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<li>How soon should you start looking for an apartment? (I plan on staying at the dorm my first year but want to move out the second year. Should I be looking for an apartment at the end of the Spring semester?)</li>
<li>Do all tenants do a credit check? My only credit history is from paying off my cell phone bills on time.</li>
<li>Is it true that the farther away an apartment is from the university, the cheaper the rent? Also, are apartments on the south side cheaper than the north side?</li>
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<li><p>Yup, end of spring semester is what a lot of people do. However, that means you have to pay 3-4 months of rent even though you’re not living there (assuming you come home and don’t do summer school). You could also search for an apartment before fall semester starts. However, depending on how far away you live, it could be a hassle. On the plus side, you’d save a considerable amount of money. </p></li>
<li><p>I’ve rented 2 apartments and neither landlord did a credit check. The contract that you sign should be good enough in most cases. If you fail to pay rent, they just sue you.</p></li>
<li><p>Southside apartments are cheaper than northside ones, for them most part.</p></li>
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<p>In general when it comes to southside the closer to campus the more expensive. The further away and you start to hit Oakland, which gets even cheaper.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. Your responses were really helpful.</p>
<p>Since you’ll be a sophomore, this probably won’t apply to you, but the apartment I’m staying in (across the street from campus) required me to have the lease under my sister’s name because I wasn’t 18 when we signed it. I was listed as an ‘occupant,’ and they checked my financial aid + did a credit check on my sister. So I think it depends on the apartments/your age.</p>
<p>Some landlords will check your parent’s credit if you have not established your own credit. Start searching near the end of the spring semester, but there are always a few apartments available in the fall as well.</p>