When I first arrived the US as a fresh transfer student from Malaysia, I had almost no clue on how I could live independently off campus. I mean, campus housing wasn't bad, but I felt like I could have lived better for a lower cost outside of campus accommodation. As an international student, we surely are unfamiliar with leasing terms and what you need to know before taking on an apartment unit/ room lease. So here I've prepared a guide for those of you who are worried about this issue!
Do your research!
I'll start off by the easiest answer which is to do your research. It isn't the sort of research where you have to dive into years of forum discussions but rather simply asking those who have or is going through the experience be it current students or alumni.
Read the terms and conditions word for word.
Assuming you found your desired place to live, 99.999% of the time, they would have a terms and conditions form prepared for you to acknowledge before you agree on signing the lease. Don't simply dismiss these terms just because you've heard good reviews on the property or simply want to secure a place as soon as possible. It's always better to know what their leasing terms are like and what you can and cannot do. Remember, voiding the terms and conditions can either make you lose your deposit and be charged extra or even being kicked off the property. Bear in mind that leasing isn't the same as owning.; you're simply "borrowing" a space rather than being in full ownership of it for a span of time.
Get Insured.
There are some cases where you may go against the terms and conditions of the lease unintentionally throughout your stay. Or maybe, the very risk of getting burgled or your place getting substantially damaged like getting burned down may occur. Are you willing to fork out the full liability? Of course not! There are many insurance plans that would cater to those needs, also known as renters' insurance. Renters' insurance may or may not be required by the landlord but it's better to be safe than sorry. You would be better off paying an average of 10-20 dollars per month for renters' insurance than bearing the liability of a huge accident.
I agree with your point Vincent! I too fall guilty for that!
I love this! One thing that i would also recommend is knowing what you want vs knowing what you need because when you lease, you sometimes forget that it's not YOUR house, and so you buy anything and everything. And when you move out, it becomes a pain because you don't know what to do with it. For example, when i move into the dorms during Freshman year, I came with only 2 luggages but when I moved out, I had a U-Haul, and now, I probably need 3 U-Hauls when I move out after 4+ years and I only realized this as graduation came near that this isn't actually my permanent apartment.