WMU Apartments
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Your Apartment Lease
[Overview] [Mainting Eligibility] [Maximum Number of People] [Paying the Rent][Transferring Apartments] [Roommate Changes] [Early Lease Termination] [Summer Storage]
[Decorating] [Waterbeds] [Pets]
Overview
Many students find the flexible lease one of the great advantages of living in the WMU Apartments. Four lease periods, one for each semester or session, permit you more flexibility than found with typical year-long leases off-campus.
Leases must be renewed or terminated 35 days prior to the end of a semester/session. If your lease is not renewed within the specified time, it will automatically terminate at the end of the semester. Requests to extend a lease are granted when absolutely necessary and then only for short periods of time, usually no more than one or two days. A Lease Extension Form, available at the WMU Apartments Office, will need to be completed prior to the end of the semester.
Single students are jointly and severally responsible for the terms and conditions of the lease. This means, for example, if one roommate doesn't pay his/her rent, the remaining roommates are responsible for it. Likewise, if a roommate moves out without the proper notice, etc, the remaining roommate(s) is/are responsible for the full rent.
Maintaining Eligibility
You remain eligible to be a WMU Apartment resident as long as you are enrolled for and complete a minimum of half-time credit hours, as defined in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs, for Fall and Spring semesters. (Undergraduate students will be considered half-time when they take and complete 6 credit hours each semester. Graduate students will be considered half-time when they take and complete 3 credit hours each semester.) If you are married, either you or your spouse may meet the eligibility requirement, but credit hours from both of you may not be combined to maintain eligibility. Graduate students actively working on a Masters Thesis (700), Specialist Project (720) or Doctoral Dissertation (730) are eligible for occupancy; however, they must be enrolled for credit in corresponding 700 level course or have a letter of confirmation on file from their graduate advisor each term.
If you do not enroll during either the Fall or Spring semester (or drop below half-time), you are in violation of your lease and must request written permission to stay from the WMU Apartments Office. Active enrollment is not required during the Summer 1 and Summer 2 semesters. However, you must be in active admission status at WMU.
Maximum Number of People
Apartment capacities are set by the law at a maximum of two people per one-bedroom and four people per two-bedfroom units.
Paying the Rent
Rent is due and should be paid in full on the first day of every month, and it is considered late if it is not paid by the fifth day of the month for which it applies. If you fail to pay rent by the close of business on the fifth day of the month, a late rent fee of $30.00 is applied to your student account. Your rent check should be made payable to Western Michigan University and received by Bronco Express in the Bernhard Center. To ensure the payment is credited to rent and not to other bills owed to the university, indicate "for rent" together with your apartment number and your social security/Western Identification Number on your check.
If you are a recipient of financial aid or scholarships, you may defer your first months' rent payment (not the deposit) until your funds are available. Deferment forms are available in the WMU Apartments Office and must be completed by the Financial Aid Office to verify the amount of aid you are receiving. Your first months' rent will be deducted from your aid before any money is refunded to you. After the first month, you must pay all rent from your own monies, or from the refund you received from Financial Aid.
You and your roommates are jointly and severally responsible for paying the rent and adhering to the conditions of the lease. If you or your roommate(s) does not pay his/her portion of the rent, the other roommate(s) is also liable for the amount owed and could be evicted if rent is not paid.
Transferring Apartments
To transfer to a different complex or type of apartment, you must complete a Transfer Request Form in the WMU Apartments Office. Requests to transfer are accepted for the following reasons:
- To move to a different size apartment (i.e., 1-bedroom to 2-bedroom).
- To move from a furnished to an unfurnished unit.
- To move to a different apartment area (i.e., Elmwood to Stadium Drive).
- For extenuating circumstances.
Assignments are made on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of application. Transfer applicants have priority over off-campus applicants. Families are assigned before single students, and families with children are given priority for two bedroom units over those without children. You may also transfer to a residence hall or Spindler Hall without penalty.
Roommate Changes
There are limited periods when roommates can be added or taken off an apartment lease, and they fall into two general periods.
Between Semesters and at the Beginning of New Semester
There are often several weeks between semesters, but as long as even one person continues to live in the apartment during this time, full rent must be paid for that period. If one person moves out at the end of the lease and another doesn't move in until the beginning of the next semester, the remaining roommate(s) are responsible for the rent for the period between semesters.
Leases for roommate changes/adds/deletes are processed effective the first day of the new lease period (for example, if the lease ends December 11, the new lease would begin December 12, 2008), or the beginning of the next semester (for example, January 3, 2009).
Deadlines for current residents to fill out the paperwork are:
Semester |
Deadline for Paperwork |
Effective Date of Contract |
|---|---|---|
Fall |
July 31 |
End of Summer II lease of beginning of Fall semester |
Spring |
November 30 |
End of Fall lease of beginning of Spring semester |
Summer I |
March 31 |
End of Spring lease |
Summer II |
May 31 |
End of Summer I lease |
New roommates moving in from off-campus can be added on to an existing lease during the the first few days of the semester (dates will be published in advance) or during the roommate change period.
During the Semesters
The roommate change period is the third full week of each semester or session, with the lease effective the first day of the following month, according to the following schedule:
Semester |
Change Period |
Effective Date |
|---|---|---|
Summer I |
3rd week of May |
June 1 |
Spring |
3rd week of July |
August 1 |
Summer I |
3rd week of September |
October 1 |
Summer II |
3rd week of January |
February 1 |
Forms for requesting roommate changes are available in the WMU Apartments Office. Only one change is allowed per semester.
All people affected by the change must sign the paperwork before it can be processed. This includes all residents who will be leaving and all residents who will be staying, in all apartments effected.
Early Lease Termination
If you wish to terminate your lease prematurely, forms from the WMU Apartments Office must be completed prior to vacating. One of the following conditions must exist to terminate your lease:
- academic dismissal
- disciplinary suspension
- withdrawal from WMU.
In these cases you are responsible for rent for 30 days from the date you notify the apartment office, or until the apartment is re-rented, whichever comes first.
Receiving approval for any other reason is extremely difficult. If a termination request is denied, you are responsible for paying rent until the end of the lease, or until the apartment is re-rented.
When one roommate cancels his/her lease for one of the reasons listed above, the remaining roommates are responsible for the total rent after the 30-day notification period. This sometimes means roommates are left owing more rent than they expected because of the early move-out of another roommate.
Summer Storage
If you are planning to leave campus for the Summer session(s), and return for the next semester, you may want to consider "storing" your apartment at a greatly reduced rental rate. If you choose this option you must sign the current and Fall lease, sign a storage agreement, pay the fees, and turn in your keys when you leave for the Summer I or II session. You will not have access to your apartment during the storage period, except for an emergency.
Call the WMU Apartments Office to find out current storage fees.
Decorating
You may decorate your apartment to suit your needs and personal taste. Please follow these guidelines to help insure your safety, to protect university property from damage, and to minimize the likelihood of being assessed damage charges when you vacate.
Very small nails should be used for hanging pictures, since large hooks and nails tend to damage walls and ceilings. The ceilings in all apartments are reinforced cement that makes hanging plants very difficult. Since the university does not provide maintenance service to properly install plant hooks, the use of these hooks is prohibited.
To play it safe, get written consent from the WMU Apartments Office before making any alterations to the premises. Violators will be charged the cost of restoration.
If you have rented a furnished apartment, it is your responsibility to keep the furniture from damage or theft. University furniture must remain in the apartment at all times. Report all broken or damaged furniture to the apartment office. Missing and severely damaged furniture will be charged to your account. The university reserves the right to change furniture or discontinue items as needed.
Waterbeds
Waterbeds and other pieces of water-filled furniture are not permitted in apartments because of weight, possibility of water damage and potential liability.
Pets
The only pets permitted are aquarium fish. For health and safety reasons, no other pets or animals are allowed. This policy is strictly enforced and violators will be subject to eviction. (The only exception to this policy is if you require an assistance animal.)