Last year, JSM Living’s approach to lease agreement signing via in-person appointments led to hundreds of students lining up outside their office the night before for three- and four-bedroom apartment leases. This year, JSM will conduct virtual lease signing appointments.
Last year’s line was dispersed by police presence the following morning and lease agreements for the remaining three- and four-bedroom apartments were conducted virtually through the use of time tickets. The same was done for one- and two-bedroom apartments.
For the current lease cycle, a list of the units can be found on JSM’s website, separated into two groups by the number of bedrooms. The first group of units begins signing on Oct. 2, while the second group begins on Oct. 30.
Shelvin John, freshman in Engineering, spoke on what the leasing process looked like for new tenants.
“We’re going to go on a Zoom call, where the manager will show us the lease and then we sign it off,” John said.
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Lease signing for current residents began even earlier and was also conducted virtually.
Jade Lavallee, sophomore in Engineering, discussed how JSM’s process of in-person lease signing last year affected her decision to renew her lease with JSM this year.
“At first I was a bit concerned, just because I was wondering what would happen and what the process would look like,” Lavallee said. “But by that point in the semester, I guess I sort of felt pressured to sign a lease and look beyond that little situation.”
Within the first few months of the semester, students were already prepared to sign lease agreements with companies, causing many units to sell out quickly. As a result, students rushed to find an available apartment to their liking.
“I remember being concerned last year when I saw the line, but I think they realized pretty quickly that they’d made a mistake and then adjusted so that the second round for one- and two-bedroom apartments was more seamless,” Lavallee said.
Makayla Dockins, sophomore in Social Work, signed a two-bedroom apartment last year. Although she was not in JSM’s line last year, she had heard about what transpired.
“Instead of going in there and signing in person, I did the online application. It didn’t really affect me choosing to sign with them — it just affected how I did it,” Dockins said.
Renewing a lease is done virtually through a portal on JSM’s site once the lease has been accepted. Residents receive an email that contains an agreement copy to sign.
