Off-campus housing and leases

anon94785555
Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:01:11 +0000

Most people do not have shared apartment horror stories. Most will have learned much from their imperfect experiences. It was good for my son to have shared his first apartment experience- taking care of the expenses and cleaning duties with others’ differing skills and ideas. This year he knows how to do things and living alone (friends close by) works well but I would have worried about him knowing what to do and getting bills paid before his first experience. Having his first apartment while still a student at the familiar campus also is an advantage for when he needs one in a strange town. There is always a learning curve, mistakes are made and it is better in the college environment. With experiences these students won’t be tempted to share with others as easily when they are in the working world.

Parental cosigning requirements and sharing responsibilities with fellow tenants are two different issues. I can’t blame landlords for making sure someone pays the bills. The other side of the coin is the security deposit return- it becomes known around a campus which management firms are good at returning the full amount and which are sticklers for condition. Knowing how college guys keep house I was not surprised when their idea of move out cleaning did not meet the management’s. Next summer I will feel free to interfere to get our money back, ie I will inspect and reclean as necessary with only my son to deal with.