The UWM Off-Campus Rental Guide

Curiously exploring your housing options? This guide provides a clear roadmap for the entire process—from your first apartment visit to signing the final lease. We recommend starting your search two to three months before your move-in date to ensure you have the best selection.

The Guide

Step 1
Complete the Preferred Tenant Program
Before you move off-campus, we strongly encourage you to complete the Preferred Tenant Program (PTP). This free, self-paced course is available online via Canvas and prepares you for the responsibilities of independent living.
Step 2
Evaluate Your Lifestyle Needs
Living independently involves more than just picking a room. Consequently, you should consider the extra responsibilities like paying utilities, shoveling snow, and maintaining good neighbor relations. Ask yourself what environment you specifically need to succeed academically.
Step 3
Roommates
Maintaining a healthy relationship with roommates is vital for a stress-free year. To avoid future conflicts, we recommend that you and your roommates complete a Roommate Agreement. By outlining standards for cleaning, guests, and noise now, you ensure everyone’s needs are met later.
Step 4
Budgeting and Finances
When calculating your costs, remember that rent is only one part of the equation. You must also budget for:

Utilities: Internet, water, heat, and electricity.

Daily Living: Groceries, laundry, and household supplies.

Commuting: Parking fees or transit costs.
Step 5
Determine “Needs” vs “Wants”
Before browsing listings, list your “must-haves” versus your “nice-to-haves.” Decide which amenities are essential for your daily life and which ones you can comfortably live without to save money.
Step 6
Search & Showings
You can search for available apartments on the UWM platform, College Pads. Once you have found a unit you are interested in, we recommend reaching out to the landlord to set up a showing. Use showings as an opportunity to inspect the property thoroughly. Additionally, you should take your own photos and videos and ask the landlord any questions not covered in the original listing.
Step 7
Submit a Rental Application
After finding a unit you like, request a rental application. Landlords typically run credit and background checks, so prepare your financial and rental history in advance. Note that credit reports usually cost around $20 and remain valid for 30 days.
Step 8
Review and Sign a Lease
Never sign a lease until you fully understand the terms. If you have questions about your lease, reach out to Law for Learners for free help and legal advice! Remember, once you sign, you are legally committed to the terms.
Step 9
Move-In Checklist
Student safety is a priority in our community. Before you move in, watch our neighborhood safety video to learn how to be a responsible resident. Once you have moved in, use a check-in sheet to document any existing damage within your first seven days to protect your security deposit.
Step 10
Living Off-Campus
Your new home comes with many moving parts. Stay on top of your responsibilities—from trash pickup days to following local ordinances—to ensure a smooth experience for you and your neighbors.
Step 11
Plan Your Move-Out
While moving out is the final step, it can feel overwhelming if you don’t plan ahead. Start your move-out preparations early to ensure you return the keys on time and leave the unit in good condition.

Useful Information

Average Rent Prices

Average rent per person as of March 2026:

Bedroom TypeMonthly Rent per Person
Studio$1,344
1 bedroom$1,052
2 bedroom$589
3 bedroom$613

Don’t start looking or sign a lease too soon! We see available rentals all year long, with the smallest selection during the winter months until March.

Start LookingSign a LeaseMove-In
FebruaryAprilMay
MarchMayJune
AprilJuneJuly
MayJulyAugust
JuneAugustSeptember

Things To Know When Renting

Occupancy Ordinance
Milwaukee has a law stating that no more than three (3) unrelated individuals can live together. Violation of this ordinance can result in a fine and even eviction of you and your roommates. Living with family is the only exception to this law. Legally related family includes husband or wife, son or daughter, mother or father, sister or brother, uncle or aunt, grandparent, grandchild, niece or nephew, first-cousin, mother-in-law or father-in-law.
Protected Classes
Unlike race, ethnicity, and gender, student status is not a protected class. Landlords can refuse to rent to students. However, landlords cannot use student status as a means of preventing tenants of a certain age to sign a lease.
Gender Discrimination
It is illegal for a landlord to discriminate based on gender, unless it is an owner-occupied building with four (4) or fewer units. Owner-occupied properties are those where the landlord lives on-site. If there are four or fewer units in the building, the landlord can be selective regarding tenant gender – includes cases involving roommates or subleases.
Joint and Several Liability
All tenants and cosigners on a lease are legally responsible for the full amount of monthly rent and any damages, regardless of any agreement between roommates on individual payments. Choose your roommates wisely!
Eviction
If you are evicted it stays on your record for twenty (20) years! This can make it very difficult to rent in the future because landlords can and will find this information in a background check. Landlords can legally refuse rent to somebody who has previously been evicted.
Auto-Renewal
Many twelve-month leases have an auto renewal clause in them which require 60 days’ notice from the tenant to the landlord stating that they will not be renewing their lease. Without giving that notice, you could be stuck in that lease for another whole year. The landlord must provide a reminder in writing about your renewal notice at lease 15 days before the auto renewal deadline.
Start Looking 2-3 Months before Move-In Date
Due to auto-renewal clauses in leases, many landlords won’t actually know what rentals they have available more than two months in advance.
Existing Damage
Landlords cannot hold you responsible for existing damage when you move in. You have seven (7) days after moving in to report any existing damage to your landlord. Landlords are required by law to provide you a check-in sheet to catalogue any damage. Take pictures and videos before you move anything in, and if the landlords promises to do repairs, get an estimated completion date in writing prior to signing the lease.
Nuisance Violations
Three (3) or more calls for service (police dept., fire dept., etc.) within 30 days will designate your unit as a nuisance property. This can lead to costly fines and/or eviction. Noise violations are $240 each and each tenant on a lease can receive their own ticket. Off-campus behavior can also have additional on-campus consequences.
Withholding Rent
If your landlord fails to make necessary repairs after you’ve contacted them, you may legally withhold rent until repairs have been made. First, call the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services to perform an inspection and they will attempt to resolve the matter. If the repair is not fixed after the DNS inspection, you may begin the process to legally withhold rent without risking eviction for untimely payments. Do NOT withhold rent without following the legal process. Visit the Department of Neighborhood Services’ website for more details.
Department of Neighborhood Services