Viewing and leasing a house or apartment



Big House Rentals has proudly been providing Off-Campus Housing for the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Communities since 1984. Here’s what you need to know to get started to rent one of my apartments or houses. 1. City of Ann Arbor Leasing Ordinance: The City of Ann Arbor has instituted a leasing ordinance which all landlords must follow. Please be aware that we cannot show or lease a property until after 70 days from the start of the lease or before a tenant releases a property to us prior to 70 days, because they know they will not be staying (like in the case of graduating seniors). Availability will be listed as we know it. A non-refundable deposit may be put down to hold a property until leasing is available.

2. I WANT TO SEE IT NOW! Cool. Here's how to see one of our Big House Rentals:

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO VIEW YOUR SELECTIONS: Please contact us to set up an appointment to meet you at the house. We need at least 24 hours to give the current tenants notice we are coming over.
BE SPONTANEOUS: It is a long tradition at U of M that students find their own ways inside houses that they are interested in seeing. We don't encourage this method but we can't stop it either. Current tenants may be willing to show you the house. If they allow it, please be respectful of their time, space and belongings.

3. I LOVE IT! HOW DO I KNOW IF THE HOUSE IS AVAILABLE FOR NEXT YEAR? AND when can I sign the lease?

· Availability is listed by property on our website. Just as soon as we know if a house or apartment is available it will be shown on our site. If a house is available for next year (perhaps there are seniors in the house now who will be graduating), we can immediately schedule a leasing appointment.

4. THIS HOUSE IS AWESOME! I'M READY TO SIGN THE LEASE. WHAT TO I NEED TO DO NOW?

· Act quickly! As soon as you are sure you want the house, call Big House Rentals immediately. The time you spend deliberating could be the time that someone else is signing the lease on your house. To be fair to everyone, Big House Rentals will not “hold" a rental unit without a financial commitment from your group. A non-refundable deposit will be required once applications are accepted in order to hold your leasing date. So, IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT A HOUSE/APT, we suggest that you GET IN YOUR APPLICATION ASAP. Once your application is accepted on an AVAILABLE property we will call you to set up a leasing appointment. In order to reserve your leasing date, you may need to submit a non-refundable deposit to hold the property to the leasing date if we need to wait until the 70 day ordinance period passes. This deposit will be applied to your first months rent which is due at signing.

· We will call you to arrange to collect the deposit, rental applications and to clarify the terms of the lease. We offer availability to those applicants who have submitted their completed applications and to those who have put their deposits down.

· Once you are notified of the availability of a unit, you will need to sign the lease within 48 hours or the lease will be offered to the next group who has submitted applications, fees and deposits.

· You will need to bring the following to the lease signing: payment equal to one month of rent, a completed application for each person signing the lease, social security number and a valid driver’s license or passport (security deposit equal to 1 ½ month’s rent and a house prep fee are collected at move-in). The deposit will be applied toward the rent.

5. Do we all have to be there for the signing? That would be best. However, if someone is missing due to a schedule conflict, the lease can be signed by the rest of your group and the missing party can sign later. However, all rent must be paid at the time of signing.

6. Who has to sign the lease? All the people who are going to live in the house should sign the lease.

7. The lease is a legal contract and therefore requires all the above requirements are met.

8. How long does it take to sign the lease? That depends on your group and how prepared you are. Generally 15 minutes – 1 hour. Here is the link to the lease form. Please read it prior to our leasing meeting.

HERE'S SOME BASIC LEASE INFORMATION:

· 1st month’s rent due @ lease signing.

· Any deposits made prior to signing will be applied toward the first month’s rent that is due. You will have 48 hours to set up a leasing meeting once you have been notified that the property you have a deposit on is available for leasing.

· An application for each Lessee is due at signing.

· A parent guaranty form OR PARENT CO-SIGN may be required for each Lessee and due within one month of signing the lease.

· Security deposit of 1.5 times the rent due at move in along with a non-refundable cleaning fee.

· Please review the lease form before attending the leasing meeting.