The biggest misconception of Student Housing is that the students who rent in our communities understand what they are doing because they don’t. Students often look at living off campus as an extension of dorm life and many do not really appreciate the difference until there is a problem. Even parents, in many cases, labor under this delusion. Let’s get one thing straight. Just because your student is living off campus, does not necessarily mean he is living independently.

Since most Students make housing decisions long before the end of their sophomore, junior or senior year of college, and certainly many make their choice entirely on where their friends signed leases, they don’t take into consideration even the basics when it comes to finding a place to live. Eighty to ninety percent of these Students and their parents do not even read the lease before they sign. Sending leases through electronic signature programs makes it easy for the Properties to gather the necessary signatures but it also makes it easy for Students and their Guarantors to blindly click away without reading what they are signing.

Parents who are considering allowing their college age children to live off campus should consider the following advice when choosing off campus dwellings. After all, Parents who are acting as Guarantors should understand that living off campus can be a rewarding learning experience for their children, as well as a good opportunity to teach valuable lifeskills.

Before you sign on the dotted electronic line, read the lease thoroughly. Erroneously, people assume they can ask for all kinds of changes of the lease to suit their own agendas. You can ask, but these changes most likely will not be permitted, especially if you are working though a professional management company. Those leases are written and approved by lawyers and just because your Student is going to be a lawyer, or you are a lawyer, doesn’t mean squat. Don’t sign anyway assuming if there is a problem during the tenancy that your skills as an attorney will win in court, as this is often a false assumption.

When your son or daughter comes to tour apartment communities, they usually care if the internet connection is fast and reliable, if their friends will be impressed and they imagine all the parties during the Football Season that will happen. I advise parents to call the Leasing Office and make sure the community enforces to the best of its ability Quiet Hours, offers 24/7 Emergency Maintenance, that the staff is professional and consists of a Manager, not only Leasing Specialists and/or Community Assistants. The Manager is the Go-To person when there are serious issues that need to be addressed. Ask about additional security in place. Once your questions are answered, educate your child. Too many student renters and their parents do not follow the management advice and pay for it later, whether it is having to pay late fees, being assessed violation fines for breaking Community Policies and Procedures rules, or not receiving the Security Deposit refund because they damaged the unit during all the Beer Pong parties.

Parents should also ask themselves if their student is ready and able to live on his own. Does your child know how to change a light bulb? Change the batteries in a smoke detector? Hook up the modem and router and password protect their wifi connection? Does your child know how to grocery shop (have a car to get to the store, or is the store within walking distance?) Can your child cook (is the apartment kitchen conducive to meal prep? It is difficult to cook without a real stove.) How will your child furnish his rental? Hand-me-downs? Rent furniture (added expense) or is it already furnished? Does your child understand how to place a service request with the management company? Does your child understand what constitutes an emergency in the apartment? They also need to understand if the lease is “per bedroom and individually held” so that should a roommate not honor his rental agreement, they are not held liable for the roommate’s inability to pay his rent.

Parents must have "The Conversation" before allowing their student to move off campus. This includes discussing budgeting, drinking and parties, and birth control. They need to let their children know life's choices have consequences. Better to at least be up front on the perils of drinking and having unprotected sex. Parents are often backing the Student Renter financially, so explain that money is not magically appearing on their Debit Card accounts.

Too many Student Renters do not understand that if they live on the top floor and allow their toilet to continuously overflow that the people downstairs will pay the price for all that water seeping through their ceilings. Not a fun experience at all!

Once your Student signs a lease at a traditional off campus property, treat this as independent living and not an extension of the dorm life. Move-In Day at an apartment community is NOT Check-In Day, nor, is the move out process Checking Out. Apartment living is not like a hotel or the dorm. However, if you choose communities built specifically for Students, these typically are newer construction, if not brand new, and will come furnished, typically including all utilities and basically, it is an extension of their previous dorm life. These apartments will be in a single building much like dorms, with the bedrooms having adjoining private baths and a shared kitchen and living room. Their moving in process will simulate the dorm experience in many ways.

Finally, like marriage, signing a rental agreement is a legally binding contract, not to be entered into lightly, but reverently and respectfully. Teach your child this before he moves in; otherwise the Landlord will.