Moving into a new house or apartment is one of the most exciting aspects of transitioning into adulthood, but finding a space to rent isn't always easy. There are leases to sign, roommates to assemble and amenities to seek.
Students should begin looking for a living space in March, says Patrick O'Rourke, assistant director of operations for Residential Life's Off-Campus & Commuter Student Services. "Many places fill up quickly, and students who wait until the last minute often find themselves in a bind for securing housing," O'Rourke says in an e-mail.
To avoid stressing out over finding a new place, SPM presents the easiest and most effective ways to find your perfect living spot.
Renting an apartment
There are important questions students must ask themselves before committing to an apartment complex, since the options vary considerably.
Kinesiology junior Zach Bailowitz says many students, including him, choose to live in a furnished apartment because their place of residence isn't permanent.
"A lot of college students who are from out of town don't have the resources to purchase furniture for a place, especially because, as students, we don't know whether we're going to be hanging around for the next 30 years," Bailowitz says.
Students should ask current residents about the safety and management procedures of their prospective living area, O'Rourke says.
"It is always best … to ask questions about management's responsiveness to requests, noise levels, do they consider the environment safe and secure and to see if they have experienced any problems while they have been living there," O'Rourke says.
O'Rourke also suggests visiting the property at night to check for proper lighting and parking areas. If the rental unit is in Tempe, students should also consult Tempe's crime analysis Web site, tempe.gov/cau, O'Rourke says.
Students should also inquire about management's hours and location, O'Rourke says, as well as the process for contacting maintenance during the day and after hours for emergency situations.
As with renting a home, the lease options are up to the business or person renting out the apartment. It's important to go over the terms of a lease carefully, because backing out of a contract can have costly consequences.
"Be thorough in your search and ask questions in your search," says Maureen Boyle, director of marketing for rental Web site apartments.com. "You don't want any surprises."
Renting a house
Driving through prospective neighborhoods to find your dream house is only exciting for about 15 minutes. To avoid getting antsy — and bored — while searching for a home, make use of the Internet.
Affiliated sites rentalhouses.com and rentals.com offer users a free database to search for rental units in their area, says Rob Massey, Vice President of Industry Development with rentals.com.
Users can specify their rent range, desired number of bedrooms and location, Massey says. They can also choose to have certain features, like a pool or a shortened lease.
"The biggest reasons for using our Web site are the size of the database and the fact that (users) are able to drill down pretty quickly to what they want," Massey says.
Students can also visit The Center for Off-Campus & Commuter Student Services (915 S. Rural Road) with any questions they have about housing arrangements, O'Rourke says. A housing fair will also be held on Hayden Lawn on March 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Finding a roommate
If you're looking for a place to rent but don't have a roommate, the Internet should be your best friend (while possibly helping you find an actual one).
Social networking and profile sites like facebook.com, uloop.com and roommates.com allow users to create profiles that list the living space they are interested in or have to offer. Users can message each other and, if their interests match up, choose to become roommates.
Political science sophomore Chase Rowell is looking for someone to rent an empty room from him.
He's used facebook.com's Marketplace and uloop.com, but says roommates.com has gotten him the most responses. "I think it just reaches a larger base of people," he says.
But ASU alum Jeremy Jarvis, who used facebook.com to search for a place to rent, says the networking site was the "fastest way to find the kind of roommate I was looking for, because you can look at people's profiles."
Whichever site is used, both students agree that the Internet is a fast and easy way to find a compatible roommate.
"Using the Internet for finding a roommate is preferable to a newspaper or random fliers because all the important questions ('Do you have pets? Are you a neat freak?' etc.) are already incorporated into the users' profiles," Rowell says.
Other options
While most students choose to take the traditional route of paying monthly rent, some apartment complexes offer an alternative way to cover the cost of a living space.
Bailowitz works in the leasing office of his apartment complex, Gateway at Tempe Apartments, in exchange for living there rent-free.
The job requires that residents work at least 15 hours a week in exchange for free rent. Residents must apply for the position, and only 10 students currently work in the office, Bailowitz says.
Bailowitz has worked for his apartment complex for about six months and says that the convenience of working where he lives is a bonus to free rent.
"If you calculate it out, it doesn't come to a great hourly wage," Bailowitz says. "But the big benefit is the convenience, like being able to walk to work and not have to pay for gas."
Every lease should contain at lease six basic items:
1. It needs to be in writing and include all parties entering into the lease.
2. It needs to specify time of tenancy (one month, six months, one year, etc.).
3. It should define monthly rent and spell out any penalties for late payment of rent.
4. It should address security deposits, cleaning deposits, pet rent, parking fees and any other deposits and fees, plus penalties for early termination.
5. It should address if utilities are separate or included in the rent.
6. It should outline any time lines or processes necessary prior to terminating the lease agreement.
Information courtesy of Patrick O'Rourke
Reach the reporter at: nicole.m.stewart@asu.edu
