The College Student Apartments Blog
Helping college students survive, one topic at a time!
What to Know About Apartment Rental Applications
February 16, 2023
By Ashley Paskill
Filling out your first apartment rental application can feel daunting. What information and documents do you need? It can seem difficult since each application and landlord will be different, but knowing what to have on hand will help you prepare for anything the applications ask you.
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Where to apply
Each landlord will have a preferred method of how they like to process applications. Some may have online-only, which may be quicker in the long run, especially for those who are tech-savvy. Olde...
Best of Both Worlds: Tips for Matching the Right Roommates and to the Right Apartment
January 15, 2023
By Aaron Swartz
Apartment living has its perks and its disadvantages. Roommates may actually fall into either camp depending on who you are. On the one hand, living with other people can be a lot of fun, can keep you from being bored, and can be a great boon to your social life. On the other hand, sharing a space with other people can be trying in the extreme, which means picking both the right roommates AND the right space can have a huge impact on your experience living in your apartment. To help you match people and space together, h...
Choosing an Apartment: Determining How Much Rent You Can Afford
December 15, 2022
By Alicia Geigel
Determining the costs of living, especially how much rent you can afford can be discouraging in an inflated and competitive market. Despite this, there are still plenty of options out there that can fit your needs and end up working out for you in the long run. Knowing what to look for, and more importantly, what you can reasonably afford, is a key component in making the process a little bit easier. If you are at the beginning of your apartment search or stuck in the middle of it, these six tips can lend a helping hand...
Advice for Renting an Apartment Sight-Unseen
November 16, 2022
By Kaitlin Hurtado
Apartment hunting can be a tricky situation for anyone to navigate for a multitude of reasons. From a lack of time to explore every option to having conflicting opinions between potential roommates, apartment hunting can pose plenty of challenges from start to finish. One challenge that many renters may face during their search is not being able to see the rental unit in person prior to signing a lease. For many renters, this option is a last resort and can deter them from signing a lease if they can’t inspect a p...
What To Know About Utilities And Their Costs
October 17, 2022
By Ashley Paskill
If you are renting an apartment or house off-campus instead of living in a dorm, you likely have to pay your own utilities. This may seem like an added expense, but renting is still less expensive than living in the dorms in most cases. Be sure to check your lease to see if utilities are included or not. Knowing how much you need to have in addition to your monthly rent can help you plan ahead so you are not caught off guard by the additional cost. You may even be able to reduce utility costs with a few simple ...
Go Green Or Go Home: Top Tips for Making Your Apartment More Eco-Friendly
September 16, 2022
By Aaron Swartz
It seems like these days, everyone’s trying to go green. From reusable straws to eco-friendly shower curtains, the market for green home goods just keeps expanding, and a lot of college students are looking to get in on it. We’ve been raised hearing about climate change, and most of us are keen to implement eco-friendly strategies into our lives. If you’re looking to up your environmental friendliness game, here are our top seven tips to make your apartment — and your lifestyle — healthier f...
How to Create Dedicated Workspace in Your Apartment
August 16, 2022
By Kaitlin Hurtado
It is no secret that apartments often come with limited space, whether it be due to the addition of roommates or a limited amount of square footage. Oftentimes, living in an apartment means having to compromise on the spaces you are allowed to have or having to make the majority of spaces multifunctional to be able to make the apartment work for your lifestyle.
With that being said, the pandemic has caused many to rework their living spaces to help them adapt to life changes, such as learning from home or wor...
6 Tips Every Summer Subletter Needs to Know
July 15, 2022
By Alicia Geigel
Subletting your apartment over the summer can be a great option to not only help you save money but also give you the freedom to do what you like before the start of the school year in the fall. As with anything, subletting comes with its risks and benefits, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into before you jump into it.
If you are considering subletting your apartment over the summer, here are six tips to help you get started.
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1. Evaluate the Risks: Before you jum...
8 Tips to Summer-fy Your Apartment
June 14, 2022
By Ashley Paskill
As summer heats up, there is no better time to update your apartment’s décor. This is a time to transition from darker colors to brighter colors that liven up your space. While it may seem like this could be expensive, you can easily do this on a budget without even painting your walls. There are plenty of ways to add touches of summer to your space, both inside and out (if you have outdoor space).
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Rent a grill
Consider renting a grill for the summer if you have an outdoor space i...
5 Easy Tips to Help Organize Your Unpacking
May 15, 2022
By Aaron Swartz
The day has finally come. You’ve found the right place for the right price, gone through the arduous process of packing your whole life into boxes and bins, and you’re piling out of the car to begin moving into your new home. Then, of course, you’re struck by the monumental nature of the task at hand: unpacking. Somehow you have to get everything from your old place out of all of those boxes and into their proper place in the new space. It can be a really overwhelming task, and hard to know where to start. To ...
How To Upgrade Your College Pad So It Doesn't Look Like A Student Apartment
April 15, 2022
By Kaitlin Hurtado
For many college students, college is the first opportunity they have to experience living on their own. Everyone’s living situation is different, from dorming for the entirety of their time at college to hopping around local apartment complexes with a different lineup of roommates each time. While everyone has their dream living space in mind for their first apartment, reality can be much different when it comes to college student apartments. Not only are you likely going to be encountering different decor tastes...
7 First-Time Apartment Tips to Help You During the Process
March 15, 2022
By Alicia Geigel
Looking for your first apartment is a big deal. There is so much to consider when deciding on your first apartment, such as location and finding the right roommate. Everyone at some point has embarked on this life-changing milestone, so you are not alone if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the process.
Are you a student or young adult looking to live in an apartment for the first time? Here are seven tips to help you get started on your journey, from scheduling your move to setting up your utilities!
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Moving In With Your Significant Other: Things To Consider
February 15, 2022
By Ashley Paskill
Whether your leasing is running out or you are looking to figure out a new living arrangement, if you have a significant other who goes to the same school, you may be considering moving in with them. This is especially true if your friends are moving in with their significant others or are doing a different living arrangement. However, you may be wondering if your relationship is even ready for this step. Before making a commitment to living with your significant other, there are several things you should consider.
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How to Break Up With Your Roommate For Housing Next Year
January 15, 2022
By Kaitlin Hurtado
When it comes to college housing, you are most likely going to be dealing with a roommate or two. Whether you are sharing your own room or sharing an apartment or house among several people, roommates are common for most college students. In the most ideal situation, you find the perfect roommate on the first try and can continue the same housing situation, or at least keep the same roommate(s) for the entirety of your college experience. However, this is hardly the case for many college students for a variety of reason...
Off-Campus Essentials To Buy in the New Year
December 12, 2021
By Ashley Paskill
Moving into an apartment after living in the dorms is a huge step. You have more independence, but you also have more responsibilities. Your apartment likely has more space and you are able to add more décor items. Also, you will be responsible for things like cleaning. You have to bring more stuff that you need, so make sure you know what is essential to have with you for the new semester.
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Cleaning essentials
Moving into an apartment means you will have to have cleaning supplies...
5 Apartment Decorating Tips for Renters
November 25, 2021
By Alicia Geigel
When renting an apartment, more often than not, your creative freedom is limited and is up to the discretion of the owner. In some situations, you may encounter a landlord that is more flexible and allows for fun here and there. While other times you can have an owner that is an absolute stickler and insists on having the apartment rental look and feel the way they want it to.
In a situation where you have a stricter landlord, decorating your apartment might feel like an uphill battle. With all the limitations put in p...
6 Ways To Lower Your Rent
November 11, 2021
By Ashley Paskill
As a college student, you have a limited budget that is used on tuition, books, school supplies, and living expenses. One of your biggest expenses is your rent if you live in an apartment. It can feel impossible to have enough money to pay your rent and take care of your other expenses. However, there are ways that you can talk to your landlord to try to get your rent to be lower each month. This may seem scary, but if you go into the request with knowledge and confidence, you may be able to save some money each month to...
Pros and Cons of Renting a Furnished Apartment
October 16, 2021
By Kaitlin Hurtado
Living alone can come with plenty of unexpected costs, including the cost of furnishing your apartment. You may have spent months adding to your “Dream Apartment” mood board on Pinterest, without really putting much thought into how much cost and effort would go into making that aesthetic come true. Furnishing an apartment can get expensive very quickly, no matter how good you are at budgeting. For some, renting a furnished apartment is the perfect solution as they have a space that is immediately ...
Signing a Lease: What to Know
September 24, 2021
By Alicia Geigel
In the world of looking for an apartment and signing your first lease, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by all of the jargon, the paperwork, and the numbers constantly floating around you. When it comes to signing a lease, there are several different elements to consider, such as the cost of the apartment, as well as renters insurance to name a few.
Are you apartment hunting? Need tips on what to expect when signing a lease? Here is a simple breakdown of what you need to know before signing a lease!
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Off-Campus Neighborhood Safety Tips
September 12, 2021
By Danielle Wirsansky
Many students are excited to be able to leave the dorms and instead live in off-campus housing. There are no Resident Assistants to watch over you, no room sharing, and maybe even no bathroom sharing either when you live off-campus. And living off-campus certainly gives you more freedoms (as well as responsibilities).
But it is also no walk in the park and there are definitely more risks when you live off-campus than on campus. You have a higher risk of break-ins, floods, and more. In fact, according to a report rele...
