If you’re just beginning your search for off-campus student rentals at Ohio University in Athens, you might be overwhelmed by the number of Athens rental companies, and then again by the number of university rentals each company leases to students. And for all the student apartments claiming to be luxury or stacked with amenities, well – we all know the wonders an Insta filter can do to a selfie, so we should all know pictures aren’t always what they seem.
So where do you start?
There are a few questions you can ask yourself to narrow your search before you start; knowing key criteria, like the reputation of the landlord and your desired location for a university off-campus apartment, will save you valuable time. A bit of planning will help you spot those special uptown Athens rentals that get snatched up quickly each year.
How to Find the Best Athens Ohio University Rental Housing
How do you spot the OU off-campus rental unit that’s right for you? Ask yourself a few questions:
1. How many bedrooms do I need in my OU apartment?
This is a pretty simple one. If you and your friends are looking for a big house with lots of space, find an Athens rental company that rents uptown OU houses with a bunch of bedrooms. We have university rentals with up to 8 bedrooms in our listings.
Just the same, if you’re looking for an uptown apartment for just yourself, consider an efficiency apartment instead of a one-bedroom unit. There’s often a price difference, and the utilities are lower in a studio apartment than a one-bedroom.
2. Do I want a university off-campus rental with a yard or a view?
Is it important to you to have outdoor space? If you want to have friends over often, or just like the idea of morning coffee and online lecture on a deck outside your student rental, consider renting an apartment with a yard for outdoor games, or a deck for a view of Athens and OU’s beautiful campus.
3. Will I need a parking space at my uptown rental?
Have a car? Make sure the Athens rental company you lease your university off-campus housing from has parking options. Most students have cars nowadays, so many of our uptown Athens rentals include either off-campus parking spaces for rent, or parking space(s) included in the lease.
4. What terms do I want my lease to include?
Many university rentals have incentivized leases, like those uptown parking spots we mentioned. Some leases include city utilities in the rent, or other cost-saving measures. For instance, the rent for our off-campus university housing is often per bedroom, so if you need an Athens OU rental for 5 people, but you only need 4 bedrooms, you only pay for the 4 bedrooms, not the 5 people.
Another thing to think about is the pet policy in the lease. Most landlords have pet policies that limit what kinds of animals you can have in your university rental.
5. What kind of Athens rental company do I want as my landlord?
It’s worth your time to do a bit of research on the rental companies in Athens before you search their properties. Mid-size rental companies with choice uptown apartments and houses with yards near Court Street are your best bet for honest, attentive landlords. Too big of a landlord, and you’ll notice quantity over quality in their university rentals. Too small of a rental company, and you’ll have a hard time finding Google reviews or previous tenants to tell you how they operate.
6. What kind of amenities are musts?
Think about the comforts of home. What do you need in your off-campus apartment? Not every property manager that rents to OU students bothers to include amenities like AC, dishwashers, on-site or in-unit laundry, or the long-term parking rental spots we talked about earlier. Come to think of it, amenity-stacked apartments are also a green flag that the landlord cares about their properties and tenants.
Athens, Ohio University Rentals with Inclusive Leases & an Attentive Landlord
With over 75 properties in great uptown locations, our selection of university rentals span from studio apartments to 8-bedroom houses, and they’re all super close to Court Street and Ohio University’s campus. Not to mention that our student housing options actually include those great amenities noted above.
So, on your search for the perfect OU rental, remember: quality university rentals in Athens are updated, well-maintained, spacious, and have leases designed to make life as a student in off-campus housing easy and affordable. After all, what’s better than a university rental with freshly-refinished, century-old hardwood floors and a totally renovated kitchen?