Last night I went up to Kettering University to assist with the Resident Assistants at Thompson Hall in an open discussion with freshman.  Our discussion covered topics related to off-campus life, how to find the right housing, what to expect and how to have a great and safe time!  The evening was fun and informational.  Overall the presentation was very similar to our February meeting which was re-capped in this blog post.

The students asked great questions, like:

Q: Will I have to sign an individual lease or will I have to sign a group lease and be accountable for my roommates actions?

My A: Of course this will vary from landlord to landlord and each lease is different so read carefully.  Some landlords do allow for individual leases to be singed, most have one lease the entire group signs.  Ultimately do your best to pick responsible roommates and respect the property.  If you have an issue with the way a landlord is handling his or her lease speak up.  From our experience many landlords are open to suggestions and with reasonable requests they will be accommodating to your needs or concerns.

And, a small tip, as a group do your best to build a relationship with the landlord through communication and respect.  When you promptly alert the landlords of issues with the house, pay rent on time, and are friendly, it makes getting that security deposit back at the end of the term/year a lot easier.

(That was a little bit longer that my real answer last night)

Q:  When landlords make major improvements to the house because of the responses left on RateMyStudentRental.com, does the rent increase as well?

My A: We have not seen that pattern of increasing rent due to major renovations or as a response to student comments on the website.  From my observations, the landlords are in a very competitive mode right now.  The good landlords, who care about their business and the students are working hard and investing in their properties to make a students experience more enjoyable and comfortable.  If they can provide housing that all the students want and they can achieve full capacity the landlords achieve their ROI most definitely.

Other tips for students in their search for housing…utilize the Student Watch List.  The student watch list is located on your home page when you log in as a student.  Here students can fill out a pretty simple form defining their needs for housing.  After it’s submitted if a rental becomes available that meets the needs of that student, an automated message is sent out alerting the student of the available rooms.  From that message students can communicate with landlords right on RateMyStudentRental.com to inquire about the available rooms.  We’re trying to make this process as simple as possible for students, landlords, and school officials.

If you are or your group is holding a meeting with students to discuss off-campus living, or how to search for housing or any other housing related meeting, the RateMyStudentRental.com team would be happy to join forces and share our knowledge with students.

Your Freshman year is almost over, and you can’t wait to get out of your dorm hall where you have to share anything and everything personal - right down to your sleeping habits and that bar-sized refrigerator. Chances are you’re at a big campus, so it’s time to get out there and spread your wings. If you’re like us, then one year of dorm life was enough, and you might need some tips on where to go from here.

Life in off-campus housing is great - you have some freedom! You can live by your own rules and on your own schedule (well, by your own, I mean ‘yours and your roommates’, whom you can now be much more selective over). There are usually a lot of rental houses and apartments to pick from around campus that all cater to students. Before you go out and sign a lease, though, there are a few things you should consider. We’ll walk through some issues to think about based on our past experiences, reviews we’ve seen through our site, and a bit of research.

1. Start Counting Your Benjamins!

   First, and most important to most students, is the cost of the rent. Hopefully as a student you have some sort of budget in mind for the next 4-5 years of your college career. Finding a place that is within your budget should not be too hard. Also, keep in mind that the theory that “you get what you pay for” isn’t always true with student housing; we’ll get into that a little later.

2. What Are Your Gotta-Have-Its?

   When you find yourself getting creative with Ramen noodle meals, you know you’ve accepted that you have to give up some luxuries in life at college. But there are so many things we definitely can’t live without. For most students these things include:

   • cable and high-speed internet
   • washer and dryer (laundromats suck)
   • less than 5-10 minutes from campus

   Take your gotta-have-it list and keep that in mind when looking around for housing.

   Remember, some landlords might be charging extra for some of your gotta-have-its depending on your usage (for example, water, electricity), but often it is included in your monthly rent.

   By now, since you’ve determined your price range and gotta-have-its, you should be able to narrow down the type of rental you need: apartment, house, town-house, etc.

3. Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Live Without Them (Roommates)

   Choosing roommates really doesn’t seem that hard. And it’s not if you have a few close friends who are also looking for a place to live. Roommates are great for several reasons; they help cover the rent and help create some of the best memories of your college career (if you choose wisely).

   Most landlords charge students for all the rooms/occupancies in the rental. This means if you can’t fill one of the rooms, usually that cost of that room is added to everyone’s overall rent. If you find a good landlord they will work with you when special cases arise, like when a roommate leaves before the year is up.

   When possible pick roommates that you know ahead of time, this way you know you will get along with them a majority of the time (honestly, there are days you really don’t want to deal with roommates at all). If you are adventurous there is nothing wrong with random selection when looking for some new ‘roomies’. Living in a house takes a lot of cooperation between everyone to make things easy and comfortable. Look for a future blog post from us on ‘Guide To Living With College Roommates’.

4. So, Which Place Should I Choose?

   Hopefully by now you’ve recruited some roommates, narrowed down your price range, and have a list of your gotta-have-its. Now it’s time to find a place. So, where do you start looking?

   Most students hear about available housing through their peers. Even the biggest social butterfly just doesn’t have time to ask each friend about housing based all of their own criteria; however if you could search a database of your peers’ feedback on student housing, now that would be awesome… [shameless plug alert!]

   And that’s where RateMyStudentRental.com comes in. We’ve done our best to make your search as easy as possible. Check out our intro video tutorial (~2 min) to see how easy it is to find the place that fits you.

5. Commit Already

   Now that you’ve found the housing that meets your financial needs and gotta-have-its you can sign the lease with the landlord. Here are a list of things to be cautious of when signing the lease:

   • Read the entire document, every term counts. Each lease different. Some don’t make sense (i.e. not reviewed by a lawyer). Some are fair. Some try to screw students. And some (believe it or not) unwittingly screw the landlord!
   • If something doesn’t seem right to you, question the landlord and if needed check your State’s laws on rental properties and tenant rights.

6. Live It Up

   You’ve got your own place now to call home when you’re at school. Let the good times roll & make the best of these years, however you see fit!