If your kid is moving off campus, here are five things we recommend you check before they sign the lease. 

1. What is the real monthly cost?

 Rent does not always equal total cost. Before you compare two apartments, find out what else gets added on top: utilities, Wi-Fi, parking, renters insurance, deposits, and any other recurring fees tucked into the lease. 
 
 An apartment that looks cheaper on the listing can easily end up more expensive once everything is counted. 

2. Read the lease

 All of it, but pay particular attention to what happens when something goes wrong or changes: 
  • What if a roommate stops paying?
  • What if someone needs to move out mid-lease?
  • What if your student wants to sublet for the summer?

 These are the situations that turn into expensive surprises, and they're all decided by language that was in the lease the whole time. 

3. Make sure the listing and the landlord are both legitimate

 Never send money just because an apartment looks great online. Confirm the property exists, confirm the person you're talking to is actually connected to it, and be suspicious of any pressure to pay immediately.
 
 Our video on how to spot a rental scam walks through what to check. 

4. Check the location beyond Google Maps

 A pin on a map doesn't tell you much. The questions that actually matter: 
  • How will they get to campus, and how long does it take?
  • What is the area like at night, not just in daylight?
  • Where is the closest grocery store?

5. On the tour, check everything

 Locks, windows, appliances, signs of damage, pests, and mold. Open things, turn things on, look in corners.
 
 And take pictures of anything that is already damaged. Those photos are what protect the security deposit when the lease ends, and nobody ever regrets having too many of them. Our apartment inspection checklist covers what to look for room by room. 

One last thing, for parents

 Your job is not to choose the apartment for them. It is to make sure they know what questions to ask before they sign. 
 
 Save this for apartment hunting season, and send it to the college kid in your life.