<p>I've read the older threads on this topic, I have a set of preliminary questions, sure I'll have more as I hear more details.</p>
<p>My daughter is considering moving off campus with some housemates for her second year. I haven't see the lease yet nor do I know details of the actual apartment and building. I don't know if it is a MAC lease or not.</p>
<p>I've looked at the area with google street view, it is on 54th st near some shopping plazas a block north. The area looks decent from the street view, anything to be aware of in this area of HP?</p>
<p>Leases go from June 1? What happens at the end of your lease if you are still finishing up the quarter? Are new renters typically flexible on extending the current renters time, with some compensation? If everyone is in the same boat I would think there must be some common adjustment people do.</p>
<p>54th Street ought to be basically fine no matter where it is, as long as it’s in Hyde Park. You need both “latitude” and “longitude” to express any more nuanced opinion about a particular location. In general, the farther west you go the less attractive the areas north of 55th are, but 54th Street is never anywhere near bad. There’s a dorm at 54th and Ingleside, the northwesternmost building at the University. More towards the lake, 54th St. can be positively snazzy.</p>
<p>The leases are June-May, and exams tend to be the first or second week in June. But the dorms don’t close until after convocation, most apartments are not completely full during the summer, and people leave Hyde Park at different times, so it’s completely common for people to make logical arrangements. MAC may even offer June 15 leases (I would if I were them). I haven’t heard horror stories about this at all.</p>
<p>thanks JHS, still waiting to hear more from her on the details. I didn’t mean to be so vague when I was looking at the map, the location is near Woodlawn/Kimbark & 54th.</p>
<p>I would start the leases on 6/15 also if it were me, or Sept 1 as is common in other cities.</p>
<p>My D has a June 15 lease from MAC. She lives pretty close to 54th and Woodlawn, and while it’s not the safest location on the planet, it’s been fine. The area is filled with U of C students.</p>
<p>September 1 wouldn’t work that well for the University of Chicago. Classes don’t start until the last week of September. And I’m certain the landlords prefer to have the difficult-to-make-rent months at the beginning of a lease rather than at the end. Otherwise, they would have to get three months’ rent as a deposit. (MAC no longer even requires deposits, by the way – just a one-time move-in fee they pocket.) With June leases, if the tenants don’t pay August or September rent, the locks may be changed when they come back to school.</p>
<p>In Hyde Park it’s almost universally June, as far as I know. All my kids’ apartments have been June 1, but none of them have been with MAC. As Seashore notes, MAC, which is by far the largest landlord for student apartments in Hyde Park, other than the University of Chicago Housing Office (and not so far behind it), seems to offer June 15 leases.</p>
<p>Both of my kids had June 15 leases, though neither rented from MAC. S lived at 53rd and S Harper for 3 years and D has been living at 57th and Kimbark for 2. As JHS said, pretty much anywhere on 54th, especially in the Woodlawn/Kimbark area would be fine. It’s sounds like its near Hyde Park Produce/Cedars etc. Actually a pretty convenient location and lots of students around there.</p>
<p>June 1 lease with MAC for S that lives in that general area. Had summer internship last year and most likely again this year so it’s worked out well for him. He may have to stay with someone next year from June 1 to Convocation (we expect to spend a few days there so it’ll most likely be us).</p>
<p>I would highly suggest not renting for MAC if possible. I have a multitude of horror stories (no heating for a week during winter by far being the worst…).</p>