The University of Delaware is partnered with Places4Students.com – an Off-Campus Housing Service for students to search for housing accommodations, find roommates, or post student sublets for FREE.
Off-Campus Listings
Search for available spaces for rent. Students register or post for roommates or sublets. Landlords register or post a vacancy. Please email your ad to ud-housing@udel.edu if you are a faculty or staff member posting an ad that is outside of a 20 mile radius of UD. |
Feel free to contact admin@places4students.com or 1-866-766-0767, should you require more information.
Local property owners can conveniently advertise their rental vacancies online. Students, faculty and staff can use this service to easily search for housing accommodations.
Places4Students.com will exclusively advertise your rental properties directly to our school’s community. We’re confident that once you have tried this service, you will appreciate the benefits and value of advertising with Places4Students.com.
Pricing:*
Single Unit - house, condo, basement apartment, room in a house
Multi Unit - more than one apartment at a single address or building
*Featured ads will display first in the search results.
Benefits Include:
To Get Started:
Effective immediately, new listings will not be accepted through our previous service. Don't delay! Post your vacancy(s) with our new service today.
Landlords will work directly with Places4Students Inc. to manage their rental listings. Please feel free to contact admin@places4students.com or 1-866-766-0767, should you require more information or assistance.
As with any Internet commerce, the renter or landlord must be alert to fraud schemes. Please click here for more information about security and the Internet.
IMPORTANT: If you live in the residence halls now or if you have applied for housing for the spring or fall semester, be certain that you are not obligated for the full term of the Academic Year Student Housing Agreement. If you are released from your agreement, Housing Assignment Services will provide written confirmation for you. Contact Housing Assignment Services at UD-Housing@udel.edu or (302) 831-3676 for details.
Inspecting Your Rental Unit
When inspecting a potential rental property, ask yourself these questions:
* See also Off-Campus Housing Safety: When Looking for a Place to Live checklist provided by PEACE OUTside CAMPUS, The Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation
What to Know Before Moving In
Once you decide on an off-campus unit, Obtain a copy of the lease you will be signing and review it carefully.
You may also wish to review the Delaware Landlord-Tenant Code before signing. If you do not understand any provisions of the lease, the DUSC (Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress) provides legal referrals (although the University neither endorses nor makes any representations wth respect to any legal assistance the DUSC may provide). Sign the lease only after you are comfortable with and understand all of its requirements.
Contact utility companies to inquire about the average monthly cost of utilities for the rental you have selected. This will help you create a budget. Ask the utility companies to see when you should arrange for electric and other services to be turned on, and plan accordingly.
One week prior to move in, start looking for rental insurance. Tenants are encouraged to protect themselves from loss by purchasing appropriate insurance. In that regard, you should review any homeowner's policy that you or your family might have to determine whether the contents of your rental unit are already covered or could be covered with a relatively inexpensive policy rider.
Know the following information before contacting your agent:
Three or four days prior to move-in, call your landlord and ask to take a look at the unit.
Make a list of items still needing repair.
Make a copy of this list for yourself and your landlord.
Include items that you can live with but don't want to be charged for when you leave the unit.
Sign and date the copies and have the landlord do the same.
On move-in day, be attentive of the condition of the room or apartment.
If possible, videotape the condition of your apartment.
If this is not possible, photograph the apartment before you move your things in.
Review the lease with the landlord, as well as the list of repairs that you created three to four days prior to moving in.
If repairs are made, cross those items off your list.
For repairs still pending, ask the landlord to write down a date next to the item on the list.
This will indicate when the repair will be made.
Always ask for a copy of your lease.
It is your legal right to have a copy of your lease (with both your signature and your landlord's signature) provided to you free of charge.
It is better to have a written, rather than verbal, leasing agreement.
This will protect you legally and also refresh your memory about the landlord's terms.
When making your security deposit and any rental payments, ask for a written receipt.
Keep all of your receipts together in a file.
This will help you if there is ever a question about if a payment was made, for how much, or even if a payment was made on time.
As your move-out date approaches, remember that the Delaware Landlord-Tenant Code requires you to notify your landlord two months prior to the end of your lease that you will not be renewing your lease.
Considerations for Roommate Selection
Many students opt to have a roommate or roommates when living off-campus.
This is a good way to save money and have fun.
However, things don't always turn out well.
Bad feelings between friends and large financial obligations can result.
All roommates are required to sign the lease.
Signing the lease makes everyone living in the apartment or house legally responsible for the complying with the lease individually and as a group.
Be sure that the number of roommates you have complies with the codes established by the City of Newark (or your local rental area).
If your roommate can't pay his/her share of the rent, you may become liable for that portion (known as being jointly and severally liable).
This concept would also apply when you prepare to move out of the rental unit at the end of your lease.
The landlord can hold all tenants on the lease responsible for damages and can subsequently keep all or part of your security deposit.
If your security deposit is to be returned at the end of your lease, let your landlord know in writing well in advance of your move-out date how you would like the security deposit to be returned.
Some landlords will only want to make out one check to one person, while others may be willing to divide the security deposit among all parties on the lease and issue separate checks.
Make sure you know how and when the rent is to be paid.
Some landlords want one check, others will take checks from each person, and sometimes they ask for cash.
No matter how the rent is to be paid, be sure to get a written receipt from your landlord.
The receipt should state the amount paid, the way in which it was paid (cash or check with check number listed), as well as the date paid.
Prior to signing your lease and deciding to move in together, you and your roommate(s) will need to discuss your different lifestyles.
Clearly define your terms when describing your likes, dislikes, and general habits.
Stating you like to stay up "late," may mean that you like to be in bed by 11PM, while to your potential roommate, "late" could mean 3 or 4AM the next day.
You may wish to establish certain house "rules" on a written list.
By writing your list down, everyone will have a copy and can remind themselves of agreed-upon practices later on.
Have all potential roommates sign off on the list.
This will help keep order and may assist any problem resolution at a later date.
When trying to define your lifestyles, keep these questions in mind:
Helpful Links and Resources
Off-Campus Housing Safety Checklist: In November 2006, the city of Newark, in cooperation with the Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation PEACE OUTside CAMPUS, instituted a system to help students identify safe and secure properties near the University.
Move-In/Move-Out Checklist: a useful checklist that you should bring with you when inspecting your rental unit. If there are already damages to your unit prior to move-in, these should be noted on the form. Having your landlord sign off on the completed form will ensure that you are not held responsible for pre-existing damages when your lease ends.
Delaware Landlord-Tenant Code:
a comprehensive guide to your rights and responsibilities as a landlord or a tenant.
Housing for All: a plain English summary of the Delaware Landlord-Tenant Code.
Maryland Landlord-Tenant Code: a guide to your rights and responsibilitiese as a landlord or a tenant in the state of Maryland.
NOTE: Some counties, towns, and cities have additional information that landlords and tenants must abide by. You should check with your local government to determine what, if any, additonal laws apply. For local laws in Newark, visit the Newark City Manager's Office website.
Delaware Apartment Association Renter Resource Center: a non-profit organization which provides online information regarding financial assistance, disaster planning, rental guides, renters' insurance, safety tips, and more. The DAA website can also be accessed by clicking the image below.
University of Delaware Shuttle Buses run on regular Fall and Spring schedules with special schedules during Winter and Summer sessions. Some off-campus apartment complexes are served by special agreement.
