Being a student is the most crucial & exciting part of any person's life. In this stage, you will be trained & educated to polish your survival instincts which will help you to overcome future hurdles. For higher studies & all other related issues, you'll often have to relocate from your town to big metropolitan cities. Along with other necessities, you'll need to find a good house for living there to carry on your studies. As a student you can stay in a college hostel or in your friends/relatives house. But if you want your privacy, off-campus renting will be another option for you.
There are some creative ways to rent a house as a student, You should pick one which can save your money as well as provide you a good accommodation with privacy. Before putting a rented roof over your head, make a decent budget. By doing this, you can easily determine how much you can afford for paying the security deposit & first month's rent in advance. You must clear out some points with your prospective landlord/property manager before moving into the rental house. May be your financial necessity compels you to compromise on a cheap house, but before signing the lease/rent document, you must ask some questions.
These questions can be divided into following manner :
1) Monthly rent – First you need to know how much will be the rent per month. Taking a big house is useful, but it will still hurt your monthly budget if you have to pay more than you can afford. Choose wisely according to your need so that you can meet up other expenses too after paying your rent.
2) Duration & payment – Ask your landlord about the duration of your renting period. The duration may vary between different homeowners, make sure you will get the longer period. Fix the date of your monthly rent payment & ask him if there is any late payment fee applicable or not. Never try to cross the deadline even in your exam days.
3) Roommate or not – Ask the landlord whether he will allow roommates along with you or not. If he allow more, try not to exceed his given limits. It will be useful because the more the roommates, your rent will be also distributed amongst you & them. Confirm your roommate's mode of payment with your landlord & ask him about leaving policy during lease period.
4) Security deposit – Most of the homeowners ask for security deposit while letting the house for rent. It is your duty to ask questions regarding the deposit amount & related aspects like - whether it should be paid at the time of shifting or later, whether it will be returned at the end of lease or be settled with the last month's rent, etc. Try to negotiate with your landlord about the security deposit amount & try to reduce it. If it is not possible & seems that the deposit money is beyond your means, try for another house.
5) Facilities & applied costs – You should inspect the house or room before signing the lease. Suggest your landlord for repairing the per-existing interior damages & ask him to mention them in the lease agreement. It will save you from paying extra cost which might be levied to you while moving out at the end of agreement. Ask him (landlord) to run a pest-control test before you moving in.
You must be concerned about the facilities you will gain in return of the monthly payment. Facilities may include food, furniture & fixtures, home appliances, heating (electric, gas, or oil), water (hot & cold), cable TV, laundry & garbage collection, parking (self & guest) etc. In case of any sudden repairing, it must be cleared how much you'll have to share for it.
6) Lease application & obligations – After choosing the proper residence, it is time for the lease process. You must check the all the details before sending an application for the lease. You will have to check if there is any fee associated with the application or not. Confirm the signatory issues with your landlord & ask him about the requirement of any guarantor. Don't forget to ask him about the rules & regulations you need to maintain while staying there during the lease period. You should discuss about the lease termination process, any prior notice is required or not. In case you want to extend the lease period, ask the homeowner to renew the agreement. If you don't want to continue the lease during the middle of the agreement period, know properly about the penalties & fees associated with the closing process.
7) Neighbors & neighborhood services – Know more about the other residents of your rental home. It is necessary to your privacy as well as your living style. Congested & over-populated homes are less preferable to the students than a low populated neighborhood. You must obey the rules regarding “quiet hours” of that building.
Neighborhood services is another deciding factor for the students to choose a decent rental home. You must select the neighborhood where you will get all required services easily, like supermarket, grocery store, easy transportation to the college, banks etc.
8) Security – Personal safety always comes first. So, make sure your house is not deprived of this facility. Ask your landlord for new keys & locks free of charge. You should select the house which has proper security arrangements along with security guards for both day & night shifts. Confirm with the landlord that the house has sufficient fire-safety kits. Enquire about the insurance policies in case of theft or sudden fire, confirm first if you'll have to pay anything against it or not.
9) Visitor policy – Get a clear view about the “guest policy” mentioned in your agreement. Ask the landlord if there is any objection regarding sudden guests including children, senior-citizen or friends. Go through the housing rules regarding partying or any other gathering in your house. You should also ask whether a visitor car parking is allowed or not in the housing premises.
These are some important questions every student must ask & confirm before moving in to a new home for studying. Learn as much as possible about a place from your end before you submit a rental application or sign a lease. After all it's all about the peaceful living & privacy during those crucial student days.