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Lease
Understand the lease before you sign it — applications, deposits, credit and guarantor rules, and the fine print that actually affects your money.
Do You Need a Cosigner or Guarantor to Rent Student Housing?
Most students do need a cosigner or a guarantor. The standard approval bar at a leasing office is a 620 to 650 credit score plus income near three times the rent, and a full-time undergrad rarely has either. But a cosigner and a guarantor for a student apartment are not the same thing: a cosigner signs the lease as a co-tenant and has the legal right to occupy the unit, while a guarantor signs a separate guaranty, owes the money if you stop paying, and never gets a key.
How to Find a Sublet for a Summer Internship in Another City
To find a summer internship sublet in another city, search student platforms and school-specific groups for furnished short-term rooms matching your 8-to-16-week window — and sublet your own place back home so you're not paying double. Vet hard and pay only with reversible methods.
How to Find Semester-Long and Flexible Lease Apartments Near Campus
To find semester-long or flexible-lease apartments near campus, filter a student housing platform by lease length, then target lease takeovers and subleases — where true single-semester terms actually live. Start 6 to 8 weeks before move-in.
First and Last Month's Rent: What You Actually Pay to Move In
First and last month's rent plus a deposit can total three times your monthly rent at signing. Here's what each payment covers, the state caps, and how to protect your money.
How to Get Your Security Deposit Back as a Student Renter
Get your full deposit back by documenting the unit at move-in and move-out, cleaning thoroughly, giving proper notice, and knowing your state's return deadline. Landlords can only deduct for damage, not normal wear.
Apartment Application Fees: What's Normal and Can You Get One Back?
Application fees run $30-75 per person and are usually nonrefundable. A few states cap or ban them. Here's what's normal, when you can get one back, and how to avoid wasting money.
What Credit Score Do You Need to Rent a Student Apartment?
What credit score do you need to rent an apartment? Most leasing offices want 620 to 650, and no law sets a minimum. Students with no score at all still get approved with a cosigner, a guarantor service, or a bigger deposit.
9 Things to Check Before Signing an Off-Campus Lease Near UD
The most useful off-campus housing tip for UD students: read the whole lease and confirm what's included before signing. Here are nine things to check first, from per-bed pricing to the subletting clause to spotting scams.
How to Rent Your First Apartment with No Credit History
You can get your first apartment with no credit by giving the landlord another reason to trust you'll pay: a cosigner or guarantor, proof of income around three times the rent, and a willingness to put more down up front. Here's the step-by-step.
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.