There’s not a lot worse than signing a lease on a new student rental only to find out later that you really should have read your lease better.

Whether you’re moving into an uptown house or apartment, making sure you’ve got the essential tools that will make your off-campus rental a home is key to having a great experience living in Athens. Some things seem obvious, but others may not.

It’s almost Fall, y’all! Athens might be known among Ohio college culture as the destination for Halloween, but that’s not nearly all we’ve got going on. And of course, there’s more to Autumn than the ubiquitous Starbucks PSL.

If you’ve never been to the Athens Farmers Market, which runs from 9am to noon on Saturdays at the Market on State, you’re missing out.

When we were little, prepping for the first day of school was easy. All our friends needed the same things we did; teachers gave us lists; and our parents dragged us around Target gathering all the things we need. Not at OU!

We don’t know anyone who hasn’t loved living in Athens during their time at OU. In fact, many of Athens’ permanent residents are alumni who either never left, or who ended up coming back, because there’s nowhere like it… especially in Ohio.

Even in the coolest of Athens student living, rental apartments and houses are still mostly in neutral colors with neutral flooring.

For those of us who choose to live with friends or family during our time at Ohio University, when you go to look for the best places to rent in Athens, the big question arises: How many bedrooms should our rental have?

For Ohio University and Athens at-large, The Ridges, a complex of buildings that sits on the ridgetop overlooking campus, is one of the most recognizable images in Southeast Ohio.

Moving off-campus into an uptown rental is exciting. No more close quarters in the dorms, shared bathrooms, sleeping 2.5 feet away from a snoring roommate. It’s going to be great.