Three Tips for Signing an Apartment Lease

Once you have been accepted to school, it is time to search for Morgantown student housing. After you have found the right apartment and met all their qualifications, you are ready to sign a lease. This is an important thing to do. Do not skip over this process lightly. It is the basis for all your legal rights as a renter. Following are three suggestions to help you in the process of signing your lease:

• Read the lease thoroughly.

• Ask for clarification of anything you do not understand.

• Get everything in writing when you sign the lease.

Read the Lease Thoroughly

When you sit down with your landlords, you might be tempted to skim over the details of the lease and get straight to the signature lines. It is better not to do so. Instead, take as much time as you need to carefully and completely read the lease. The lease is your legal contract with your landlords. It spells out what is expected of you and what you can expect of them. If a dispute ever occurs between landlords and renters, the lease is the document that clarifies the problem. The lease should include information about the amount of rent owed, the due date, late fees, deposits, breakage-of-contract fees, how to register complaints, what utilities are your responsibility, etc.

Ask for Clarification

Sometimes leases are written in legal terminology that is meant to protect the landlords. If you do not understand something in the lease, be sure to ask for clarification. If you need an interpreter to be with you, make sure you bring one or that the landlords provide one. Do not sign a lease if you do not understand what it says.

Get It in Writing

Do not settle for any verbal agreements. If the landlords of the Morgantown student housing say they will do something or give you a certain concession, make sure it is written down and signed. Most leases have space at the end of the document where you can add comments or clarifications. Make sure that both you and the landlords initial and date any part of the lease that is altered from the original printed document, this includes anything that is handwritten or crossed-out.