Renting your first off-campus home can be equally exciting and stressful. It’s a huge step in life and, for the most part, it’s a fun experience; planning decor, the prospect of having your own bedroom, and possibly living with your best friends. However, the technical aspect of leasing can, quite frankly, be terrifying. Many students feel confused, stressed, and unsure about the renting process (but thank goodness we all know the Pythagorean theorem, right?).

I did a little research to find out what are the most common renting fears and difficulties for students. What I found was that many feel pressured to sign a lease early in the year, have fears of getting scammed by hidden fees, and are exhausted by the amount of time the process takes up. If you’ve been looking into leasing or have already leased, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

First off, many college students feel pressured to sign a lease as soon as possible, or even signing off on the first place they look at simply because they’re afraid that everything else will be taken. The renting process, especially here at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, seems to begin very early in the semester. Ellie Dufeck, a student who recently signed her first lease said, “This one landlord wanted us to sign a few hours after we toured the place. He made it seem like it’d be taken if we waited.” There seems to be a lot of competition at UWL when it comes to renting and everyone is afraid of waiting too long and ending up with a bad deal. UWL student Tessa Rhodes said “A lot of people feel pressured to sign right away so the place doesn’t get taken, but it’s important to look around. I just signed last Monday, so pretty late, but it’s my favorite place out of all of the ones we looked at. I’m very glad I waited and looked around for the right fit.” While it may seem like all of the good places are being snatched up before your eyes, it’s important to take your time and really do your research on where you’ll be living.

Many students are also concerned about rental scams. “I mean, I’ve never don’t it before, I was worried I’d get scammed,” remarked Dufeck. The best way to avoid this is to read the lease carefully, all the way through. This isn’t reading homework for history class where you can just skim through the headers. A lot students experience “hidden fees” because the landlord doesn’t explicitly state them, but they will be stated in the lease, so by reading it fully you can avoid the hidden fees and fines. If something in the lease confuses you, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Inquire the landlord, consult with your parents, or with resources on campus.  One UWL student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said “The price of the rent, according to our knowledge and research of the owner’s website, had gone up, which to my understanding is both false advertising and a ‘Bait and Switch’ situation.” These kinds of sneaky slips happen more often than you’d think. If something seems off or you’re getting a bad feeling, take the time to do your research and figure out if you’re looking into a scam.

Finally, students struggle with the amount of time the renting process takes up; it often feels like another class because you spend so much of you free time browsing, researching, making and attending showing appointments. Rhodes found that for her, renting was especially time consuming and that “It was stressful trying to look for places and set up showings while at the same time keeping up with school.” Everyone I talked to on this matter said that the whole process was very time consuming. Many students admitted to skipping class or missing homework in order to get renting stuff done. Dufeck agreed, stating that in “One week, we went to 4 showings.” There’s not much you can really do about this because renting is going to take up more time than you’d like, yet it’s important to try your best to balance it with your other commitments.

When it comes to renting, there will always be difficulties that come along with it and students especially will feel lost if it’s their first time renting a home. If you have any questions or concerns about the renting process, you can use UWL resources such as Residence Life or It Makes Cents offices in order to help pick the right place and find support.