30 • Daily Wildcat
HOUSING GUIDE • Spring 2014
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LEASING THINK BEFORE YOU SIGN
HOusing? H Ousing? let us Help! Wildcats love our free service! Off-Campus Housing (OCH) at the University of Arizona offers students help with their off-campus housing needs. Visit our WEBSITE to search properties Pick up an OCH GUIDEBOOK in the Union Visit our OFFICE for help
El Portal, 2nd Floor | 501 N. Highland Ave. | 520.621.5859
offcampus.arizona.edu
LEASE:
An agreement between landlord and tenant to transfer possession of property NORTHPOINTE APARTMENTS to the tenant for a certain period of time in exchange for payment.
NP
A lease is a LEGAL DOCUMENT. Before you sign one, we want to make sure you understand what leases are and how they work. Written leases are binding contracts that are difficult to break once signed! A lease may be called a “rental agreement” or some other name, but any document that meets the definition of a “lease” is a legal document and is subject to the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
A lease can be written or verbal, but we highly recommend that you always get your lease in writing. A written lease fixes all terms of the agreement so that no changes can be made during the term of the lease, unless both the landlord and tenant agree to the changes in writing. Make sure you read the lease thoroughly and understand what it says. These are a few (but not all) important components to look for in your lease – • Can I move out before the end of the lease? Is there a penalty? • What is included in the lease? Utilities? Furniture? Washer/Dryer? • What are the expenses I will incur? Deposit (refundable or not)? Utilities? • Are there “rules and regulations” or other policies I need to abide by? Are there fines for violations? • For what reasons can the landlord evict me? You can take a copy of your lease to ASUA Legal Services and have it reviewed, for free, before you sign it. legal.asua.arizona.edu
offcampus.arizona.edu