roommates
**You can print a copy of the application and co-signer form, complete & sign both then scan & email them back to me at Jeremy@CampusRentHouse.com Or take a picture with your cell phone and text (214-354-8000) or email me the picture. Please make sure I can read the entire document**
Do students really start signing leases as early as ONE YEAR before they move in?
YES! You better believe it. The rental cycle in Ft Worth is much different than many universities. Students start signing leases as early as the summer of the year BEFORE they move in. A huge portion of students will have signed a lease by late Sept/early Oct. Keep in mind that when your child calls you and asks if they can fill out an application and have you sign a co-signer form 9 months or even 12 months in advance, they are most likely competing with dozens & dozens of other groups of students wanting the exact same property. If you tell them they have plenty of time and that it's too early...then you don't know the TCU rent cycle! So please help them out and get your paperwork done when they ask.
Are you a management company? or a realtor/broker?
No. We are not a management company. I am not a realtor or a broker. We own all of the properties on this website. I am always interested in buying more homes. If you are thinking about selling your house call me Jeremy 214-354-8000. I am only interested in houses that are walking distance to campus. I am a cash buyer and can close quick.
Are any of your houses for sale?
Generally speaking no but everything is for sale at the right price. The only time I ever turned down a lot of cash is when I didn't understand the question.
What do we need to do to secure a property?
- Completed and signed Rental Application from each roommate
- Completed and signed Co-signer Form from at least one parent of each roommate **Parents I will NOT accept a co-signer form that is missing your social security number or that has any added language/wording. No cross outs, notes/wording written in, etc.**
- $70 Cash rental application fee from each roommate ($70 covers roommate and parent)
- Non-refundable check for 1st months rent, last months rent and security deposit (equal to rent). Memo section of check must say "Non-refundable" or we will not accept the check. Yes once the lease begins you are credited for the first and last months rent and yes you are still eligible for the return of the security deposit at the end of the lease based on cost to clean after move-out and damages if any but we require "non-refundable" to secure the property until move-in and we require the checks either prior to or at lease signing.
Parents - Co-signer forms must be completed in full. We do not accept partially completed or unsigned co-signer forms. Co-signer forms must include your social security number. You can print a copy of the co-signer form, fill it out, sign it and scan & email it back to me at Jeremy@CampusRentHouse.com or if it's easier, after you complete and sign the form just take a picture with your cell phone and text or email it to me. Please make sure I can read it!
Once I have ALL signed paperwork - roommate rental app, parent co-signer form, $70 cash application fee and check for 1st, last & security deposit we can sign the lease. I usually meet the kids at the bookstore to sign the lease.
Why do you need my social security number?
You are guaranteeing the debt and this helps protect me as an investor. We require a co-signer form completed in full and signed in order for your child to be eligible to live at any of our properties.
Are utilities included?
No. Tenants are responsible for putting ALL utilities in their names. We do not put ANY utilities in our name.
Our tenants tell us their bills generally run about $85 - $125 per roommate per month. This includes AT&T Uverse, internet, electric, water/trash and gas. Premium movie channels, HD channels, higher internet speeds, Netflix, Prime, summer months vs cooler months and the number of total roommates will all effect the total per roommate per month but I think you are safe to use $100 (plus or minus) per roommate per month on average when trying to determine a budget. I think you will find this is about average for most rent houses around campus.
Can we have a dog? or a cat?
No. But I promise I'll take care of it. No. But it's such a good dog/cat and it is house trained. No. But my parents spent thousands of dollars on training. No. But...NO. No and No. What if we...No. There are significant penalties for trying to sneak a pet in so don't do it!
Do your properties have alarm systems?
Some of the properties may have existing alarm systems and/or RING doorbells & cams that may or may not be in working condition. We do not install alarm systems in any of our properties. If you want an alarm system or additional cams you are welcome to have one installed at your expense. All expenses such as installation, monthly monitoring fees and any cost or fee associated with installing or maintaining the alarm or false alarms is at the tenants expense. It has been our experience over the years that the alarm systems rarely get used by the tenants. Multiple tenants with very different class schedules coming and going plus going to eat, going to visit friends, going out at night, plus throw in the friends, boyfriends & girlfriends coming and going the alarms rarely get used. We are in no way trying to discourage you from adding an alarm system. I'm just letting you know what our observation has been over the years. There are several alarm systems on the market today to choose from.
Can we paint? and hang things on the wall?
Yes! You can paint any room any color you want at your expense (with the exception of dark colors - no dark colors please. I had a girl paint her room black one year and I think it took about 4 coats to cover up). And feel free to hang pictures or mirrors on the walls as well. We DO NOT paint before you move in but you are certainly welcome to paint each room or hire a professional at your expense. Yes some walls and trim might be scuffed up when you move in but we DO NOT paint. Most tenants like to paint their rooms and the living room a certain color anyway.
Do you clean the properties before we move in?
Yes! We hire a maid service that sends a team of 3 or 4 maids to deep clean prior to move-in.
My mom/dad is an attorney and would like you to make a few minor changes to the wording in the co-signer form and/or the lease.
We will not make any changes to the co-signer form or lease. We are comfortable with both the way they are. We will not accept a co-signer form or a lease with any added language, words crossed out or side notes written in, modifications, etc. If your parents do not want to sign the co-signer form or do not want you to sign the lease, then we wish you the best of luck as you search for another property. We require the same paperwork from each tenant/parent. It's the same paperwork we have used for years.
Why do you only take one method of payment for rent?
We only accept one method of payment, i.e.: one check or one bank transfer for the full amount. We do not accept partial payments. We do this because when one roommate is late, it has been our experience that suddenly they are having trouble sending/receiving texts, or they left their phone on vibrate and didn't hear it (for days) or left it in the car or they didn't get the voicemail, etc. We let the tenants work it out between each other. We are not going to try to chase someone down in an effort to collect their portion of rent. The roommates can deal with that. The only time we accept multiple checks/payment is for the 1st, last & sec dep due at lease signing. In this case we will accept one check from each roommate/parent. When it's time to start paying rent we only accept one payment for the full amount.
Will we get our security deposit back when we move out?
We sure hope so! We collect a security deposit for a reason but we would rather have NO damage to the house and return your security deposit. Most landlords aren't "out to keep your deposit". Most landlords would prefer to give your deposit back because that means there was no damage to the property. It takes a lot of time and effort to hire a professional to make repairs not to mention the pure frustration of dealing with it in the first place. We're all in this together!
Can you recommend anything for me to get my son or daughter for their first rent house?
Yes - a vacuum cleaner and a plunger (actually 2 plungers - one for the bathroom and one for the kitchen sink). These items are like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot. There have been sightings now and then but no college student can say for sure they exist.
Can we move in early? Can we at least move some of our stuff in early?
No. You will need to make arrangements to store your things and/or find somewhere to crash between the move-out / move-in dates. It's usually only a few days and everybody always figures it out.
Will you let me sublease my room if I am going to study abroad?
Yes! We are excited you have the opportunity to study abroad and don't want you to stress about your room. Our leases contain a "no sublet" clause but we have let many tenants sublease their rooms while studying abroad. We require the same paperwork from the new roommate as we did from you and we will add his/her name to the lease. YOU are responsible for finding someone to take your room AND making sure the new roommate gets all of their paperwork and check in as quickly as possible. Obviously all of your roommates will need to be OK with the new roommate. I will want to meet the new roommate at some point but if it's one of your friends and the other roommates are fine with him/her then we shouldn't have a problem. So to recap - YOU find the new roommate, YOU make sure your other roommates are ok with him/her, YOU stay on top of them to get their paperwork to me (app, parent app co-signer form), YOU make sure they have a check for 1st, last, sec dep and application fee, YOU make sure they meet up with me to sign the lease, and you go study abroad and have fun!!
Will you let me move out or sublease my room if I am not getting along with my roommates?
You signed a lease and your parent(s)/co-signer signed a co-signer form and BOTH of you are still financially responsible for your portion of the rent. If you are not getting along with your roommates for any reason and you want to move out you will still be required to pay rent at our property. This is a roommate problem and not a landlord problem. You and/or your parents/co-signer will still be financially obligated for your portion of the rent. The remaining roommates do not have to accept a "random" you might have found to lease your room BUT if you or your roommates find a replacement roommate that ALL roommates agree on then I am happy to allow the new roommate to be added to the lease. A penalty equal to one months rent will apply plus you will still be financially obligated in the event the new roommate doesn't pay for any reason so choose wisely!
Do we have to mow the lawn?
Nope. We pay for the yard guy! You don't need to worry about the yard at all. We don't use a "full landscape service" we just have a yard guy that mows the lawn regularly and will trim the shrubs occasionally.
Do you require renters insurance?
No I do not require it but I do recommend it. Have your parents talk to their car insurance agent. I think it is around $125 per roommate per year? Or you can call your car insurance agent and ask yourself. It does not cost anything to ask. Your insurance agent will be happy to give you a quote. They can explain the features and benefits to you as well.