from the blog
student housing tips & guides
everything you need to know about finding, choosing, and living in student housing.
How to Read a Student Apartment Lease Before You Sign (Clause by Clause)
Reading an apartment lease means working through it clause by clause before you sign. The clauses that cost students the most are joint-and-several liability, automatic renewal, subletting, and security-deposit terms.
7 Best Lease Guarantor Services for Students Without a Cosigner
If your parents can't or won't cosign, a lease guarantor service will stand in as your financial backer for a fee — usually 40% to 110% of one month's rent. Insurent is the standout for students and international renters; TheGuarantors and Leap are cheapest with good credit.
Month-to-Month vs. Fixed-Term Leases: Which Is Better for Students?
For most students, a fixed-term lease is the cheaper, safer default — it locks your rent for 9 or 12 months. A month-to-month lease is better only when your timeline is uncertain, because it lets you leave with 30 days' notice. The trade-off is a 7% to 10% rent premium.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Stolen Items? What Students Need to Know
Yes, renters insurance covers stolen items — your laptop, bike, phone, and clothes are covered against theft whether they're taken from your apartment, your car, the library, or while you're traveling. The payout comes minus your deductible and is capped by your coverage limit.
First Apartment Checklist for College Students: Everything You Need (and What You Don't)
The real first apartment checklist for a college student is shorter than the internet wants you to believe: a bed, a way to cook and eat, cleaning supplies, somewhere to sit, and renters insurance cover the first week. Furnishing from scratch runs about $800 to $2,000 if you buy smart and secondhand.
How to Sublet Your College Apartment Over the Summer (Legally)
To sublet your college apartment legally over the summer: read your lease for the subletting clause, get your landlord's written permission, screen the subtenant, sign a written sublease agreement, and hand the signed copy back to your landlord. You stay on the hook for rent the whole time.