Leasing Tips & Resources

Searching For An Apartment   
   
The UC College of Law has a volunteer-service led by law students to outreach to tenants. Review their TIP sheet.
 
The Housing Opportunities Made Equal organization is a helpful resource to get answers to your questions. Another helpful source is the HUD.gov website. The suggestions below are provided to help make your search experience most productive.

  
Before You Sign | Consider The Following | Do's & Dont's |   

    
Look Before You Sign on the Dotted Line

Many landlords will require you to sign a lease for a specific length of time. Before you sign the lease, please read the document carefully. Make certain the following items are correct on the lease:

• Date the lease is to begin.
• Date the lease expires.
• The correct rental rate.
• Information regarding the return of your deposit.
• Grounds for termination of the lease agreement.
• Penalty for terminating the lease prior to the end of the lease period.
  
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When Renting an Apartment Consider the Following:

• How far away am I from Campus?
• Is off-street parking available?
• What is included in the rent? Heat-Water-Electricity-Gas
• Ask the landlord what the average utility bill has been for an apartment within his/her building?
• Are there laundry facilities in the building or close to the apartment?
• Is the apartment air-conditioned? Carpeted?
• How close am I from the grocery store?
  
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The Do's and Dont's of Renting Apartments

Do

• View the apartment!
• Visit the neighborhood at various times of the day, night, and weekend.
• Read the lease and make sure you understand it.
• Obtain a copy of any rules and regulations in addition to the lease, before signing.
• Have all promised repairs written into the lease and signed by landlord.
• Keep a copy of the lease along with any additional rules.
• Know the rules about pets, if you will be bringing one.
• Check maintenance responsibilities, when renting a house.
• Know the penalties for breaking a lease.
  

Don't

• Sign a 12 month lease if you only are going to rent for 9 months (the school year.)
• Sign a lease without seeing the apartment.
• Sign a lease with an automatic renewal clause.
• Sign a lease that gives the landlord unlimited access without giving notification, an exception to this rule would be "in cases of emergency."

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