Q: How do I secure a house? A: Houses are secured on a first come-first served basis. The first set of applicants to complete all their applications and provide the first $500 of the security deposit will secure the house and have 7 days to sign the lease for the property.

Q: How long is the lease? A: The lease runs 9 months from mid August to mid May, slightly longer than the academic calendar. Arrangements to extend it or for a summer term are available.

Q: Are utilities included in the rent? A: No. Utilities are the responsibility of the tenants. They typically run about $350/month for water/sewer/trash from the city, electricity from Duke, gas from Glenwood Energy and internet from Spectrum. Across nine months it equates to about $750 per student for the entire school year in a four bedroom house.

Q: What comes in a “furnished property”? A: Houses listed as furnished include all the big furniture items that people don’t usually like to buy, move a couple times and store between school years. Ours have living room furniture, kitchen table and chairs, desks, dressers, beds and mattresses. A few of our houses also have flat screen TVs in them.

Q: When are payments due and how do I pay them? A: There are two types of payments; deposits and rent. Once the initial $500 deposit is made upon signing, the remainder is due May 1 before the term starts. Rent payments are paid by semester, with the first by August 1 and the second by January 15. Payments can be made via check, Venmo or Zelle and can be sent by each individual on the lease rather than one payment.

Q: Will I get my security deposit back? A: Your deposit is designed as a way to protect us should the house be left dirty or damaged upon your lease completion. The only reason any of your deposit would be withheld is if the house has to be cleaned or repaired.

Q: Would we be responsible for mowing the lawn or removing snow? A: No. We handle all of the outside maintenance.

Q; What if my scholarship money doesn’t arrive before the rent is due? A: We will always accommodate this with no fees as long as you notify us in advance that you’ll be late.

Q: Can I keep my belongings in the house over the summer? A: If you rent from us for two consecutive years you may leave your personal belongings in the house between your junior and senior years.

Q: Can I sublease my assignment on the lease if I decide to study abroad or something changes for me? A: Yes! We will always work with you to accommodate having someone else stand in for you on the lease.

Q: If we rent the house as juniors will we get the first chance to lease it for our senior year? A: Yes! We always give our current tenants the first right of refusal for the opportunity to lease for a second year. We will only ask you for your decision once we get our first inquiry from someone else for the house. This can happen well before you move in, so you’ll need to be prepared for that.

Q: Can I rent the house for two years? A: Yes. When you do this we always do three things for you 1) We freeze the rent so it is the same for both years 2) We don’t require an additional deposit (which you would need if you lived elsewhere) 3) We let you keep your belongings in the house over the summer.

Q: Who do we call when something goes wrong? A: We manage the properties ourselves, so you’ll just call us and we’ll tackle it or call another professional to do it.