While every property renter should be aware of the possibility of scams when it comes time to sign the lease, college students should be particularly careful when signing a student housing lease. It is often the case that students are new to living on their own: searching for a decent, well-priced apartment is hard enough on its own, but students often don’t anticipate how difficult signing the lease can be. Pages of dense writing, legalese, and sometimes confusing clauses, all with the manager standing at your side, keys in hand, can be too much to take in immediately.

Signing the Lease

College students should resist the urge to smile and sign, although it may seem like a good idea at the time. You may feel as though you are offending your landlord by taking a step back and reading the entire lease in detail. You may even feel as though your landlord can be trusted 100%.

But the thing is, signing a legally binding document is serious, and can have significant repercussions on your life and finances. While lease terms vary depending on where you are living, many of them can be binding for up to a year. That means that, legally speaking, you are beholden to any clause within the contract as long as it is legal. With that in mind, take your time reviewing your lease. It is often the case that mistakes, if you do not catch them, will be to your disadvantage. Even if your landlord has made an error or is otherwise in the wrong, the amount of time, energy, and money you might end up spending securing your rights is not worth this ounce of prevention.

Different Types of Leases

As there is no such thing as a template for a lease, or a standard lease, landlords have a lot of leeway in the ones that write. Many lease forms can have huge legal or ethical problems. But it is not uncommon for future tenants, including college students, to be unaware of them before it is too late.

The risk that you would be running by signing your lease without question is possible to circumvent, but the responsibility is on your shoulders as the tenant. Read your lease carefully – do not skim it – before signing it. It is acceptable to ask for a copy to review overnight, although be aware that for some landlords, signs of hesitance in a tight market may make them just dump you in favor of another candidate.

Watch Out for Red Flags

While you can never know before you read the lease, there are some signs that may indicate that your landlord may be untrustworthy. If he or she does not give you a copy of the lease, however, that is your first red flag. Another is them trying to rush you to sign it, right there on the spot. Do not let them push you into doing anything you are unsure of. If the landlord tries to minimize a clause that you ask about by saying that they do not enforce it, or it is just a formality, be firm: ask the landlord to remove the clause if it is so unimportant or unenforced. You are allowed, to some extent, to negotiate the contents of your contract. Even if the landlord will not negotiate with you, it does not hurt to ask.

Another red flag is the landlord’s insistent on an oral agreement that they will not add to the contract. Unfortunately, you cannot take a handshake or someone’s word to a court of law.

One of the most important things a tenant can remember is that “standard contracts” do not exist. If your potential landlord tries to brush of your concerns with this platitude, they may be trying to pull one over on you.

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Author Bio

Joshua Turner is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to business. In this article, he offers tips to students faced with signing a house lease and aims to encourage further study with a Real Estate College Degree.

Although all of this time they have been living with you, and as we all know, one of the major transitions that come with going to college is that students are able to live on campus (or even in an apartment). If you’ve been trying to figure out if that is an option that is most suitable for your son or daughter, we have a few things for you to consider before making a final decision whether to live on or off campus.

The Pros of Living on Campus

One of the main benefits of living on campus is that it’s convenient for your child to get to their classes. There’s no traffic or weather conditions that could make it challenging for them to either get to class, or to get to class on time. Another bonus is that great memories are made from living among other students who are also learning in a college environment. There are college roommates (and suite mates) who end up being friends for a lifetime. Still, another benefit is that it gives college students a sense of independence. While they may have relied on you to wake them up to class or to help them budget their own money, living on campus helps them to learn how to make many decisions on their own on a daily basis.

The Pros of Living Off Campus

If they live with you, an immediate benefit is that it saves you money on either room and board or assisting with their rent and other living expenses. Plus, you have the peace of mind of them coming home every day. If they live in an apartment, this even further prepares them for “the real world”, plus it provides them with the privacy that they may need in order to study. One thing to consider with this particular option, however, is if they do live in an apartment or even if they are looking into something like some San Jose real estate in order to rent out a house with a few friends, they are going to need some reliable transportation in order to get back and forth to school.

So when it comes to making the ultimate decision on what is best for your college student, there are three main questions that you should ask yourself: “Would my child thrive more living on campus or off?”, “Is my child emotionally mature enough to live outside of the home?” and “What makes the most financial sense?” Once you have taken these various pros into consideration and then answered those questions, undoubtedly, you will come to the resolve that is best for your son or daughter (and for you).

That post has spurred some additional thoughts that I felt would be helpful to parents of college-bound teens. Here are some things you might need to consider and/or know about off-campus housing.

Most colleges encourage freshmen to live on campus. It helps your teen bond with other students and get involved in campus life. Living off campus during freshman year can cause the student to feel out of touch with the goings on on campus and contribute to instability during an already emotion packed change.

Some colleges (due to size and location) can’t house all the students. If this is the case, get your housing form in ASAP. It’s first come, first serve and if you don’t act quickly, your child could lose a spot in the dorms. If you’re too late, try and connect with other incoming freshmen and find an apartment or house off  campus to share. Check with the campus housing office for information regarding off-campus housing and contact information. Being around other students from the same college will help with adjustment issues.

If you have more than one child headed to the same college, consider buying a house as an investment and let them live there (with other students). This happens often at Texas A&M and University of Texas. Once they have graduated, you can sell the house or keep it and make a hefty profit on rent each year. These rentals are in demand by college students and their families. (Here’s a new site I discovered that will help your search CampusHomesOnline.com)

If your child chooses to live at home during college, encourage them to get involved in campus activities. My daughter had a close friend that lived with family during her first semester at the University of Texas. She was a smart girl that worked hard to get accepted. But living off campus with family caused her to struggle in such a huge campus environment. She never felt involved or accepted among the students. She ended up dropping out after just one semester.

Upperclassmen are often encouraged to move off campus to make room for incoming freshmen. Know the policies and campus housing guidelines of the colleges your teen applies to. If this situation is not acceptable to them, don’t apply to a college that can’t provide housing all four years. Don’t get caught by surprise and have to scramble for senior housing (along with thousands of other college students).

Part of being a parent college coach is being prepared for all scenarios, including off-campus housing. If you’re prepared, you won’t have to panic when/if the day arrives that your college student approaches you with the “best plan ever” for living off campus.

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