The College Student Apartments Blog
Helping college students survive, one topic at a time!
Common Utility Bills Mistakes Students Make
March 16, 2025
By Garth Brunner
If this is your first time signing up for and paying for your own utilities, don’t be scared. Everyone needs them. Unfortunately, there are a couple of common utility bill mistakes that students like yourself often make, only because you don’t know any better. If you learn them now and how to avoid them, you’ll be able to keep a watchful eye out. This way, you’ll keep costs low and keep a good relationship with your providers.
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Conduct Too Little Research
With some...
How to Spot a Deal: Rent Comparison for College Students
February 18, 2025
By Sara Mallory
Looking for off-campus housing can feel overwhelming. A quick search online can lead to hundreds of results. It might seem like there are too many listings to parse through. With so many options, how do you know what to choose?
Of course, you’ll narrow down your search by price, location, size, and amenities. But what you might not realize is that the vast amount of information available to you is exactly what will help you find the right place to live. Comparing and contrasting property listings is a way to figure o...
Renting in a College Town: Navigating Lease Terms and Finding the Best Deals
January 16, 2025
By Garth Brunner
It is exciting to finally rent in your college town and move out of the dorms into some place that fits your living style, but it can be pretty pricey. You need to properly navigate the rental market to ensure you find the best deals so that you do not quickly burn a hole in your wallet. Here’s a list of actions you need to take to find the best deal in your college town.
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Research Your College Town
First, you need to know what the rental market is like in your college town. For example, y...
Renew Your Lease Or Leave? Factors to Consider
December 19, 2024
By Ashley Paskill
When you move into an apartment and sign a lease, you know that your lease will run out at some point. Once this date is near, you will need to decide if you want to renew your lease and stay or move out without renewing. This decision can be difficult, but there are several factors to consider when making your choice.
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Other options
Before your renewal date, do some research into other options in your area. Even if you love your current apartment and complex, see what else is out there. Y...
Tips for a Smooth Move & Relocation to a New City
November 16, 2024
By Garth Brunner
Moving and relocating to a new city can be terrifying. If you’re feeling this way, you are not alone! After all, you have to pack up your life, leave your friends and family, and start a whole new journey. However, don’t get cold feet. There are many steps you can take and tips you can follow that will help smooth out this transition in your life.
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Create a Budget
Unfortunately, moving to a new city can be pretty costly. There are security deposits and extra months of rent when moving i...
3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Moving Apartments
October 15, 2024
By Emily Stoklosa
One of the least exciting aspects of student life is relocating apartments. With an overload of boxes, unorganized clothes, and a frantic search to find the right place, the process of switching your residence is indeed a daunting task. Yes, college students are technically "adults," but many make significant life adjustments like this for the first time without guidance from a parent or guardian. If you can relate to the feeling of relocation anxiety right now, this is your sign to take a deep breath. Befor...
How to Ensure You Get Your Security Deposit Back
September 18, 2024
By Ashley Paskill
When you are getting ready to move into a new apartment, you often have to pay a security deposit. Security deposits is a sum of money you pay to ensure that you uphold your end of the lease, including paying rent on time and keeping the apartment clean and undamaged. While it is sometimes considered the last month’s rent, it can be earned back if you know what to do. Getting your security deposit back can be done if you are mindful and take care of things about your apartment.
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Read your lease...
Mistakes to Avoid as a College Student Renting Your First Apartment
August 16, 2024
By Garth Brunner
You’re finally moving off-campus and looking for an apartment to call your own--at least for a few months or so. Renting an apartment can be great as it gives you a stronger sense of freedom, but do not be so hasty as you search and sign the lease for a new apartment. There are plenty of mistakes first-time renters make just because they are so excited to get out there on their own. Luckily, we’re here to help! Here are the common mistakes you should avoid as a college student renting your first apartment.
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Negotiating Rent With Your Potential Landlord
July 15, 2024
By Kaitlin Hurtado
Picture this: You’ve gone on an extensive and exhausting hunt for the perfect apartment. After a series of misses, you’ve found it -- the perfect apartment. It may have the exact amenities you’re searching for, or may just be the location you were looking for. Either way, there could still be one major obstacle in your way -- rent. Rent can be a huge deciding factor in what rental property you ultimately choose, even if you give yourself a window of rent to look for, something on the higher end of the ...
6 Questions To Ask During an Apartment Tour
June 16, 2024
By Ashley Paskill
Whether you are looking for your first apartment or you have lived in an apartment before, touring a new apartment can be challenging. Apartment tours can give you an opportunity to ask questions and find out more information to help you decide if you want to rent there or not. Asking questions, especially ones that pertain to you and your situation, can give you the necessary information to help you decide where to live.
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What is included in the rent?
One of the most important pieces of info...
What To Look For In An Apartment Lease
May 15, 2024
By Garth Brunner
Navigating apartment leases, especially your first lease, can be pretty tricky. You’re just eager to move out of the college dorm and start living even more independently, but unfortunately, you might have a very difficult time living alone if you do not read the lease carefully. Not all landlords are created equally and some lease buildings as their sole way of making money. You’re probably wondering, what should you look out for in your apartment lease before you sign it? While we are often looking solely ...
6 Apartment Rental Red Flags to Look For
April 17, 2024
By Alicia Geigel
Whether you are a second-year college student looking to get out of your dorm or someone who is venturing out to get a place of your own, apartment hunting is no easy task. There are many factors that go into searching for an apartment but sometimes it can be hard to tell what exactly is the right place for you, especially if this is your first time getting a place of your own.
Outside of considering factors like location, proximity to public transportation, and price, you should also weigh red flags, like property c...
How to Keep Your Apartment Makeover Affordable
March 16, 2024
By Kaitlin Hurtado
As a college student, there’s always something coming up that you have to incorporate into your already tight budget. From planning out vacations with friends to having to buy another set of textbooks for a new semester, the spending may seem endless for your current lifestyle. With all these costs to consider, you may find your budget not having a lot of room for other projects or things you want to do. For example, you may want to give your apartment a small makeover but have no idea where to start when consider...
Pros and Cons of High-Rise Apartment Living
February 15, 2024
By Ashley Paskill
When you are searching for an off-campus apartment, you may come across high-rise apartments, especially if you live in the city. These apartment buildings are more than seven stories high. For any city lover, living in a high-rise apartment may be a dream. However, like any living arrangement, there are pros and cons to consider before moving into a high-rise apartment.
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Pro: Less risk of flooding
If you live on one of the upper floors of a high-rise, there is less of a risk of your apa...
Packing Tips for Moving in Winter
January 15, 2024
By Aidan Cannon
Moving into a new living space can be an arduous process at the best of times. You have to pack up everything you own and endure the stress that comes with moving it all into an unfamiliar environment. You may even realize that you own more things than you thought you did! Unfortunately, things can get more difficult if you find yourself moving during the winter. The elements will conspire against you, and you need to take extra precautions to make sure you and your valuables are safe during the transition. While this migh...
7 Apartment Decor Gifts to Ask For This Holiday Season
December 13, 2023
By Alicia Geigel
If you’re a bit behind on sharing your winter holiday gift list, there is still time to share your wish list items with your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc. There are several companies offering heavily discounted products, so why not take advantage of the post-holiday rush and look into certain items that you may have been wanting, but never had the urge to buy for yourself!
If you’re stuck as to what to add to your list, you can never go wrong with home/apartment decor items. Everyone can util...
Must-Have Amenities When Hunting for a Luxury Apartment
November 14, 2023
By Kaitlin Hurtado
Everyone has different expectations of their living space. Some simply want a place to call home and rest up when needed, barely spending time in their living space. Others want something more - a place that offers much more than the minimum of a living space, with a more luxurious feel. If you find yourself in the latter category, you may find yourself wondering just what amenities are necessary for a rental property to qualify as a luxury apartment.
When a rental property has certain on-site amenities, reside...
7 Ways to Make Your Apartment More Like Home
October 19, 2023
By Ashley Paskill
Moving into an apartment, especially for the first time, can be a difficult adjustment. It may have seemed easier to make a dorm room more at home since you had less space. With an apartment, you have more space and likely more room to fill. Decorating your apartment will help you feel more at home, but figuring out how to begin can be challenging. Luckily, it does not take too much to make your space feel more like home.
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Deep clean
When you first move in, give your space a deep clean. Yo...
How to Maximize Your Space in a Shared Apartment
September 16, 2023
By Aidan Cannon
Chances are if you're a young adult, you're going to be living in a lot of apartments while you try to get your career off the ground. While it would be really convenient to have a space all to yourself, the economic realities of the day make that quite difficult. In all likelihood, you will be sharing an apartment with one or multiple other roommates. Despite living in a shared space, you'll still want to have an area or areas that belong to you so you can feel at home. This can be difficult when the space you ar...
6 Common Moving Mistakes You Should Avoid
August 18, 2023
By Alicia Geigel
Unless you’re a professional mover, the moving process is a time filled with chaos and stress, no matter how much you plan for it. As you are planning and going through the process of a move, unexpected mistakes and mishaps can occur, which can undoubtedly send you into a spiral of anxiety and anger.
If you’re in the middle of a move, preparing to move, or are looking for some moving tips, here are six easy moving mistakes you should avoid.
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Packing At the Last Minute: During a move...
