It’s that time of the year! Time to start looking for off campus housing for the 2019-2020 school year! If you feel like you are late to the game, no worries, we have some helpful tips for the off campus search!
It might seem daunting to even begin the search process, but there are many different resources available:
-Search online sites for available places
Trulia (The map on this site also shows crimes and affordability of the areas of La Crosse)
-Ask friends who might know of good places/landlords to rent from
-Ask your current landlord or a friend’s landlord for any leads
Now you have found a place that might work and scheduled an apartment tour! What’s next? Start thinking of some things you want to see in your new home away from home! Not sure where to start? Here’s a list:
-Price -Pet Policy
-Location to campus -Safety
-Quality of apartment -Storage
-Parking -Room Sizes
-Laundry- in unit, basement, none available?
-What’s all included in the rent (ex: Wi-Fi, utilities, water)
Finally, you found your dream apartment with all the amenities you could think of! Now it’s time to sign that lease and finally have a sigh of relief! What are some things to look out for on the lease?
-Start/End date -How they accept the rent (do they only accept one check?)
-Rent due date -Rules and Regulations set by the landlord
-Late fees for late rent?
Before you sign that lease though, ask for a copy and bring it in to the IMC! office to review with a peer mentor! We can go over it with you and make sure there are no red flags. Better yet, bring your future roommates in and have a roommate consultation to talk about the finances of living with roommates!
Finally, one more thing to check off your To-Do list and you have a place to live next year! Now how are you going to afford rent and groceries each month? Need help creating a budget? Stop into the It Make$ Cents! office for all your money management needs!
Stay frugal my friends!
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