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Making the most of your place once you're in it — roommates, pets, safety, cleaning, décor, and the day-to-day of student apartment life.
How to Avoid Rental Scams When Renting Student Housing
Renters lost $65M to rental scams in 2025, and 18–29-year-olds get hit 3x as often. Here's how to spot fake listings, avoid unsafe payments, and protect your deposit.
How to Split Rent Fairly With Roommates (Unequal Rooms, Utilities & More)
Splitting rent evenly breeds resentment when rooms are unequal. Here's how to split rent fairly by square footage, perks, and income — with a worked example and FAQ.
ESA Letters and Apartments: What Student Renters Need to Know
An ESA letter from a licensed provider has long let renters keep an emotional support animal in no-pet housing without pet fees. A May 2026 HUD memo narrowed federal enforcement. Here's where students stand now.
How to Write a Roommate Agreement (With a Template You Can Actually Use)
A roommate agreement needs nine things settled in writing before anyone moves in: rent, utilities, the security deposit, chores, guests, quiet hours, shared versus personal, parking, and what happens if someone leaves early. It is a contract between roommates, not a lease — it changes nothing about the deal you signed with your landlord. Here is the full walkthrough plus a fill-in template.
Do You Need a Car at the University of Delaware?
No, most students don't need a car at UD. Newark is walkable, the UD shuttle is free, and UD budgets just $1,000/year for off-campus transportation. If you bring a car, off-campus students need a paid campus parking permit.
Best Neighborhoods for Off-Campus Housing at the University of Delaware
The best place to live off campus at UD depends on your priority: Main Street for walkability, Cleveland Avenue for shared houses, and South Newark or Elkton Road for cheaper rent. Most students live within a 10-15 minute walk of Main Street.
How Much Does Off-Campus Housing Cost Near the University of Delaware?
Most University of Delaware students pay $700 to $950 a month per person for a shared off-campus apartment in Newark, or $1,225 to $1,695 for a studio, one-, or two-bedroom. UD budgets $9,370 a year for off-campus housing plus $5,304 for food.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Roommates? A Student Renter's Answer
No. Renters insurance does not cover your roommate, and theirs does not cover you. Two things make this sharper for students: your parents' homeowners policy probably stopped covering you the day you signed an off-campus lease, and whether your roommate is insured is your problem or not depending on your lease type.
How to Find a College Roommate When You Don't Know Anyone
If you don't know anyone at your school, you find a college roommate the way thousands of incoming students do: start with your university's matching portal, branch out to your class group and a student app, then screen the people who respond before you commit.
Do College Students Need Renters Insurance? What It Covers and What It Costs
Renters insurance covers four things: your stuff (personal property), your legal responsibility if someone gets hurt or their property gets damaged (liability), a guest's medical bills after an accident in your place (medical payments), and your extra costs if a fire or flood forces you out (loss of use). For most college students living off campus, a policy runs about $14 to $25 a month, or roughly $150 to $300 a year, and yes, you almost certainly need it.
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.
Furnished vs Unfurnished Student Apartments: Which Actually Saves You More?
Furnished student apartments cost roughly $50 to $150 a month more than the same unit unfurnished. At the University of Rochester's Goler House, where both rates are published for the same floor plan, the premium is $72 a month on a one-bedroom and $98 on a two-bedroom as of July 1, 2026. Renting furniture separately costs more.