<p>What can we expect to pay as a deposit for the second year off-campus apartment?</p>
<p>When will that deposit be required?</p>
<p>If sharing an apartment, how does the contract work?</p>
<p>If under nineteen, how does the contract work?</p>
<p>How does one find which complexes provide shuttles?</p>
<p>A “primer” would be most welcome!</p>
<p>As for shuttles, look for complexes specificially designtated as “student apts”…like The Bluff, The Retreat, etc. Then look at amenities, etc, to see if a shuttle is listed (or call or email).</p>
<p>Many of the true “student apts” are set up with a bedroom and bath for each student. Each student has his own contract and isn’t responsible for other students. However, these tend to be the more newer complexes. The older complexes may have old style leases. Best to have individual leases.</p>
<p>Deposits can range from low to several hundred dollars. </p>
<p>Parents cosign if under 19. Parents also cosign for older students if the students don’t have the income for rent (and most don’t have enough income to show that they can pay rent). </p>
<p>Start looking/signing around January, leases usually begin Aug 1 and end around July 27th or so. ( a few days empty to prepare for next renters).</p>
<p>It was a surprise to us (after son signed lease) that his apt was a 12 month lease that doesn’t start until the weekend before classes start. We paid a deposit when he signed in the winter, and the first payment is due July 15. East edge.</p>
<p>My S will be at the Woodlands next year. He paid a deposit when he signed the lease to hold his place. I believe it was $200.</p>
<p>They as well have individual leases for each roommate - definitely something to look for! Back in my college days I had a roommate drop out of school (and move home) during a joint lease - an experience I’d prefer my S got to avoid.</p>
<p>There’s a list online somewhere with all the complexes that have shuttles - I’ll see if I can find it.</p>
<p>The Woodlands does all their leases using an electronic service, so although my S was still 18 when he signed his lease, the complex emailed me the links to access the lease and I was able to read and sign it online. Technically the lease is in my name. The lease reads that it is for (JRCsMom) to be occupied by (JRC).</p>
<p>Most leases in town are for 12 months. Students can ‘try’ to sublet for the summer, but living near a college town, I know that is not guaranteed. But even paying 12 months of rent is cheaper than the honor’s dorms for the school year and if students renew they can leave stuff in the apt instead of renting a storage facility, so I really don’t mind.</p>
<p>Here’s the link - <a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/off_campus/transportation.cfm[/url]”>http://housing.ua.edu/off_campus/transportation.cfm</a> the list is about half way down on the page.</p>
<p>UA helps in this area: [University</a> of Alabama | Off Campus Housing Search](<a href=“http://offcampushousing.ua.edu/]University”>http://offcampushousing.ua.edu/)</p>
<p>Also remember that if your student pledges a sorority or fraternity, she/he might have the opportunity to live in the house. Sophomore year appears to be the prime year for this.</p>
<p>Lattelady is right…about sorority and fraternity members living-in during sophomore year.
FYI…in October (yep October…3 months away and less than 2 months from the beginning of school) your DD will come to you and tell you that she has found an apt or house with her sorority sisters and you need to sign the lease NOW because otherwise she won’t have a place to live because all the GOOD places will be leased and GONE (pardon the sarcasm!!!).
While there is a scramble to lease places rest assured that all of the apartments will not be gone over night and your DD will have place to live.<br>
Be warned (learned this the hard way) that sorority elections are held in November/December. If your DD is elected to a position where she is required to “live-in” and you have already signed a lease (and even though your leasing agent will tell you (Yup…they will tell you anything ) that they have a list and they will help you find some one to assume your lease (for a fee))…actually finding a person who is willing to do this (be warned some places won’t let you sublet) is not an easy task. In the end you could end up paying for two places or an unhappy DD because she has had to give her elected position.
I feel into this trap and while the sorority worked with us for a semester ultimately we were forced to find some one to sublease. It ended up costing us over $500 in fees and a lot of stress. We finally found a girl at the very last minute possible.
So…take a breath…make sure your DD is not going to run for a live-in position.
As far a the place she leased…it was great! Individual leases per bedroom, furnished, gym and health club, pool, security gate, shuttle. Full of students…it was great. DD’s boyfriend has lived at the Woodlands for the past 2 years and he has been very happy there as well.</p>
<p>Properties with shuttle service to campus:</p>
<p>The Woodlands
The Retreat at Lake Tamaha
University Village
Boardwalk at Brittain Landing
Crimson Student Living
Campus Way
The Links
The Greens
East Edge Apartments</p>
<p>idk if this includes any places opening this fall or not.</p>
<p>i agree that your daughter might want to live in the sorority house, though, so i would wait to commit until after sorority elections and sorority house assignments. there is no rush.</p>
<p>If you are absolutely sure your student will not seek on-campus housing, then I would say it is never too early to start looking and talking to complexes now.</p>
<p>Tip of the day for those of you with students on-campus this year and plans to seek on campus housing next year:</p>
<p>If your student currently lives in an on-campus suite with one of the suite-mates being an RA for the building (a rare scenario, I readily admit) , and your student wishes to “stay put” in the same room/suite, be prepared for extra headaches at the time of room selection. We found ourselves in this unfortunate scenario last year in Presidential, and were not able to “stay put” due to the fact that those suites are locked by housing as they do not know the Male/Female distribution of RAs at that time.</p>
<p>So, let’s say this fall your student is in Presidential, for example. If you know then you want to at least pursue the option to stay put for next fall, I would talk to housing now. Fortunately, it proved to be ultimately a non-issue for us, but it was very stressful at the time.</p>
<p>Make sure you set a budget for what you are willing to pay for off campus housing, up front. Your D may call home, with excitement, and share with you that she and 5 other AMAZING sorority sisters have found the perfect house where they will each have their own bedroom and bath (this becomes increasingly important to girls living in the (ummm) beauty that is called Tut). She may also throw in the fact that, “…everyone else has been signing leases and her pledge sisters are all paired up with future roommates.”</p>
<p>This, in turn, when you are several states away, may cause you to make a bit of an emotional (financial) decision. When you add up the rent that some of these houses are getting, it will make you wish you had invested in T-town years ago! Luckily, my D and another pledge sister were smart and decided that was crazy money! They ended up finding an apartment practically on campus and waaaaaaaay cheaper.</p>
<p>Luckily it worked out, but if we had set a budget beforehand, it would have been so much simpler…</p>