John Vawter is a principal at Capstone Collegiate Communities, LLC, in Birmingham, Alabama, one of the most experienced student housing development companies in the country. At the helm of Capstone Collegiate Communities, John Vawter has overseen the construction of 15 off-campus communities in several states.
When you’re ready to rent your first apartment as a student, the first thing you need to carefully consider is your budget and expenses. You need to think about your rent, but also other fees, utility costs, potential pet expenses, and security deposits, etc. Avoid signing a lease for an apartment that you can’t really afford by carefully adding up all the monthly expenses before you decide.
You’ll also need to find a balance between what you need and what would be nice to have. Student housing within easy walking distance of your campus may turn out to be more desirable than a place with more amenities but that is less conveniently located.
Before you sign your housing contract, go over it thoroughly. Especially for first-time renters, housing contracts have a lot of information you might be unaware of, such as what your responsibilities are toward the space and all the related obligations and regulations.
John Vawter 