This is the time of the year when dorm residents are deciding whether or not they want to spend another year eating dining hall food and living on campus or move into an apartment or house.
I was in their place a few years ago. There are things I know now I wish I knew then. Everyone knows they will be responsible for a monthly rent check and bills, and they know they will need to cook their own food from now on. But there are some unexpected factors you probably don’t know about yet.
First off, it’s a lot harder to get a new roommate when you live off campus. If you hate your roommate on campus, then you can move into a new place. No sweat. If they leave, your rent doesn’t go up.
Leaving your lease is a big deal in the real world. If your roommate leaves, you are either stuck paying higher rent or need to find a new one yourself on craigslist.com. Easier said than done. It’s actually hard to find someone who isn’t 52 years old and looking for a house full of college women.
If you are the one leaving, you could luck out and find a friend with an open room, but you might also have to start hunting. Some companies will also make the leaving roommate pay rent until he or she finds a new tenant to fill the spot. Make sure you know the rules about this in your lease.
The lesson to be learned from this is that you need to be sure the person or people you will be living with are people you won’t have massive disagreements with. Are they too messy? Too clean? Do they have a creepy friend you don’t like? You need to be sure things will work out because if it doesn’t, you’re out of luck.
This is also why some people do not recommend living with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Chances are you will want to leave if the relationship turns sour, almost always leading to a period of awkward cohabitation.
Property management companies will try to rip off your security deposit. When you move out of an apartment or house in control of a professional property management company, you better make sure you clean the place to a squeaky finish. Make sure you replace all the light bulbs and the drip pans in your stove. Don’t leave any horrible marks on the walls. These companies will charge you ridiculous amounts to repair any damage, real or perceived.
The security deposit people give to the university housing is a bit of a joke. Unless you used your bathtub as a toilet and left tons of garbage in your room, you will probably get most if not all of your deposit back. Though the university expects you to do a little bit of cleaning .
That said you should still clean up when you move out because there are students just like you who work over the summer cleaning up dorm rooms.
They are the ones who will deal with your mess, not your Resident Advisor or President Morse.
The better the name of the apartment building sounds, the more likely it will be a dump. I have seen this pattern repeated across Bellingham. It’s like apartment owners are trying to over-compensate.
The building I live in right now is called the “Boulevard Brownstones.” The word brownstones does not evoke images of wealth but images of week-old dog poo in the backyard; it’s the best home I’ve ever had. My apartment is big and even has gas stoves. Most of my neighbors are older couples who keep their heat up, which in turn keeps my apartment nice and warm.
Don’t assume that just because the name sounds good and the photo on the Web site looks homey that the real thing will be grand. Always visit the exact room you will be renting before getting it.
Remember, moving out of the dorms is a big step you shouldn’t take lightly. Still, it’s worth it. Trust me.
Only registered users can post comments.
Please login or register.
Be first to comment on this article
