The Student Apartment Checklist most checklists leave out.
A tour-ready guide for finding off-campus housing near the University of
Minnesota, including the questions that decide how a place actually feels to live in.
Print one per community and tick as you go.
Community / Address
Date Toured
All-in Monthly $
01
Location and campus access
"Close to campus" is not a number. Pin down how your day actually
moves between your door and the buildings you're in most.
Walk or bike route to your actual building. Map the route to the specific classroom or lab you'll be in
most, not just "UMN" in general.
Metro Transit and the Green Line. Check the real bus routes and the nearest light rail stop for
the mornings you don't want to walk.
I-35W access. If you or a roommate keeps a car, time how fast you can
actually get on and off the highway from here.
Game day reality. Ask how the street handles the crowds, noise, and closures
on Gopher home game days before you assume it won't affect you.
The question most students forget
How will I get to class in February?
Most people tour in good weather. A lit, short, covered route beats a scenic
one once the semester is real.
02
The true cost, not the headline rent
Two units at the same advertised price can be hundreds of dollars
apart once everything is added up.
What's included versus extra. Internet is included in the unit, so ask what else is bundled
and what shows up as a separate line.
Furniture you would otherwise buy. Units here come fully furnished. Price what an unfurnished
comparable would cost you to set up before comparing rents side by side.
Parking that fits how you get around. Surface, carport, and garage options are all on-site here.
Price the one you'd actually use.
Upfront charges. Application fee, deposit, and any move-in cost stack up fast
at signing. Get the full number before you commit.
The question most students forget
What will this cost me in month 13?
Ask the renewal increase before you sign. Moving every year carries its own
hidden cost in time and deposits.
03
The lease and the fine print
The lease is where the surprises live. A few specific questions here
save real money and stress.
Individual versus joint responsibility. Leases here are individual, meaning you're responsible for
your own share, not your roommates'. Confirm this in writing.
Lease length against the calendar. Ask whether the term runs 12 months or matches the academic
year, and whether you pay for an empty summer.
Subletting for summer or study abroad. If you might leave for an internship or a term away, confirm
subletting or lease transfer is allowed.
Guarantor or co-signer requirement. Ask early what's needed and what options exist if you don't
have a cosigner lined up.
The question most students forget
If a roommate moves out, am I on the hook for their rent?
On a joint lease, one person leaving can become everyone else's bill. Get the
answer in writing before you sign with a group.
04
The space itself
Square footage tells you almost nothing about how a room feels at the
end of a long day.
Furnished layout that fits how you live. Every apartment is fully furnished. Check that the bed, desk,
and closet placement actually work for how you study and sleep.
Private versus shared bedroom and bath. Private bedrooms and bathrooms are available in some floor
plans. Confirm which exact layout you're being shown.
Flooring and how sound travels. Units have hardwood-style flooring throughout. Ask how much
sound carries between units and between floors.
Natural light and window direction. Daylight is tied to focus, energy, and sleep. Ask which way
your windows face.
The question most students forget
What will this room feel like at 11pm in week nine?
Not on a sunny tour. The light, quiet, and openness you barely notice are
exactly what you live inside when things get hard.
05
Daily life and wellbeing
An apartment is where you study, train, cook, and decompress. The
building either makes the healthy thing easy or it does not.
Academic Success Center hours. It's open 24 hours with iMacs and free printing. Confirm it's
actually quiet when you'd use it.
Fitness without a separate membership. A 24-hour fitness center with strength equipment, cardio, and
free weights beats a discounted membership across town you won't use.
In-unit laundry. A full-sized washer and dryer come in every apartment, so
there's no shared laundry room schedule to work around.
Resident lounge and outdoor space. Billiards, foosball, a grilling station, and an oversized hot
tub give you somewhere to decompress without leaving home.
The question most students forget
Where do I go when I need to be alone but not in my bedroom?
The buildings that protect your wellbeing give you a third space: a study
pod, a calm lounge, somewhere to reset.
06
Safety and security
Judge security by concrete features you can see and verify, not by a
vague sense of a block.
Limited access entry. Confirm what "limited access" actually means in practice: fob,
code, or staffed door, and at what hours.
Lighting and visibility. Walk the entries, hallways, and parking areas at night before
you sign, not just during a daytime tour.
On-site presence after hours. Ask who you'd actually reach at 11pm on a Tuesday if something
goes wrong, and how fast.
Package handling. Ask how deliveries are received and stored, especially during
the crush of move-in week.
The question most students forget
Where does my bike live, and how does my package not get stolen?
These two small things cause more day-to-day grief near campus than almost
anything else.
07
Management and reputation
You're signing up for a relationship with whoever runs the building.
It's invisible on a tour and obvious by November.
Who manages the property. University Commons is managed by Coastal Ridge Real Estate.
Look the company up and read recent resident reviews.
Maintenance turnaround. Ask how repairs are requested and how quickly recent ones were
actually handled.
On-site staff and office hours. Confirm the current leasing office hours so you know exactly
when someone's there in person.
How problems get escalated. Understand the path when something goes wrong before it does,
not after.
The question most students forget
How fast did the last resident get heat fixed in January?
If you can, ask a current resident one specific question about a real repair.
That single answer predicts your whole year.
08
The long view
The version of you signing this lease is not the version who will
live the last month of it. Pick a place with room to change.
Roommate matching. If you don't have a group, ask how the matching process works
and how much say you get.
Multi-year fit. If you might stay past year one, will this floor plan still
work as your needs and schedule shift?
Flexibility for internships or study abroad. Confirm how subletting or transfers work if your plans change
mid-lease.
Renewal and priority. Understand how renewing works and whether returning residents
get first choice on floor plans.
The question most students forget
Does this place still fit if my life looks different in two years?
The best housing decision is rarely the cheapest one this month. It's the one
you don't have to redo.
Full Disclosure
We wrote this checklist first. Then we noticed we were describing
what we built.
Hold every place you tour to this list, including us. Here is how
University Commons honestly answers its own checklist. Verify all of it on a tour.
Furnished and connected. Every apartment comes fully furnished with internet included, so move-in
doesn't start with a shopping trip.
Built for the walk to campus. About a 7-minute walk or bike ride to the University of Minnesota, with
easy access to I-35W if you drive.
A real day off from laundry. A full-sized washer and dryer in every unit, not a shared laundry room
down the hall.
Study and fitness built in. A 24-hour Academic Success Center with free printing and a 24-hour
fitness center, both without a separate fee.
Individual leases, roommate matching. Sign for your own share, and use roommate matching if you don't already
have a group.
Limited access entry. Building access is controlled, not just a lock on your unit door.
Where you should still compare: pricing and lease structure depend
on your floor plan and group. Ask us directly and put your real all-in monthly number next
to every other place on your list.
Tour University Commons
Fully furnished 1, 2, and 4-bedroom apartments a walk or bike ride from UMN.
Schedule a tour at liveuniversitycommons.com or call (651) 386-2775.
Equal Housing Opportunity
University Commons · 609 SE Huron Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · liveuniversitycommons.com
· (651) 386-2775
University Commons is committed to compliance with all federal, state, and local fair
housing laws. We do business in accordance with the Fair Housing Act and do not
discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap,
familial status, national origin, or any other protected class. This checklist is general
guidance for comparing housing options and is not legal or financial advice.
