Providing parental advice on finding off-campus housing might feel obtrusive if you believe in the idea of letting your college bound student have their own freedom. Regardless, you should still be there to help them through the sometimes confusing path of looking for housing since they’ll likely run across issues they’ve never encountered before. With your own life experiences and likely adventures in hunting for college housing long behind you, your children will respect any suggestions you bring.
Yes, you know your child has plenty to think about when looking for off-campus housing. Think back to what it was like trying to balance life while finding a decent place to rent. Then you had to worry about how to pay that rent, plus what kind of roommates you’d have just for starters.
It goes far beyond the above. As a result, you need to teach your student about the challenges they’ll encounter looking for housing near their university.
Is Off-Campus Housing Really Right for Them?
Plenty of pros and cons exist in the concept of living off campus, especially if your son or daughter wants the full college experience. Have them write down what they really want in their college life and if they need more freedom living off campus or the close proximity of dorm life. Renting an off-campus apartment sometimes requires an extra amount of money due to rent. Off-campus living means your student will need to vet potential roommates since it’s possible the rent won’t get paid in full on their own.
Your children might want better connections to college students, which could make the dorm the best fit. One aspect to living off campus is that a roommate doesn’t always mean a fellow college student. Only your children know what kind of experience they want, including possibly dealing with too much partying in their dorm. Off-campus housing allows them to get away from similar behavior, at least theoretically.
Talking with Your Kids About Budget Realities
While it may seem that living off campus is cheaper than living in a dorm, this might not always be true. Since looking for off-campus housing is highly competitive (especially just before a school season starts), finding something perfect isn’t always possible. Your college student might have to pay equal to or even higher rent as a result when no other options are available.
Even if your children don’t love you talking with them about budgets, it’s time you talked realistically about what kind of money they’ll have to spend in their housing. Have them plan it out on paper so they know what they’ll be spending and things they could eliminate to save cash.
Work out contingency plans in the event they can’t afford their rent. If you’ll fork over the rent during those times, let your kids know this so there isn’t panic at the eleventh hour.
Studying the Fine Print in the Lease
Your college student needs as much education as possible about those leasing contracts they’ll encounter, which can sometimes be misleading. Some student apartments aren’t in the best condition, so show your kids what to look for in the way of leasing conditions in the contract.
Make sure the lease provides maintenance, plus other potential benefits like free rent for one month. If you have experience reading those leasing contracts, be open to reading it for your son or daughter so they know where the catches are.
Do you have a child searching for housing? Let us know how you would go about helping them make this important decision in the comment section below.
Equal Housing Opportunity
