from the blog
student housing tips & guides
everything you need to know about finding, choosing, and living in student housing.
Best Neighborhoods for University of Utah Students: Sugar House, the Avenues & Foothill
The three neighborhoods most University of Utah students choose for off-campus housing are the Avenues (closest and most walkable), Sugar House (the social pick two miles south), and Foothill on the bench below campus. The deciding factor is rarely rent — it's whether you want to walk, ride TRAX, or trade a short commute for a real city neighborhood.
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.
What Is a Security Deposit? A Student Renter's Guide to Getting It Back
A security deposit is money you hand your landlord before move-in — usually one to one-and-a-half months' rent — that sits as collateral against unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear. You get it back after move-out, minus any legitimate deductions, within a window your state sets.
Guarantor vs. Cosigner for a Student Apartment: What's the Difference?
A cosigner signs your lease and is on the hook for rent from day one, with the legal right to live in the unit. A guarantor signs a separate guaranty contract, never moves in, and only owes money after you stop paying.
Off-Campus Housing for Graduate Students: How It's Different From Undergrad
Graduate student housing differs from undergrad renting in four ways: 12-month leases instead of academic-year, no roommate matching, studios and family units instead of shared bedrooms, and stipend-based income verification instead of a cosigner.
How to Split Utilities With Roommates Without Drama
To split utilities with roommates without drama: decide who holds each account, agree on a split method before the first bill, route shares through one app like Splitwise, set an early due date, and write down what happens if someone doesn't pay.
529 vs FAFSA vs Student Loans: Which Pays for Off-Campus Housing?
All three can pay for off-campus housing, but not interchangeably. A 529 covers rent tax-free up to your school's room-and-board allowance, FAFSA grants are free money, and loans you repay with interest. Spend in that order.