With the fall 2025 semester well underway, many students have started the search for off-campus living options for next year. With high demand for housing in college towns, unaware students can wind up making agreements with landlords who can take advantage of their lack of knowledge.

While searching for housing can be stressful, it is critical to understand your rights and responsibilities as a tenant to mitigate stress and protect yourself from unlawful treatment by landlords.

What’s in a lease?

Leases are legal contracts between a tenant and the landlord containing the terms and conditions you must abide by while staying in the residence. These documents should be written in plain, easy-to-understand language while avoiding jargon and fine print.

In addition to monthly rent, some landlords make tenants pay the cost of some utilities in the lease. Utilities may include gas, electricity, water, sewage and trash services, so it is important to understand if you have to pay for these services on your own.

Other key aspects to look for in your lease include amenities. Some landlords may advertise that their property is close to campus and comes pre-furnished. Depending on your needs and resources, you may desire a rental unit that comes with furniture and is located near a Broome County Transit or Off Campus College Transport bus stop. However, it is likely that the more amenities a rental unit has, the greater the cost will be.

One way to save money as a student renter is by seeking out spaces that share practical and communal amenities, rather than luxury perks like gyms. Off-street parking and in-unit washers and dryers are commonly sought after by tenants. If you decide to rent a space that lacks these amenities, you should seek out nearby laundromats and parking garages.

Most lease agreements are for a one-year term, and it may be difficult to find a landlord willing to rent for less than a full year. Because many students travel during the winter or summer months, it can be cost effective to find an apartment that will permit you to sublet your apartment for part of the lease term.

Landlords’ rights and responsibilities

Despite owning the property, your landlord does not have the right to enter the property at any time during your leasing term. Leases should include a section titled “right to entry,” which outlines when your landlord may enter the premises. New York law requires landlords to provide you with notice at least 24 hours in advance before entering for showings or inspections

For emergency repair requests, landlords are required to respond as soon as possible. As a tenant, you are allowed to withhold rental payment to make repairs on your own if the cost of the repair is reasonable and the issue raises “a danger to the life, health or safety” of those living there. Landlords have up to one week after you notify them to make nonemergency repairs.

A rent payment cannot legally be considered late unless it is received more than five days after your rent is due. The landlord is required to give their tenant notice if a rental payment is late, and failure to do so will allow you to raise this as a defense in court. It is possible to be evicted for not paying rent, but your case can be dismissed if all money owed is paid before a warrant of eviction is executed.

If you leave before the lease ends, landlords must make a good-faith effort to fill the vacancy, providing legal protections for tenants looking to move out before their lease expires. You are not liable for the remaining payments if the landlord finds a new tenant who will pay the same or higher rent.

For tenants living in housing that is not rent stabilized, your landlord must return your security deposit within two weeks of your move-out date. An itemized receipt must be provided if the landlord took money from the security deposit to fix any damages. If they do not, you are entitled to receive your full security deposit back, regardless of whether there is damage in the apartment or house.

Tenants should always document any existing damages and communicate with their landlord upon moving in.