Search
ASU Housing > Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS)
What you need to know about living off campus
What you need to know about living off campus
Things to consider when moving off campus:
What type of environment do you want?
- Apartment
- House
- Condo
- Townhouse
- Etc.
Evaluate advantages and disadvantages (taxes, yard work, it’s an investment, throwing money away etc).
How to Find Off Campus Housing:
- Word of Mouth
- Newspapers
- Off Campus Housing Guide
- Housing Fair
- ASU Housing Finder
- ABIL
- Real Estate Property Managers
- Arizona Department of Housing
Things to consider when determining your new home:
| Budget: | Rent, utilities, food, personal items, spending, clothes, emergency fund, savings, phone and cell phone, cable, computer connections, trash, newspaper, insurance, car and gas or transportation, credit cards, up front first and last months rent and security deposit. |
| Location: | Size, convenience to campus (*the closer, the more you will pay*), on site services (pool, club house, work out room, spa,) laundry facilities (in unit… or community?), parking fees or arrangements, demographics (families and children), pets?, neighborhood (HOA), security, crime, mail services, shopping, banking, fire and police department, hospitals. |
| Commuting | Will you walk, bike, skate, take the train or bus or drive? Visit the Commuter Options page for more information. |
| Management: | Owner involvement, on site, after hours emergency response in place (no TMA system … no 24 hour front desk), make sure you talk with them, ask existing tenants what they think, what do you do if you have a “problem” with management? |
| Lease: | MUST BE IN WRITING, lists all parties involved, time of tenancy (the shorter, the more expensive), monthly rent, penalties for late payment, security deposits and other deposits (i.e. “pet rent”), utilities, rights and responsibilities, terminating the lease information. *Deposits should be returned within 60 days. |
| Roommates: | How many … Who … How to find … (the more, the cheaper but this can lead to other problems). In the State of Arizona, there can only be two people per bedroom in a rental dwelling. |
| House Rules: | Property sharing (food, clothes, equipment, computer, car), chores (cleaning, cooking, shopping, paying bills, trash, potential pet care) Study time vs. Rec time, friends and guests (overnight stays) parties. |
| How to Secure an Apartment: | Need to set up utilities, service arrangements (water delivery, phone/computer activation). Record (VIDEO) the condition of the apartment at the time of move in and check out. |
| City Codes and Ordinances: | Being a good neighbor, rights and responsibilities, city stance on university students moving in. |
| Highlights: | Know your rights and responsibilities, ONLY SIGN DOCUMENTS YOU UNDERSTAND, keep a copy of all documents, rent receipts, complaints and requests for service from management, purchase renters insurance (piggy back off of car insurance), be cooperative with neighbors and police, seek out resources and make sure you use them. |
| Helpful Hints: | Create a budget, minimize credit cards, save money, and use coupons. |
Roommate Information and Sample Agreement
What to do when you have a rental problem?
City Codes and Ordinances
- Tempe Loud Party Ordinance
- Degree of Consenguinity: To minimize the potential for negative impacts in our neighborhoods, the City regulates the number of unrelated people that can occupy a home. Not more than 3 unrelated people are allowed in a home, regardless of how many bedrooms the home may have.
- Tempe Code of Compliance
Before you sign a Lease
- Six (6) things every lease should have:
o Parties to the lease
o Time of tenancy
o Monthly rent and penalties for late payment
o Security deposit and other deposit fees
o Utilities
o Terminating lease information
I’m at the end of my lease … Now what?
- Write a letter to leasing office one month prior to ensure termination of lease.
- Clean the premises, and do a walk through with your landlord
- Write down all of the damages you will be charged for, and any additional cleaning the landlord would like you to do
- Discuss any disputes to damage at this time
- Turn over keys, and give the landlord a letter asking for the return
of your security deposit
For information about the Center, call 480.965.2940 or email OCSS@asu.edu
Join OCSS on Facebook and
Twitter
Check out our new OCSS Blog.......A place for off-campus Sun Devils to get in touch with campus events, news, and giveaways!