Early lease signing deadlines are forcing several University of Minnesota students to make housing decisions just weeks into the academic year, creating significant stress and financial burdens.

The process is forcing some students to lock in housing decisions months before they even move in and tight deadlines and financial pressures are leaving students scrambling to secure stable living arrangements.

Many students face tight deadlines to secure housing for the next academic year just weeks after moving into their current houses or apartments. 

Sophomore Finn Nicholson experienced this firsthand when his landlord presented him with a renewal ultimatum 17 days after the semester began.

“I was shocked when I learned that I had to decide in 15 days. It was so stressful,” Nicholson said.

Finn started his search in October. He found several options, but they were all swept up before he could sign. 

“To find anything that is reasonably priced, you need to start looking very early in the school year,” Nicholson said.

This past year a Minnesota law was passed to protect students like Finn who were forced to choose whether or not to renew right after moving in.

 Shana Tomenes, a Senior Staff attorney at the University of Minnesota Student Legal Service explained that the new law requires landlords to wait until six months from the expiration of the current lease before requiring a tenant to renew.

“It used to be that if you didn't make your decision in a set amount of time for some landlords near Dinky town within the first 15 days, they could take your security deposit,” Tomenes said. 

Tomenes explained that the goal of the bill was to give students more time to decide if their living situation was right for them.

“It was something that was championed by the undergraduate student government, and our office testified in support of it.”

Tomenes added that the legislation was a response to the stories of many students who felt they were being rushed into decisions. “When students know their rights and they’re not making choices based on fear, they’re making choices based on confidence,” she said. “That’s what we want.”

Some freshmen don't know how signing a lease works when they arrive on-campus, leaving them with limited options and information.

Sophomore Liam Clemens signed his lease late in the spring of his freshman year and found himself stuck with limited options.

“I had no idea that I was supposed to find a place to live in the fall,” Clemens said.

Due to a lack of availability, Clemens and his roommates settled for the Quad on Delaware. 

“I’m paying $860 per month for the bare minimum, It’s not my ideal location, that’s for sure,” Clemens said.

For next year, Clemens signed a lease early for the same room at a reduced cost of $560 per month. While Clemens is relieved to be paying less, the experience left him questioning the housing system.

Prices aren't the only reason that students are skeptical of their landlords.

In the fall of 2023, the building Identity delayed and pushed back its promised move-in date leaving its future residents without housing for the upcoming semester, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Savannah Gilmore, a health services management major at the University of Minnesota, signed her lease at Identity in November of her freshman year.

Gilmore and her roommates looked at a lot of different apartments before signing their lease.

“Identity was one of the only 4-bedroom apartments left,” Gilmore said.

Because of the delayed opening Gilmore and her roommates did not officially move into their apartment until September 29th.

Gilmore said that the prolonged move-in date took a mental toll. She had to commute from her home to campus which disconnected her from the campus community.

“The commute to school made it more difficult to spend time with friends or on campus. I was also very stressed about the whole situation and began to focus on it more than on school.”

Despite all of the pressure to find somewhere to live most of the buildings do not reach full capacity.

Daniel Oberpriller, founder of North Bay Companies, has developed more than 6,000 student housing beds near the University of Minnesota. The properties are mainly large-scale student housing buildings.

“The rent here goes down when it gets closer to the year,” said Oberpriller.

Despite the rush and hustle to secure student housing, many properties failed to reach full capacity.

“Most of the properties made it to about 80-95% this past year,” Oberpriller said

For houses, there tends to be a tighter timeline to sign a lease.

“Houses go early, but the price to live in a house is much less,” Oberpriller said.

Amanda Taschuk, a spokesperson from Dinkytown Rentals, a company that leases mainly houses, said that 91% of their houses were full in early November and will likely be full by December.

Taschuck explained that signing leases early gives students a greater selection of houses to choose from. 

“The sooner you sign that the more likely you are to get the housing best fit for you,” Taschuk said.

Early lease signing hasn’t always been the norm. Over the years, lease-signing timelines have moved earlier and earlier. Kendre Tironi, program director for Off-Campus Living, recalls how things were different in the past.

“When I first started in my job in the fall of 2003, students used to sign leases in February, March, or April,” Tironi said. 

“Then all of a sudden, it was January. And now it’s October,” Tironi said.

Tironi believes that this is unfair to students because they are trying to sign their first lease and don't fully understand their living and social situation yet.

Another option for housing besides off-campus housing at the University of Minnesota is University-owned apartments.

“For large universities, it typically costs 123 dollars more to live off-campus,” said David Leather, an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University. 

Even though these apartments are cheaper, some students at the University of Minnesota are not too interested in them.

The deadline to apply for on-campus housing is in early November, and it is not guaranteed that students will get their preferred choice of housing if any at all.

Evan Newcombe, a junior at the University of Minnesota, said that on-campus housing options for non-freshman are just too risky.

“I think that there are some upsides of it but I don’t want to end up on West Bank,” Newcombe said.

Tomenes believes that this early signing culture at the university is benefiting nobody.

“No landlord wants a call a couple of months after you sign a lease saying let me out. And no student wants to feel stuck,” Tomenes said.