Tips To Save Money When Renting A Student House
Posted on: 6 August 2021
When you're looking for your first student house, you may not be flush with cash because classes require tuition payments and place constraints on your time so you don't have a lot of hours to earn money throughout the week. So you'll want to look for a small house that you can afford, at the best possible price.
Here are some tips to help you save money when renting your first student home.
1. Rent with roommates
Having one or more roommates is often the biggest factor that can reduce your rent. After all, with three roommates you'll only have to pay a quarter the price you'd pay if you were footing the entire bill yourself. If possible, find people you already know to sign the lease with you so you don't end up with someone who refuses to pay their share or do their chores. If you don't sign the lease with roommates, you may still be able to add roommates later if your lease allows for subletting.
2. Offer to do things in exchange for lower rent
Student housing may come with services such as trash pickup included. While trash pickup is very convenient, you may be able to take your trash to a landfill yourself and save money if the landlord will agree to remove that service cost from your rent. Mowing the lawn is another example. If you're looking at student houses with yards, you may be able to offer to care for the landscaping yourself in return for a slight rent reduction.
You're more likely to have success with bargaining if you're renting directly from a landlord who just has a few houses and handles everything themselves, someone you can talk to in person, rather than from a huge rental company that owns dozens of buildings, has specific protocols to follow, and has a more impersonal renting-out process.
3. Keep the place clean from the start
If your friends come over and make a mess of the house, you're the one who will lose the deposit when you move out. Keeping the house clean, tidy, and in good repair is essential. Don't be fooled by the idea that you can just do a huge clean-up before moving out with the same result. You'll be extremely busy with end-of-year activities at that time, and neglect can lead to damage deeper and more costly to remedy than you might imagine.
These are just a few tips you can use to save money while renting your first student home. Choosing a smaller house, looking a little further away from campus for housing, and doing similar techniques may also help, although you could have a significant tradeoff in convenience levels.
For more tips, contact a company like Horned Frog Leasing.
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