1. Find Your Match! Fall 2016 Housing
Sponsored by
University Housing,
Student Legal Clinic, and
Off-Campus Community Relations

2. On-Campus Off-Campus Benefits Benefits
Convenience
Easy access to events/activities
Furniture, food & fuel
Higher grades
One payment
Safety
Service
Cost
10-month contracts
Independence
Privacy
Choice of living environment
Life skills & responsibility
Credit
Pets
Roommate choice
Amenities
Convenience: Living on-campus puts students within walking distance of all their classes, the library, all the gyms, great food, downtown Boone, the Boone bus system (Appalcart), and many friends.
Exciting Events and Activities: If students want to get involved in college life outside of classes there is no better place to be than the residence halls
Friendship: When students are asked what they remember most about living in the residence halls they almost always mention the close friendships they formed that are still in place after college.
Higher Grades: Students who live on-campus have higher grades in both their first and second years in college!
One Payment: Living off-campus usually results in a multitude of bills students on-campus never need to worry about. Students off-campus should be prepared to have someone pay monthly bills for rent, cable TV, electric or fuel oil, water and sewer, internet access, and maybe even trash pick-up. In the residence halls all the services are wrapped up in one payment, once a semester.
Safety: Residence hall main doors are controlled by a keycard access system in which only students living in the residence hall can access the building.  Every night there is an RA on duty from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.  All RAs are trained in noticing and responding to security risks (i.e. propped exterior doors).  In addition, the main desks of most residence halls are staffed every night from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m by a Night Star staff member (A.S.U. Police are also minutes away) who walks through the residence hall on a regular basis.
Service: All the residence halls are well-maintained with quality service. Maintenance and housekeeping staff are available for late night emergency response 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

3. University Housing ReApplication Process
In order to be considered for on-campus housing, you must submit an application:
Go to housing.appstate.edu
Click on the icon for ReApplication
You will be directed to instructions to apply for on-campus housing for academic year

4. Dates and Deadlines Reapplication: 1/11/16 – 1/31/16
Notification: Early February to ASU
Response to On-Campus Housing Offer: Within 48 hours / Immediately binding
Up to 3 reminders sent within 48 hours
June 30 – Deadline to request release from housing contract for the fall semester with a $ non-refundable cancellation fee (No Release After June 30, 2016)
Open Wait List available March 1, 2016

5. Residence Hall Rates 2015-2016 Apartment Style - $2500.00 Per Semester
Hotel Style - $ Per Semester
Suite Style - $ Per Semester
Renovated Traditional Style - $ Per Semester
East Hall / Justice Hall - $ Per Semester
Non-Renovated Traditional Style - $
* Rates will be posted in January, 2016
*All Residence Hall Contracts are for an Entire Academic Year

6. On-Campus Housing Questions?
Sheila Burleson or Blair Berry
University Housing
Questions/Requests:

7. Finding Off-Campus Housing
Internet:
Rental Company List
Links to “for rent” or sublease ads
Interactive Map of Boone
Transportation Information
Look around
Housing Fair: Wednesday, February 3rd, 10am-2pm, International Hallway, Student Union

8. “For Rent” Signs

9. Rental Company Signs

10. ASU’s February Housing Fair

11. BEFORE YOU COMMIT: PLAN AHEAD VIEW THE RENTAL PROPERTY
BE ACTIVE: ASK QUESTIONS/ GATHER INFORMATION
READ AND UNDERSTAND THE LEASE

12. Don’t Rush Into a Decision
Plan Ahead
Don’t Rush Into a Decision
Take time to consider:
Timeline for finding housing
Who you will be living with
Rental costs
Additional costs
Location, parking and transportation
Zoning: Single Family Residences

13. Timeline November: Explore Options December: Talk It Over
Plan Ahead
Timeline
November: Explore Options
December: Talk It Over
January: More Research & Decide
February: Confirm On-Campus OR Move forward w/ Off- Campus
March: Secure Off-Campus housing!

14. Know Your Roommate(s) Discuss Compatibility Roommate Contracts
Plan Ahead
Know Your Roommate(s)
Discuss Compatibility
Lifestyles (your own choices, not your parents’), Importance of Studying, Significant Others (overnight guests), Paying the Bills, Sharing Food, Cleanliness, Pets
Roommate Contracts
Individual vs. Joint Leases

15. Cost On-Campus Off-Campus
Plan Ahead
Cost On-Campus Off-Campus
$450 - $525/month
per person
Includes:
electricity
water
trash
basic cable tv
phone & internet
maintenance
$350 - $800/month
per person
Some offer no utilities or extras, while others include utilities & extras
Average monthly cost of utilities per person: $60 - $200
Electricity, heat, internet, cable, phone, water
Often apartments that cost more, include more (such as utilities). Do the math to determine which pricing structure may work best for you and your budget (inclusive vs. a la carte apartments).

16. Plan Ahead
Fuel Tanks

17. Location, Parking, and Transportation
Plan Ahead
Location, Parking, and Transportation

18. Zoning: Roommate Restrictions
Plan Ahead
Zoning: Roommate Restrictions
Single-family dwellings (R-1, 1a, & 2 Zones) - no more than 2 unrelated tenants permitted
Ask landlords and/or the Town of Boone (some landlords are aware, others are not)
Overnight guests can result in ordinance violations
Violations can result in eviction and/or fines
Contact the Town of Boone Planning and Inspections Dept. to verify zoning:

19. What’s Coming up in the Future?
Plan Ahead
What’s Coming up in the Future?
Think about:
Contract length
Security deposit timing (when lease is signed)
First month’s rent (due on the lease start-date)
Check your Appalnet account to make sure that you have completed financial aid forms
The security deposit is typically paid when you sign a lease. Ask your landlord if you can make payments if you don’t have the security deposit money up front. Also remember that you need to set the money aside over the summer to pay your first month’s rent – i.e. that you will likely have to pay this out of pocket. Remember that you will have rent money for January in your fall financial aid check – if you pay out of pocket for August. However, this can work against you because you may spend January’s rent without realizing it. If you know that you’re not very good with keeping up with money and you’re afraid that you’re going to spend it, it may be a good idea to pay for the entire semester.

20. TAKE A LOOK…
View the apartment that you will actually be living in (if at all possible)
Avoid surprises
Think about what’s important to you before you go to look
Inspect carefully!

21. TAKE A LOOK: What’s missing here?
If windows are important to you, and you are only able to view a layout of the apartment, be sure to ask if your unit will have windows – even if you have viewed the building and it appears that some units have them.

22. TAKE A LOOK: What about Parking?
*Use a different parking available picture
Parking Available
Parking UNAvailable

23. Take a Look: Mold and Mildew
Mold and mildew exist in every dwelling – especially in the High Country. Rental companies usually do not release tenants from contracts due to mold, so if you know you are allergic to mold, it’s important to do an inspection of the property prior to moving in. If you have allergies, do not rent a basement apartment: 1 wall or more is underground (definition of basement apartment).

24. GATHER MORE INFORMATION
Ask questions – What is important to YOU?
Use other sources to get more information
Current and former tenants
Internet resources (apartment review websites)
Utility companies

25. Read and Understand

26. What’s in a Lease? Lease Period Monthly Rent Security Deposit
Read and Understand
What’s in a Lease?
NC General Statutes
Lease Period
Monthly Rent
Security Deposit
Pet Deposit
Late Fees
Court Fees
Other costs/ fees
Administrative fee
“Additional Rent”
Cleaning fee
Penalties for violating landlord’s rules (i.e. fine for having a party or an unauthorized pet)

27. Rules and Regulations:
Read and Understand
Rules and Regulations:
Parking
Pets
Occupancy
Parties
Trash pick-up
Appearance/ cleanliness
Heat – responsibility for pipes freezing
Illegal activities

28. Rules and Regulations: Use of Porches
Read and Understand
Rules and Regulations: Use of Porches

29. Remember: The written lease rules!
Read and Understand
Remember: The written lease rules!
Don’t rely on oral promises made by the landlord that are not contained in the lease
Even if your landlord has not previously enforced a rule – or has not enforced the rule consistently – the rule can still be enforced if it is in the written lease
Know what’s in your lease and make sure you can live with it!

30. Renters Insurance
Purpose: To provide protection against loss and give peace of mind
Covers: Fire, theft, flood, snow, hail, smoke damage, etc.
Cost: $100-$150/annually (estimate)
Liability Without It: No protection (i.e. YOU pay to replace)
Parents Homeowner’s Policy: Might cover you already(if your parents own their own homes)
Links to companies of Off-Campus website

31. AFTER You Move In
NC General Statutes: Landlord’s duty to provide fit and habitable premises
Boone Minimum Housing Code: Additional Protections within Town of Boone
Document conditions
Know the security deposit law

32. After You Move In: Rental Company Issues
Communicate with your landlord:
In a civil and timely manner,
If you have a question,
In advance if you have to make a late payment,
If there is a problem with the rental property
Take responsibility if you have violated a policy
Payment:
Use checks
Financial aid can be applied to off-campus rent
Be aware of:
Reserved right of entry
Illegal activity can affect your status as a tenant
Landlords know that you may make mistakes. They are more likely to work well with you if you tell the truth and take responsibility, instead of lying.

33. After You Move In: Interacting with the Community
Safety
Being a Good Neighbor
Relevant Town Ordinances

34. Safety Lock Your Door emergency.appstate.edu AppState-Alert
Local Law Enforcement
Contact Numbers
ASU: Know the Code of Student
Conduct On AND Off-Campus

35. Being a Good Neighbor Meet and talk with your neighbors
Keep gatherings small and quiet
Maintain a clean appearance outside (lawn mowed, trash up, etc.)
Be respectful; you are part of a community!
Exchange contact information with neighbors you trust to encourage open lines of communication.

36. Town of Boone Ordinances
Noise Ordinance
Fines begin at $100 and can increase to $500 upon a third violation.
Alcohol
Open containers prohibited -- $50 fine
Leash Law
Pets must be leashed within town limits
Bikes and skateboards
No skateboarding
Bikes prohibited on sidewalks
$50 fine for violation of helmet ordinance

37. Questions?
Karla Rusch
Student Legal Clinic & Off-Campus Community Relations
located in the Dean of Students Office
Suite 324, Plemmons Student Union