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APARTMENT GUIDE 1
(785) 841-4935 www.midwestpm.com
1015-1025 MISSISSIPPI Remodeled1-2 Bedrooms from $560
14th & KENTUCKY
2 Bedrooms w/ 1.5 Baths & Garage $710
700 MONTEREY WAY
1-2 Bedrooms
from $475
1701-1717 OHIO
2 Bedroom Townhomes
$675
611 MICHIGAN 1-3 Bedrooms from $450
512 ROCKLEDGE 2 Bedrooms & 2 Baths from $675
5th & CALIFORNIA
1-3 Studio Bedrooms
from $470
FINE PRINT
Travis Young/KANSAN
When you find an apartment that seems too good to be true, check the fine print in the lease. Knowing the rules and your rights as a resident can make the difference in what kind of expericene you have in your new living environment.
Buyer-beware: Know your lease
BY KELSEY CIPOLLA kcipolla@kansan.com
A lease might seem like an annoying technicality standing between you and the keys to your new place, but the contents of your lease can have a big effect on your experience as a renter. Make sure you know what you're agreeing to when you sign and initial all of those pages.
The pool terms and conditions weren't specified in Dubois' lease, so there was nothing she could do other than wait until her lease was over to move out.
"I moved into my apartment next to a pool thinking the hours would be regulated," said Johanna Dubois, a sophomore from Edmond, Okla. "Even though there were loud drunk people partying past the closing time, the management never did anything because they said it would have been bad publicity."
A lease is a contract that establishes the responsibilities of both the person renting and the property owner. Some of the information is straight forward. A lease includes how much rent is and the dates your lease begins and ends. But they can also contain tricky clauses that hold the leasers accountable for rent even if they're evicted and tack on big late fees if rent is overdue. Renters need to be sure to read the fine print and fully understand his or her lease signing. It is important to not assume the landlord or management will follow through with every request.
Reading your lease and understanding what rights you have allows you to complain if those rights are violated. If you have
any questions about what a section means, ask the landlord or manager who handles leases or contact KU Legal Services for Students.
The responsibility of moving into a new apartment doesn't end after students sign the lease. Students then have to consider if they want to protect their things by purchasing renter's insurance, which covers all of the policy holder's possessions.
"It is good for students today to have renter's insurance because they have so many expensive electronics," said Mary Woodward, an American Family Insurance agent in Lawrence. "If your laptop gets stolen out of your car, your car insurance won't pay to replace it, but your renter's insurance will."
The policy typically covers property lost or damaged because of theft, fire, vandalism, and inclement weather conditions.
Students have the option to independently purchase renter's insurance or use their parents' insurance policy. While it might cost less to mooch off mom and dad, parents are likely to have more to insure and that leads to a higher deductible, which is the amount of money that the policy holder has to pay before the insurance company gives them money. A student's policy would have a lower deductible, which means less money out of pocket.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2011
The stress of moving into a new place can be overwhelming, but you'll sleep soundly under your new roof if you take the time to protect yourself and your belongings.
— Edited by Samantha Collins
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN