NEWS

Open Season: Apartments

Reporting By: Stephanie Liebergen

Videography By: Ryan Reszel

House hunting can be a time consuming task, but for most UW students, it is an unavoidable one.

As the beginning of apartment hunting season officially begins on November 15, UW students have some additional research to do outside of their classes.

And some students have already had their eyes out. UW junior Y Mae Sussman said, “We’ve started looking a little bit online, but we haven’t made any solid appointments yet.”

Madison City Ordinances changed in 2004 to restrict landlords from showing an apartment before November 15. The potential problems with signing leases so early in the year is not knowing what you’re getting in to.

Michael Greiber, a housing counselor with Madison Property Management, said, “The number one thing I think they should do is choose their roommates wisely. If you have a bad experience or you’re not getting along with your roommates it can make for a long, unpleasant year living together.”

Even with the concerns of making rash decisions, students worry that waiting till the spring semester will limit their apartment options.

UW junior Joe Gentilli agrees that the pressure to sign a lease early can be convincing, saying “[I] definitely feel pressure. I would like to wait a little while. If I could wait a little while I could, but it seems like right as soon as we moved in we were already asked if we want to sign our lease again.”

Senior  UW student Jackie Sutherland agrees, saying that, “you get in the mentality that all the good places are going to be gone right away.”

Some local organizations, like the Tenant Resource Center on Madison’s East Side, can provide assistance and information in and after the searching process.

Program director, Megin Mcdonell, said, “The main questions that we help people with are repairs, security deposits, evictions and break-ins. So those are by far the topics that people look for information for the most. But also finding an apartment, how to check out a new apartment and make sure that it’s good quality, good landlord…really just anything that would have to do with a rental property and any problems that might come up.”

From house to high rises, students have a variety of options for their apartment needs. The key is to take your time, do your research, and make sure the decisions you make are ones you can live with.

For more information on the Tenant Resource Center, click here.