UW-Madison students rushing to turn in lease applications camped out overnight earlier this week in front of Steve Brown apartments, 120 W. Gorham St., as students once again face pressure to solidify next year's living arrangements as soon as possible.
However, according to Bruce Martin, director of operations at JSM Properties, Madison city ordinances state that tenants do not have to inform their landlords of their lease renewal until Nov. 15 for leases ending Aug. 15. However, Martin added, landlords can lease apartments before Nov. 15 and without informing the current tenants.
Martin said lease signing begins so early mostly due to student demand.
'We view the early rental season as a necessary evil at this time,' Martin said. 'There are a tremendous amount of students looking to secure their apartments for next fall between Nov. 15 and the end of the semester. We are just trying to meet their needs the best as we can.'
However, some student organizations on campus are urging students to avoid rushing to sign a lease right away.
UW-Madison senior Mary Van De Weghe is a marketing intern for the Campus Information and Visitors Center, where she works on a website for the Campus Area Housing Service.
According to Van De Weghe, the website is the most comprehensive listing service in Madison where students can search for free and both landlords and students can post listings.
'I think in most cases, you can benefit from waiting before signing leases because there is quite a bit of housing available,' Van De Weghe said.
She said waiting may be beneficial to get cheaper rent or avoid a bad roommate situation, but warned, 'If you are specific, then you might want to start looking earlier to ensure you get what you want.'
Van De Weghe said the website has the largest variety of living options from January to March, which might be an optimal time to look.
Alex George, campus coordinator at the Tenant Resource Center, also recommended not rushing to sign a lease right away to avoid bad roommate situations or unaffordable rent.
'If you do sign a lease earlier, make sure you know you are going to be able to pay rent,' George said, as he sees a lot of people trying to get out of a lease and fail.
'Around the Madison area, there are a lot of choices left. It depends on what you want,' George said. 'If you are not particular, it is not a problem.'
