apartment can be scary and stressful, it doesn’t have to be! As long as you consider the options carefully, you have the ability to make a good choice.
I recommend considering the following questions when weighing your choice of apartment complexes. Looking for the answers to these questions on the apartment complex’s website, or asking them on an apartment tour, will help you make the best possible decision for your living preferences.
Is the rent all-inclusive?
Sometimes, apartment complexes will show you a price online that looks like a fantastic deal. However, these prices often don’t include basic things like electricity, water, internet, and parking. Determining whether the price you’ve been given excludes these additional charges, or includes them to a cap, is important when deciding which apartment gives you the most bang for your buck.
For example, in one apartment I toured, the rent was advertised at $600. Given the other prices of apartments in the area, this seemed like a great deal! However, I quickly learned that the $600 did not include water, electricity, internet, parking, or renter’s insurance. Once I added up those costs–not to mention the expenses incurred by buying furniture–the cost per month was well over a thousand dollars! I ended up shopping around and found an apartment that cost a bit over $700, a price that included all utilities, and furniture!
Are subleases allowed?
Sometimes, life happens. You may think you’re going to live somewhere for a year, but you get an internship for the next semester. Or maybe you have intolerable roommates and need to get out of your situation!
Whatever happens in your life, it’s always good to have an out. A sublease is a way to transfer the lease of your apartment to someone else. With some paperwork, they will live in your apartment and pay your rent during the time that they live there.
Most apartment complexes around universities allow for subleasing. Keep in mind that some apartments charge a sublease fee in order to transfer your lease to someone else’s name. Usually this hovers around $200-$300 dollars, depending on the town, so keep this in mind if you’re signing a lease with the possibility of subleasing it in the future.
Are all apartments in the complex “show units”?
I will never forget one of the apartment complexes I toured during my sophomore year. The complex only had about four apartments with the layout I was interested in, and all of them had a tenant living in them. I didn’t know this at the time, so when I followed the leasing agent into what I thought was the empty model unit, I was almost as surprised as the tenant who was standing in the kitchen, scrambling a pan of eggs!
Needless to say, I did not sign a lease at that complex. Out of curiosity, I asked the leasing agent why she had randomly opened someone’s apartment to show me the layout without obtaining consent. She explained to me that the complex had informed the tenant 12 hours prior that I would be touring their apartment since they hadn’t resigned next year. It was in the lease that the leasing agents were able to show lived-in apartments to prospective renters at any time, as long as they gave 12 hours notice.
To me, that seemed absolutely preposterous; I am a private person, and couldn’t imagine dozens of potential renters tracking dirt all over my apartment and looking in my closet. I later learned that this is relatively common practice in college towns. Some apartment complexes will even pay renters to be “show units”, offering a minimal discount on rent for permission to enter your apartment and show it to potential renters.
This isn’t something I’d want to have as a renter. I couldn’t imagine my studying being interrupted by leasing agents showing off my apartment to a variety of college students. So, if you’re like me, don’t forget to ask about the show unit policy!
Is there 24-hour maintenance?
Yes. You need 24-hour maintenance. Or, at the very least, some sort of maintenance service that responds. It is important to know that when you call the leasing office, or the maintenance number, someone will at least respond.
Here’s why. The apartment you’re living in might–if you are lucky–be a brand-new complex with state-of-the-art construction. And that’s possible. But most likely, you’re going to be living in a place that’s been around a while, had a lot of tenants before you, and could use some help on the functionality side.
In one year of living in an apartment, my roommates and I had our AC break, dishwasher malfunction, toilet pipes crack and spill water all over the floor, a cockroach infestation, part of our microwave just randomly fall off the wall, and two burners on the stove quit working. And we were living in what was generally regarded as a “good” apartment. It was helpful to have a maintenance team that was responsive, so that we didn’t have to worry about taking care of these things ourselves.
The bottom line is, you can do some of these smaller things yourself, like hanging a lightbulb, or unclogging a toilet. But for the larger things, why not have someone else do it, since you’re paying for that already? It’ll save you extra money, hassle, and time.
The Takeaway
All in all, renting an apartment can be an exciting process. It’s important to thoroughly consider your options, but if you ask questions, do your research, and take time to weight the pro’s and cons, you’ll do fine!
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Or, learn what to bring to your first apartment, how to adjust to living with roommates, and what to expect when dealing with apartment management.
- 7 Reasons I Lived On-Campus as a FreshmanCollege dorms provide many advantages, especially for freshmen. Here are a few reasons why I opted to live in a dorm for my freshman year.
- Graduate School Basics: The Freshman EditionWhat is graduate school? What should you be doing to prepare as a freshman? Read more to find out!
- 4 Forgotten Questions to Ask When Apartment ShoppingLooking for an off-campus apartment? Don’t forget to ask these 4 questions to find out important details before you sign the lease!