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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.

Credit & Guarantors

NYU Off-Campus Housing Broker Fees and Guarantors (2026)

Broker fees on NYU off-campus housing are mostly gone. Under NYC's FARE Act, a landlord's broker can't charge you, and state law caps what you pay up front: $20 to apply, a one-month deposit, and first month's rent.

September 25, 2026read more →
Lease Options & Terms

Fort Collins U+2 Occupancy Rule: How Many CSU Students Can Legally Share a House

The Fort Collins U+2 occupancy rule is gone. A state law, HB24-1007, killed it on July 1, 2024, and Fort Collins City Council scrubbed the last of it from city code one day later. Five CSU friends can now sign on a five-bedroom house, provided the bedrooms are real and the landlord is fine with five signatures.

September 25, 2026read more →
Lease Options & Terms

UVU Students Renting in Provo: What BYU-Contracted Housing Rules Actually Mean for You

If you go to UVU, you cannot sign a lease in BYU-contracted housing at all. BYU limits that program to students at eight specific institutions, and Utah Valley University is not one of them, so the visitor-hours and single-sex rules everyone warns you about are not actually your problem. Your problem is that eight BYU-contracted Provo buildings still show up in UVU housing searches on Find My Place.

August 21, 2026read more →
Credit & Guarantors

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.

August 4, 2026read more →
Lease Options & Terms

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.

July 13, 2026read more →
Lease Options & Terms

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.

July 12, 2026read more →
Deposits & Fees

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.

July 4, 2026read more →
Deposits & Fees

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.

July 3, 2026read more →
Application Process

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.

July 3, 2026read more →
Credit & Guarantors

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.

July 3, 2026read more →
Lease Options & Terms

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.

July 2, 2026read more →
Credit & Guarantors

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.

June 20, 2026read more →