What time do people usually start looking for apartments in college areas?

[Leros]

We just started looking for an apartment for next year (move in during August). The property management companies make it sound like we're doing this a bit too late and much isn't left.

Is that true or are they just trying to rush us into signing a lease without looking around more?

 

[Ns1]

All the good stuff is gone by June. I would look now if you want a nice apt.

//edit

by all means look around, just move quick on it. The management company is not being unreasonable.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Ns1
All the good stuff is gone by June. I would look now if you want a nice apt.

//edit

by all means look around, just move quick on it. The management company is not being unreasonable.

I'm planning on signing a lease in the next 2-3 weeks.

 

[Tiamat]

For Sept. move in, gotta start looking start of the year (january). By February, 1/3 of the offerings are gone. By March, the pickings have slimmed down greatly. April, you wont be getting an apartment you would like to live in unless you get a luck find.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

If you are looking to get into an apartment in August then you should be perfectly fine looking now...in fact right now is probably a bit early too*.

* Many apartment managers do not start asking tenants if they will be renewing their leases until about now.

 

[darkxshade]

I'd say you're safe to shop around right now.

 

[coldmeat]

People here are just starting to look. I know a few people that have already signed. Me and some of my friends are checking out a house this week.

 

[Jeff7]

Sometimes it might depend on your luck. I started hunting around early August, went to check out a few places around the middle of August, and signed a lease next day.

I did try to start looking around March, for an August move-in, but no one wanted to talk to me if I wasn't ready to sign right away. I was told to start checking back again in May or June, which I guess was because that would be when the semester was ending and people would tend to be vacating their apartments.

 

[clamum]

I started looking around now, or bit earlier. I remember looking at places for my bro and my friend while they were on Spring Break, though that was sort of late (for us). After Christmas break I'd start to casually look on the university's website where local places were listed.

 

[jiggahertz]

Depends on the area. In Ann arbor most places had been rented out by thanksgiving for the following fall. Places would still be available but your selection wouldn't be as great.

 

[BurnItDwn]

You can start as early as you like. I would recommend not starting until sunrise though since it's easier to see.

 

[Demo24]

I would probably wait until closer to summer. Right now those vacancies are probably those that got done in one semester and have moved out.

 

[FallenHero]

Lets put it this way...when I went to college, if you started looking in Nov, you were late. We signed for the next year in October, started looking in Sept.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: FallenHero
Lets put it this way...when I went to college, if you started looking in Nov, you were late. We signed for the next year in October, started looking in Sept.

that really depends onwhere you go to school

where i was i could have started looking in august and had one in august of that year and a pimp one at that

 

[mwmorph]

In Champaign, you started looking in September, tried to sign before thanksgiving. By January, all the nice ones are gone.

 

[duragezic]

Yeah it just depends on where you go to school. Here, most people who kept their good place or found a new good place have already signed. Our landlord this year asked in late October and November who was renewing since he was showing the places throughout November. A few people came to our apartment way back then and no one after that, so this apartment building was probably full for 2008-2009 a month ago. Leases here typically start/end in May or June. Finding one now means you're gonna be quite a bit further from campus, pay a lot more, and/or be in a not very nice place.

 

[RandomFool]

My roommates and I didn't start looking for an apartment until like July. Of course we weren't really looking at property management places.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: Leros
We just started looking for an apartment for next year (move in during August). The property management companies make it sound like we're doing this a bit too late and much isn't left.

Is that true or are they just trying to rush us into signing a lease without looking around more?

Depends on the area. Youre in that shit hole of state called texas, no? Move out of state.

 

[OsoVerde]

Around my state, the time to actually sign a lease for fall semester is at the beginning of May typically... the leases on most student rentals come up for renewal or end during May and landlords aren't going to wait for somebody just because they don't need it until August. Right now is the time to be looking at prospects and getting on waiting lists, so when (or if) a unit becomes available you're hopefully towards the front of the line.

Be suspicious of property management companies that try to rush you into signing, pressure is a tactic that slumlords use to keep you from looking around or researching them before you sign. Always good to find out names of the owner, management company, or whatever else might be applicable and search for bad press on the internet under all the different names. If you get a chance, chat with a current or past renter at a place you're interested in and ask if the place is maintained decently, if emergency maintenance problems (sewer backup, dead ac/heat, etc) are dealt with in a timely manner, and if the management/owner is reasonable (won't try to charge you for a new door/ac/plumbing if it needs repair due to normal age/wear as opposed to you beating it with a sledgehammer). I'd always had decent landlords and hadn't thought to do research, and then the last one I signed a lease with turned out to be the most infamous slum lord in town. We eventually ended up in court when I refused to pay an emergency plumbing bill and the jerk tried to evict me. The drains had been marginally functioning when I moved in and only got worse. The management office threw away all the repair orders I submitted, the only way that (or anything else) ever got fixed was to call the emergency handyman on a Saturday while the office staff was gone. I successfully defended my refusal to pay that bill and the judge was completely disgusted with the slumlord.

Some of the best landlords I've had were people I found on Craigslist that only own a few rental properties, so don't rule out classified ads in your search. Happy hunting!