College housing
Why do off-campus apartments want a 12-month lease when school is only nine months?
Updated By the Housing Rocket moderators
Short answer
Because most landlords rent year-round and can't easily fill a unit for just June and July in a college town, so a twelve-month lease guarantees their summer income. Some student landlords and complexes offer ten-month or academic-year leases, usually at a higher monthly rent, so compare the yearly totals before assuming the shorter lease costs less.
In college towns, demand drops over the summer, so a landlord who let you leave in May would likely have an empty unit until August. The twelve-month lease moves that risk onto you.
Ways students deal with it:
- Sublet for the summer to another student, an intern or someone taking summer classes, if the lease allows it.
- Stay and work or take summer classes locally.
- Ask for a ten-month or academic-year lease and compare the total cost.
- Ask the landlord whether they'll release you early if you find a replacement tenant.
Do the math. For example, twelve months at $800 comes to $9,600, while ten months at $900 comes to $9,000 and saves you the work of finding a subtenant. Your numbers will differ, but the comparison is always worth making.
Want the whole picture? Read Off-Campus Housing for Students: A Semester-by-Semester Timeline.