Take the Path of Lease Resistance: Off-Campus Living Tips

Has your son or daughter signed a lease for an off-campus house? Have they moved into their off property or will they be moving into the space in August? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Xavier wants to make sure that you and your student are aware that the Office of Commuter Services and Off Campus Living can help provide guidance and support to your student while they live off campus. The Office of Commuter Services and Off Campus Living not only offers programs for students who live off campus but also assist students in understanding the rights and responsibilities of living off campus.

Students who live off campus must understand the importance of keeping records and documenting everything related to their off campus house or apartment. Even though your student may trust and like their landlord and roommates, you never know what kind of problems may develop. Every student who lives off campus should have a folder or binder in which they keep their house/apartment records. This file or binder should include: a copy of the lease, any receipts from rent payments and bill payments, photos of the house or apartment from when they moved in, a copy of the property inventory with the date they mailed this information to their landlord, any special agreements with the landlord (these should be in writing), any letters or requests that they have made to their landlord, etc.

On the Commuter Services and Off Campus Living website, http://www.xavier.edu/commuter/ you will find a section titled "Moving Off Campus 101." The information in this section is designed to aid all students in managing the responsibilities of moving off campus and in general ease the transition to off-campus living. Specifically, there is information on landlord tenant law, managing finances, safety resources off campus, managing roommate relationships, and information on how to be a good neighbor. There are also many forms that may be of assistance to your student including: an apartment or house inventory form (critical for getting deposits back from landlords), a budgeting spreadsheet, a roommate agreement, and a lease checklist.

If you have any questions about your son or daughter living off campus, please contact Angie Kneflin, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Apartments and Off Campus Living at Kneflin@xavier.edu.