Campus Area Housing
The Campus Housing Environment
Fall '24 Update: For leases that started in the Fall of this year, a new city ordinance prevents our professional rental agent from conducting guided tours of those properties until 210 days of the current lease have passed. Please continuing reading to learn how we can continue to help you now if you're looking for housing for the '25-'26 academic year.
Anyone reading this page probably realizes that the University of Michigan / Ann Arbor rental market is very competitive and fast paced. Recent local ordinances severely restrict our ability to help students at the times they have historically chosen to shop for next year's housing. Despite the ordinance's goals there appears to be no end to students wanting to shop for housing during the Fall semester. People who will be new to the campus community should know that large numbers of students begin to shop beginning in mid October and through the time that students leave for spring break at the end of February. The house and apartment shopping that goes on during this period is for leases that will start just before the next academic year begins. Please contact us if you have any questions about how to secure housing for the next academic year. We have about 225 student oriented houses and apartments within 10 blocks of campus. They range from efficiency apartments to six bedroom houses.
Important things to understand before securing a house or apartment
Before you complete any document that binds you to one of our properties you should understand how it commits you.
Understand that we never "hold" any house or apartment for anybody until all required documents are fully completed, signed and returned to us. Similarly, all required initial payments must be made before anything is considered held for anybody. Do not assume that you have something until these requirements are met.
Understand the timing of payments and how they will be applied to various charges like the security deposit, first month's rent and the cleaning fee.
Understand that the current resident might possess the right to keep the apartment for another year.
Understand that the timing of your signature on a lease is very important
Understand that you may need to communicate information about desired bedroom furniture in a timely fashion if your apartment includes bedroom furniture.
Understand that the lease will be "joint and several" and what that means for you and your roommates.
Understand whether or not a "financial co-guarantor" will be required.
Understand that no hold-over occupancy is allowed at the end of the lease.
Understand the parking situation at the property you desire and be sure that suits your needs.
Understand the laundry situation at the property you desire and be sure that will work for you.
Understand that there will be no verbal promises between us. It is reasonable that both parties confine their agreement to what is written.
Understand that we need your Social Security Number (or equivalent ID) and we will not rent to you without it.
Understand which utilities are your responsibility to pay and which ones are included in the rental payment.
Understand the nature of an "installment lease".
Understand the terms an implications of an "Option to Lease" before you sign one.
Understand that we are happy to answer questions about any of this before you sign anything.
Understand the lease dates and how they affect you. Our leases for the next academic year begin at noon on Saturday, August 23, 2025 and run until 11:59 PM on Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 11:59 pm. We are able to move a very limited number of units in early each year. These Early Move-Ins (EMIs) are available for a fee. The EMI fee is intended to deter most people from buying one. The EMIs are limited to two pre-determined days in late August. Prices vary depending on the size of the unit and the move-in date. Please see the table below for prices and date.
No holdover occupancy is allowed. We are unable to grant any extensions to leases. The last day of the lease is the last day of the lease without exception. We are on a very tight timetable to turn over our units each year and need every day we've contracted for to accomplish our painting, cleaning and maintenance.
Financial Details
2025-2026 Lease Year - Payment Due Dates
Payments - Calculation of Amounts:
THE "OPTION" PATH TO NEXT YEAR'S HOUSING:
No matter how much we'd like to sign a lease with you the moment you decide where you'd like to live next year we cannot do so without violating the ordinance referenced above. This is because the ordinance allows the current tenant to consider renewal for the first 210 days of their lease with us.
We do not use RESERVATIONS or WAITLISTS to hold our housing. Instead, you may purchase an "Option to Lease". Keep reading to learn more.
Historically only 25-30% of our housing renews each year. Conversely, 70-75% of our housing turns over each year. Sometimes, because of the class standing of the current tenant, we can infer the likelihood that a current tenant will not renew. In some cases you may know the current tenant and can act with more certainty about their renewal status. Still, we can never guarantee that any specific tenant will not renew at the very last moment they are afforded by the ordinance.
Our "Options to Lease" have a price - You are purchasing the right to either sign a lease OR not sign a lease with us at a future date once ordinance moratoriums expire.
As the purchaser of an option you will face three possible outcomes:
1.) The housing is available because the current tenant didn't renew in accordance with the ordinance AND you want to exercise your option to lease the property. Note: This is the most common outcome if purchasing an option. Immediately upon signing a lease with us your option price will be converted to required lease payments such as Security Deposit, First Rental Installment and Cleaning Fee. A balance will likely be due after the option monies are applied to these charges. Ultimately, your rental application will lay out a schedule of due dates for all remaining payments.
2.) The housing is not available because the current tenant decided to renew. If this happens we will immediately return the sum of all option payments to you. Note: If this happens you will receive one check payable to the first named person on the option agreement.
3.) The housing is available because the current tenant didn't renew AND you decide that you DO NOT want to exercise your option to lease the property. Note: While this rarely happens please understand that if you elect not to exercise your option the entire option price is retained by Campus Management, Inc. as liquidated damages. Please do not sign an option agreement if your group isn't okay with the potential loss of the option price. We also advise that you not sign another option with another another housing provider.
The option agreement requires a number of signatures matching the size of the house or apartment. For example, one person cannot option a 6 bedroom house. Have your group organized and make sure they've used all available resources to understand the physical attributes of the property and the business aspects of the option agreement and the future lease. Ask questions of us - we expect you to!
We typically take only one option for each house or apartment. On rare occasions people will ask to be second in line for a property if the first option is not exercised.
When the local ordinance's lease signing moratoriums expire is measured from the start date of the current lease. For us that start date is pretty consistent. The time to exercise your option will typically come in mid March. Make sure you understand the terms and when you need to act to secure your right under the option agreement. We'll help you remember too.
If the current tenant does not renew as allowed by the ordinance, your option contract requires that make your election to exercise or not exercise your option within 72 hours of being presented with a lease. All optionees must sign the lease in the agreed time otherwise we reserve the right to immediately rent the property to other prospective tenants.
Note: We have used these "options to lease" successfully over the last three lease terms. Nonetheless, there have been fairly rare instances when the current tenant renewed and we had to return the option price to the prospective tenant. If that possibility makes is unbearable for you please don't sign an option with us.
THE "LATE" PATH TO NEXT YEAR'S HOUSING:
If you are interested in a house or apartment where the current tenant is at least 210 days into their lease AND does not intend to renew you can lease the property without any timing constraints. In this case the table below explains amounts and due dates.
| Total Security Deposit | 1.5 times the installment |
| Portion of Security Deposit. Typically Due at Application | 1/3 of the total Security Deposit. Nonrefundable if the lease is not executed. |
| Balance of Security Deposit. Typically Due at Lease Signing | 2/3 of the total Security Deposit |
| Cleaning Fee. Typically Due at Lease Signing | Dependant on the size of the unit, see table below |
| First month's rent due | Typically due one month after the lease signing. Note that this is the rent for September of 2025. First Month's Rent must be paid before move-in. |
| October 2025 Rent | Due October 1, 2025. Note that prepaying your Sept. 2025 installment means that no installment is due on move-in day. |
2025-2026 Cleaning Fee Schedule
| Number of Bedrooms | Cleaning Fee |
| Efficiency | $195.00 |
| One Bedroom | $215.00 |
| Two Bedrooms | $320.00 |
| Three Bedrooms | $395.00 |
| Four Bedrooms | $425.00 |
| Five Bedrooms | $510.00 |
| Six or more Bedrooms | $535.00 |
2025-2026 Early Move-In Fee Schedule
| Number of Bedrooms | Monday, 8/18/25 | Thursday, 8/21/25 |
| Efficiency | $ | $ |
| 1BR | $ | $ |
| 2BR | $ | $ |
| 3BR | $ | $ |
| 4BR | $ | $ |
| 5BR | $ | $ |
| 6BR | $ | $ |
Lease Signing
We use EchoSign for lease execution via the internet. You must execute your lease digitally within 72 hours of receiving the Echosign e-mail indicating that the lease is ready for signature. Failure to sign within this time frame can result in the rental of the house or apartment to another group. Read your contract to know when the balance of your security deposit and cleaning fee are due. Echosign also processes Financial Co-guarantors signatures where those are required. Only after every resident and every required financial co-guarantor has digitally signed will we countersign the lease. EchoSign will automatically provide each party with an executed copy of the lease document.
Move-In Day
Your lease will begin at noon on Saturday August 23, 2025 unless you have purchased and signed a Early Move-In agreement from Campus Management, Inc. We will begin moving people in at 10:00 AM. Move-in Day is our busiest day of the year. The earlier you come the more likely you are to have to wait to meet with one of our move-in representatives. The typical wait is less than 10 minutes. You must come to our office to receive lock codes and any keys. At move-in we will meet for about 5 minutes to complete a short move-in process with you. In addition to keys, you will be given a move-in packet with important information concerning your new home. We will review parking (if provided), utilities, maintenance and other related topics. Plan a list of any move-in questions you wish to ask us. We look forward to a smooth move-in and to serving your needs beyond move-in day.
Several very important notes:
- Weather permitting key pickup/move-in will happen in the parking lot behind our offices
- First Month’s Rent must be paid in full or keys will not be released.
- IF YOU FAIL TO PICK UP KEYS FOR YOUR UNIT BY THE TIME WE CLOSE ON MOVE-IN DAY YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE-IN UNTIL THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY - MAKE AND STICK TO A SCHEDULE THAT GETS YOU INTO OUR OFFICES BY 5:00 PM ON MOVE-IN DAY!
