Students still looking for a place to stay in the upcoming fall face the challenge of missing the early apartment rush in the campus area, but finding an apartment is not impossible.

Esther Patt, coordinator of the Tenant Union at the University, said while most on-campus locations are rented out, students looking for off-campus locations with unfurnished apartments have “no reason to panic.”

Patt advised that students look at the listings of the local newspapers, such as The Daily Illini and News-Gazette, and call for availability. She said while some landlords have Web sites, some do not mention units that are available to be rented, only all the properties that they own.

Even if students are tempted to sign a lease remotely, because they have not had time to visit the area in person, such as incoming graduate students from out of state, Patt advised against this practice and suggested waiting until actually seeing the apartment before signing.

Dustin Neiswender, assistant office manager of Roland Realty, said that while his business will do lease signings remotely, they discourage the practice of potential tenants signing before seeing.

“We try to refrain from renting apartments that are unseen,” Neiswender said.

Patt also said that students should check with the Tenant Union for complaint records against potential landlords. Students can view complaints others have filed and see the types of complaints made and whether or not they were resolved. Students away from the area can even contact the Tenant Union by phone or e-mail with the landlord’s name and request complaint records be sent to them by e-mail.

Another misconception, Patt said, about complaint records is that some students think just because a company is big, that does not necessarily mean it is prone to a high number of complaints. As one of the largest companies listed by the Tenant Union, Roland Realty has had zero complaints filed against it in the past five years.

“We cater to the tenants, our first priority is to take care of (problems) immediately,” Neiswender said about Roland, which he said has about 700-800 rental units. “We want them to be happy. Down the road it helps us get our apartments rented.”

Moving out, getting your deposit back

Students concerned about whether or not they will get their deposit back have several ways to insure themselves. The Tenant Union said one way that works effectively is to take photographs after cleaning the apartment.

“We usually get the money back for students who have pictures,” Patt said.

Producing photographs when contesting fees taken out of a student’s deposit often works in the renter’s favor, Patt said.

But photographs only work if the apartment is clean, and the best advice: clean everything and start cleaning early.

Patt said some overlooked places by students include behind the stove and refrigerator and also cleaning the inside of the oven with oven cleaner – not just soap and water. Also, often missed is the broiler pan drawer on ovens, as a student may never use it during his or her lease in the apartment.

Students should also obtain a copy of their move-in report and check against being charged for damages made before moving in.

If a renter feels he or she has been incorrectly charged, he or she should contact the landlord and report that there has been a mistake and request it be corrected, Patt said. Having pictures after the apartment is cleaned could be helpful against charges of not cleaning, such as dusting.

“Every time I see ‘dusting’ on the list, I just hit the roof,” Patt said, adding that dust would naturally settle in an apartment by the time the next tenant would move in.

And renters should always pay the last month’s rent, Patt said, even if they think the landlord is going to take off of their deposit money. Not paying rent can damage a tenant’s credit rating and landlords can sue and win for the remaining payment, Patt said.