The Panther's Guide to Living Off Campus
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» First Time Renting?
Leasing or renting can be confusing and difficult to understand. Here are some tips and resources to help ensure you have a positive renting experience. If you need help finding a place to live off campus, start here.
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What to consider when renting
- How much is the security deposit? (usually this is between one to two months rent)
- Will the rent go up if I sign another lease after 1 year?
- What will I do if I need to break the lease or my plans change?
- How much will I need to budget for utilities and Internet?
- Which of my roommates will be collecting the rent every month? When is it due?
What are co-signers and what are they for?
A co-signer, or guarantor, signs the lease with the tenant under the assumption they have agreed to fulfill all financial responsibilities and obligations in the event that the tenant fails to pay rent or violates the lease agreement. For most students, a guarantor or co-signer is a family member, relative or very close family friend.
Landlords or property managers will ask for qualifying information from a guarantor such as tax records, pay stubs or bank statements to confirm their eligibility to serve as your guarantor. This individual will continue to be responsible for serving as your guarantor until your lease term concludes.
Landlords or property managers will ask for qualifying information from a guarantor such as tax records, pay stubs or bank statements to confirm their eligibility to serve as your guarantor. This individual will continue to be responsible for serving as your guarantor until your lease term concludes.
What is expected of you as a tenant?
- Get to know your neighbors. This will help you learn the nuances and expectations of living in the community and neighborhood. Building a strong relationship with neighbors helps to prevent any issues down the road. Here is a simple contact information form to use when meeting your neighbors.
- In addition to the City of Orange’s ordinances, apartment complexes and homes each have their own rules or regulations they expect all tenants to adhere to for the duration of their lease.
- You will be required to pay your monthly rent on time by the agreed upon rent due day – usually within the first week of the month. If you are late on your rent or bounce a check, you may be required to pay any applicable fees.
- You are responsible for returning the property in good condition upon the conclusion of your lease. This includes cleaning, maintaining and making every effort not to damage or neglect the property.
- You are not allowed to take on additional occupants into your unit without explicit permission of your landlord or property owner.
- You must not create safety hazards or disturbances for neighbors or the community at large.
- You must dispose of recycling and trash in an appropriate and timely manner as outlined by your landlord, property manager, or city ordinance. If you live in a single family home, trash cans should be pulled in on the same day as trash pick up.
- Each landlord will have their own requirements, so be sure to read your lease thoroughly and ask any questions about policies that seem unclear.
- Even though you are living off campus, as a student you are an ambassador of Chapman University and need to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct, which is applicable while you are out in the community.
- We recommend that you have renters insurance covering your specific unit or property upon move in.
- Students who live off campus are still ambassadors of Chapman University. Please review the “breach of peace” section in the Student Code of Conduct.
Know your rights as a tenant
- Landlord must give 24 hours notice before entering (unless it is an emergency situation)
- You cannot be evicted without proper notice.
- You have the right not to be discriminated against during the tenancy or rental periods.
- You have the right to have your unit be properly serviced and repaired, if needed, in an appropriate amount of time.
- Your landlord has the right to enter your unit for reasonable situations such as emergency maintenance or life-threatening events. However, you have the right to inquire how your landlord or property manager would expect to communicate with you about reasonable entry into your unit.
- You have the right to have your security deposit, minus any outstanding rent or damage beyond what is deemed reasonable wear and tear, returned at the end of your lease.
- You have the right to complete a move in/move out inspection form when taking possession of the unit (getting keys).
Questions to ask your landlord or property manager
- How many people can live there?
- Are pets allowed?
- Who do I/we contact if something breaks?
- How are maintenance requests handled?
- Have there ever been any problems with mice or insects?
- What is the security deposit? When will it be returned?
- When is rent due (first of the month, end of the month)?
- How do I/we pay rent (check, online, etc)?
- How much notice do I/we have to give before leaving?
- What happens if we need to break the lease?
- Are any utilities included in the rent?
- Who is responsible for trash?
- Who is responsible for yard upkeep?
- What safety and security measures are in place at this property?
- Does the unit have a working smoke alarm and sprinkler system? When was the last time these were checked?
- Is there a usable fire extinguisher in the kitchen?
- Do you have the furnace inspected every year?
- Does the apartment/house have a Carbon Monoxide detector?
Quick Tip
While you and your roommates are settling into your new place, consider having a roommate agreement to establish rules about quiet hours, household chores, or paying rent on time.
If you have questions about off campus housing, contact the Off Campus Housing Coordinator.