Finding housing can be a difficult task – especially as a student at UGA. With so many factors, it can be difficult to know what space is right for you. Between traditional apartments, houses near South Milledge, and downtown student housing apartments, you are certainly not short of housing options.
At Rambler, our leasing team has helped hundreds of students find housing near UGA, and we understand that sometimes the amount of housing options to choose from is overwhelming.
Read Next: Ultimate Guide to Living Off-Campus for UGA Students
We are often asked questions about purpose-built student housing, specifically when it comes to individual leases. For this reason, we will be diving into the differences between individual and traditional leases, in addition to the benefits of signing an individual lease at a student housing apartment.
@ramblerathensHere are 5 reasons why you should sign an individual lease! 1. You are only responsible for your portion of the rent!! So you don’t have to collect rent from roommates. 2. Rent is pre-determined. There is no need to negotiate with roommates on how much to pay each. 3. Payments are simpler! You don’t have to deal with collecting payments from roommates and can even set up auto-pay. 4. You get more for your money! Individual student housing will often include more amenities than traditional housing. 5. No responsibility for others’ damages. This lease style only leaves you responsible for damages to your room and the common areas, not your roommate’s spaces.♬ original sound – Rambler
In this article, we answer our most-asked questions, including:
- What is an individual lease?
- What is a traditional or “joint” lease?
- What are the benefits of signing an individual lease?
What is an Individual Lease?
Before we discuss the benefits of signing an individual lease, we must define what an individual lease is. An individual lease is a type of rental agreement in which two or more people living in the same unit take responsibility for their room (or bed) only, plus the use of communal spaces. Each tenant pays rent separately to their landlord. This can also be considered a “by the bedroom” lease. It makes paying rent easier because you can go directly to your landlord with your payment.
For example, if you are living in a 5×5 (five bedrooms, five bathrooms) with four other roommates, each roommate signs their own lease for their specific bedroom, bathroom, and use of common space. Each roommate pays rent individually and is responsible only for their payment.
So, for the five bedroom apartment, there are five individual leases signed and rent is quoted on a per bedroom basis.
While you can sometimes find individual leases at traditional apartments, they are standard for newly-built student housing apartments, and are extremely common in the Athens student housing market.
What is a Traditional Lease?
A traditional lease, also known as a joint lease, works a bit differently. This is what probably comes to mind when you think about renting an apartment.
The landlord leases out the entire apartment, not just an individual room. You and your roommates all sign one lease rather than five separate individual leases. This is also considered a “by the apartment lease”.
Each roommate is liable for the entire apartment, including rent, utilities and any damages. You and your roommates come to an agreement together to pay rent and utilities each month. There is only one lease signed and rent is quoted for the entire apartment.
Traditional leases are standard for houses on South Milledge and any “pass-down” houses that one may acquire through Greek Life. Pass-down houses are when upperclassmen in a sorority or fraternity graduate and “pass-down” their houses to younger members in their sorority or fraternity.
Read Next: How to Sign a Lease at a Student Housing Apartment near UGA
What Are the Benefits of Signing an Individual Lease Near UGA?
1. You are Only Responsible for Your Portion
If you opt for an individual lease, you are not financially liable for any of your roommates or any damages they may inflict upon their bedroom or bathroom.
This means that if a roommate fails to pay their rent, you and the other roommates will not be required to cover for their share. If a roommate decides to move out, it is not your responsibility to fill the vacant spot, and you will not be accountable for their rent or utility expenses.
In a traditional apartment, you would have to find a new roommate to replace the one who moved out, or cover their outstanding rent yourself.
2. No Need to Negotiate Rent
In a traditional lease, roommates need to come to an agreement about the allocation of rent, which room each roommate will occupy, the designation of rooms as bedrooms or shared spaces, and so on.
By signing an individual lease, your rent is predetermined by the leasing office. There will be no arguing over who gets the biggest bedroom or how much more the person with the ensuite bathroom should pay – these prices are set in advance by the property management company and you agree to your individual payment at the time of lease signing.
3. Simple Payments
With a traditional lease, you will have to determine how payments will be made and how the rent will be split among the roommates every month. Typically, one person is responsible for gathering payments from each roommate and submitting them to the landlord, utilities company, cable provider, and so on.
However, with an individual lease, there’s no need for coordination among roommates. Most apartment complexes will have you pay rent through an online payment portal, which is simple and convenient to use. Typically, you can even set up automatic payments.
This eliminates the hassle of designating one roommate to handle rent collection and payment to the landlord every month.
4. More is Covered in Your Rental Rate
Individual student housing leases often include amenities that are typically considered additional expenses, such as Wi-Fi, cable, trash removal, and occasionally even utilities.
In addition, newly-built student housing apartments will typically have study areas, fully furnished units, and roommate matching.
In contrast, traditional leases typically require tenants to arrange for these services themselves and divide the costs among roommates. If you prefer to avoid the hassle of setting up cable, WiFi, or disposing of trash on your own, individual leases might be a suitable option for you.
5. No Responsibility for Damages to Other Bedrooms
In an individual lease, you are only responsible for your rent that has been set by the leasing office. If one of your roommates breaks a window or puts a hole in the wall, he or she is liable for the damages. You won’t need to worry about having to pay for anything that you didn’t do.
In a traditional lease, all parties who signed the lease agreement are held equally responsible for any damages to the apartment, regardless of individual involvement.
Read Next: 5 Benefits of Signing Your Lease Early at The University of Georgia
Overall, although joint leases are common at traditional apartment complexes and houses in Athens, there are many benefits to signing an individual lease over a traditional lease as a student. While individual leases can be a bit more expensive than traditional leases, they offer simplicity and less financial risk.
If you have any questions about individual leases or want to learn more about Rambler, contact our leasing staff, who are more than happy to answer any questions you may have during your student housing search.
