Rental Process Guide

We’ve got you covered from renting A-Z to ensure you make the best choice for your off-campus renting experience.

Make informed choices every step of the process

Step	To Do Item	Best time to complete
1	Take Preferred Tenant Program Course	Anytime!
2	Determine the best environment for you: house, apartment, neighborhood, and location	February
3	Select your roommates	February
4	Figure out what you can financially afford	February
5	Make a list of your needs, must-haves, and wants	February
6	View your available options on the listing service, then set up and attend showings	March- April
8	Fill out the rental application for your first choice, request a sample lease	April
9	Sign your lease after it's been reviewed by the University Legal Clinic for free	May
10	Get the keys, document the condition of the rental unit and then move in	Complete check-in sheet within 7 days of receiving keys. Do not move-in until this is completed.
11	Make an agreement with your roommate(s) if applicable	June-September
12	Meet your neighbors	June-September
13	Enjoy living off-campus
14	Find a sublease or subleaser
15	Everything you need to know about moving out	May-August

Predatory Landlords September 14, 2023
Students have found themselves evicted, homeless or in rentals with terrible issues. We want to help you make the best choice possible. Beware of any landlord exhibiting these behaviors: refusal to provide a sample lease or allow time to review the lease before signing pressuring you into signing a lease on the spot or quickly allowing more than 3 unrelated people to live together leaving a tenant’s name off the lease delayed/slow communication voicemail that is full or not set-up refusal to get agreements in writing refusal to provide a check-in sheet and perform a walk-through requiring more than 60-days notice to end the lease requiring earnest money cash-only transactions The City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services website allows you to look up some information about properties: Property Information (milwaukee.gov)
10 Things UWM Students Should Know When Renting January 7, 2021
1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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 ...

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Don’t start looking or sign a lease too soon! The table below shows when you’ll have the largest selection and best pricing to choose from, however it’s never too late to start looking. We see available rentals all year long, with the smallest selection during the winter months until March.

Start Looking	Sign a Lease	Move-In
February	April	May
March	May	June
April	June	July
May	July	August
June	August	September