Not By The Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin Part 2

Many students for a number of reasons, need to find—gasp—an apartment. This sounds like a big deal and it can definitely feel overwhelming if you are young, without credit, and worrying about when your financial aid money is going to come. The solution to this problem goes back to developing relationships. Often students find housing the same way people find jobs now--networking. This is where your efforts to connect with different campus organizations will help you. Start early in the spring semester telling people that you are looking for off-campus housing.  The more people who know that you are looking, the better.

Start saving early.  You will need money for your first months rent and for a security deposit. A security deposit is money the landlord hangs onto until you move out; it’s the landlord’s “security” against you breaking or damaging something in the apartment.  

To make sure you get the security deposit back when you move out, I suggest two things: 1. Don’t break or damage anything! (You are allowed what is called “normal wear". In other words, the carpet doesn’t have to be perfect, but it shouldn’t look like you re-built a Harley on it either.) 2. Take your smartphone, or borrow a camera with a date stamp capability, and just before you move in, walk through the apartment and take photos.  Make sure the date stamp feature is turned on. You can take a reliable friend with you too as a witness that you took the photos on that day.  Take pictures of the general condition of the apartment and especially any damage. This way you will be able to show the landlord later that this damage existed before you got there.

Besides money, the other thing you may need  is a co-signer. This is someone who has good rental and/or credit history and is willing to sign the lease along with you. Your co-signer is on the hook for paying the rent if you flake, which of course, you are never going to do.

Often landlords or apartment management companies want to begin the lease before the school year starts.  You will need to pay up front for the first month's rent and deposit often before financial aid comes to you in the fall.  Again, this is one of the advantages to living in a dorm.  The school will defer (put off) your housing payment for your dorm until financial aid money clears.  In other words, you can move in without having paid as of yet.  This same principle won't work for off-campus housing. This doesn’t mean you can’t do it but you will have to plan ahead.  

Remember, it was the smart little piggy that planned ahead, put in the extra work, and built her house out of brick.  That Beast could huff and puff all he wanted, and she was still safe and warm, studying for her biology final.