blog
Lease
Understand the lease before you sign it — applications, deposits, credit and guarantor rules, and the fine print that actually affects your money.
DC Tenant Rights for GW Students: Deposits, Rent Increases and What a Foggy Bottom Landlord Can't Charge
Under DC tenant rights law, a Foggy Bottom landlord can charge GW students $54 to apply, one month's rent as a deposit, and a late fee of 5% once rent is five days overdue. Rent-controlled units can rise 4.1% at most through April 30, 2027.
Philadelphia's Rental License Rules: What Penn Students Should Check Before Signing
A Philadelphia rental license is the yearly permit every landlord in the city needs before renting you a bed, a room, or a whole rowhouse, and for Penn students it is the single best five-minute check you can run before signing. Under Philadelphia Code Section 9-3901, a landlord without a valid license can't legally collect rent or evict you.
Subleasing Near UD: How Newark Summer and Winter Session Sublets Actually Work
Subleasing near UD means someone else lives in your Newark room for part of your lease while your name stays on the contract. Delaware's 25 Del. C. § 5508 allows a sublet unless your written lease says otherwise, and a landlord whose lease requires approval can't refuse unreasonably.
Hurricane Season and Your Lease: What FIU Students Should Ask a Miami Landlord Before Signing
An FIU student lease signed in Miami should answer a handful of hurricane questions before you sign. Florida Statute 83.63 already lets you walk away when storm damage you didn't cause badly impairs the unit, but shutters, generators and AC repairs live in the lease itself.
Minneapolis Caps Security Deposits: What University of Minnesota Students Should Know Before Signing
Minneapolis security deposit rules cap what a landlord can charge students at one month's rent. If the landlord also requires first or last month's rent up front, the deposit drops to half a month and has to be payable over three months.
How Early Do College Park Leases Sign? The UMD Off-Campus Timeline
The big student buildings on Route 1 start signing leases in the fall, nearly a year before move-in. But the UMD lease signing timeline has two clocks: since February 2026, College Park landlords can't offer a current tenant a renewal more than 180 days before the lease ends, which for an August lease means February at the earliest.
How Many MSU Roommates? The East Lansing Occupancy Limit
The East Lansing occupancy limit for a rented house is whatever number is printed on that house's city rental license. For most houses in single-family neighborhoods near MSU, that number is two unrelated people. Five or more unrelated people turn a house into a multiple-family dwelling under the zoning code.
When to Sign a Lease in Ann Arbor: The Real UMich Timeline
Most occupied apartments near the University of Michigan can't legally be leased to a new tenant until 210 days into the current lease, which lands in mid-to-late March for a typical late-August lease. The famous November rush comes from an older 70-day rule. Students still shop in October and November, but binding signatures now mostly come in spring.
When to Start Looking for Off-Campus Housing at Oregon State
Start looking for off-campus housing at Oregon State in November, and plan to sign by the end of February. Corvallis landlords put next fall's leases out over winter, and the blocks right next to campus go first. For fall 2027 (OSU classes start September 22), your real window is November 2026 to March 2027.
8 Hidden Fees in Student Apartment Leases and How to Spot Them Before You Sign
The eight hidden fees in student apartment leases that catch people most often are application fees, admin fees, amenity fees, utility packages and overage bills, valet trash, renters insurance waivers, mandatory parking, and payment or notice fees. Together they can push your real monthly cost $100 to $300 above the listed rent.
Newark DE Rental Permit Rules UD Students Should Check
A Newark DE rental permit is required for any house an owner rents out without living there. If three unrelated UD students rent a single-family detached house, Newark's zoning code treats it as a "student home," and a student home can hold no more than three people.
All-Inclusive vs Traditional Leases in Tallahassee: What FSU Students Should Compare
Picking between an all-inclusive and a traditional lease in Tallahassee usually comes down to the real monthly total, who pays if a roommate stops paying, and how much cash you need on move-in day. By-the-bed all-inclusive apartments near FSU cost more on paper (starting bed prices within half a mile of campus run from about $830 to $1,570), but you get one bill and a lease that covers only you.