by Dre Shaw
If you’re what would be considered a “traditional” college student – someone between the ages of 18 to 24 going down the pipeline from high school straight to college – it’s likely that you’re at the point in your life where you are seriously pondering the possibility of moving out on your own. And it’s often just as likely that the primary thing stopping you from taking that plunge is plain and simple fear.
In my 22 years of life, I have gained quite a bit of experience renting across multiple different homes, cities, and states. Even still, I can’t help but feel daunted by the task. That’s why I wanted to find and distill some of the most valuable pieces of advice for you all.
These 5 Tips have been gathered by a variety of sources: across the internet, from my own personal experience, and with the consultation of Kara Thomsen, a realtor with over 20 years of experience in the east and west coasts, to give you the basics of what you need to do to minimize the worry, and hopefully maximize results!
- The One Above All: READ THE WHOLE LEASE!
If there’s any one thing that you should take as not just a tip, but a necessity, nay – moral imperative – it is to read each and every word that is included in your lease agreement. It may seem boring, long, or tedious, but that mass of words is going to be the greatest determiner for how the rest of your experience will be.
Who’s responsible for the utilities? Are pets allowed? What happens if you lose your keys? How much are they allowed to charge you after X amount of months have passed? How long are you locked into the agreement for? Are there quiet hours in the apartment? Who’s responsible for what damages? Is there lead paint lining the walls that is going to slowly poison you?
Every single piece of important information is going to be in the lease that both you and your landlord are going to be held legally responsible for. For many of you this may be the first time you have to sign a legally binding contract. Do not do it lightly.
Read the lease, the whole lease, and nothing but the lease
- Understand Your Budget and Live Below Your Means
When beginning your hunt, it is absolutely essential that you are being realistic about what you can afford. There is absolutely no reason that every single dollar should be put towards rent unless you, for some reason, absolutely cannot live a life that isn’t in a $2,000/month, 3 bedroom high-rise in the heart of Downtown Buffalo. But inversely, that is not an excuse to be entirely irresponsible – some sacrifices may have to be made in order to budget responsibly. However, you want to make sure that your budget involves sacrificing the luxuries, not the essentials.
The most common advice is taking your average monthly income and using 30% of that amount to determine what your ideal rental budget should be. This is a good base, but your mileage may vary depending on if you’re going to go with roommates, what area you’ll be moving to, etc. Above this, and you definitely start treading into dangerous waters, so it’s usually a good idea to treat this as a ceiling rather than a floor. What matters is what is manageable for you.
If possible, tend towards something that’s a little bit cheaper even if it’s not the greatest place you’ve seen in your life, rather than the coolest house you’ve ever lived in that you’ll only get to enjoy for 6 months before the money runs out.
This is a helpful framework, but not a hard and fast rule
- Be Discerning With Roommates
On the note of roommates, I know it is often tempting to spend time fantasizing with friends about how awesome it would be to all live together. “We basically just get to hang out constantly! Party all the time! Get Rowdy!”
This sounds fantastic, but you also have to realize that every charming idiosyncrasy and quirk you find fun and unique about your friends are going to be the things that make you never want to speak again if you live with them for long enough. That’s why, as awesome as it may seem, you have to be extremely cautious about who you want to share a home with.
If it’s going to be with a friend, take stock of not only how well you guys get along, but how well you guys collaborate, solve conflicts, or make plans. Do you guys tend to fight it out when you’re upset with each other, or find common ground? Have you guys ever had to divide up responsibilities before? Do they actually Venmo you after you ask them to get lunch together? If not, maybe that’s not the person who should first enter your mind when looking for someone to split what is likely the most important bill of your life at this point.
When I first moved out after graduating high school, I got a place with 5 of my closest friends. I only talk to one of them anymore.
- Know Your Rights and Find Your Resources
When consulting my realtor resource Kara, this was one of the points she hammered on the absolute hardest.
“A first-time renter is going to have no idea what’s available to them,” she said. “And why should they? You’re dealing with federal, state, county, and city laws in a confusing combination. That being said, if you have any specific idea where you’re going to be living, it’s your responsibility to make sure that you research your local laws. It’s your responsibility to know what your landlord’s limitations are, what your abilities are, reasonable grounds for eviction, how legal issues you might run into can be settled, and places you can turn to for help.”
Luckily, we live in one of the nation’s most tenant-sided states, and that is a beautiful boon to your relationship with legislation. But you also need to make sure that you are taking advantage of every resource you can. If your credit score is low or non-existent, co-signing may be an option to consider. If you have a trusted adult in your life, discuss your plan to rent with their assistance. You should also know what organizations are available if you need rental assistance, and find legal services that offer assistance for disenfranchised tenants.
And please, get familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act and fair housing laws. Don’t let your inexperience line someone’s pockets or keep you out of a home on discriminatory grounds you weren’t aware of.
Emotional support animals aren’t considered to just be pets under the Fair Housing Act. If you’ve got one, most landlords will have to accommodate your needs even if they advertise with “no pets.”
- Remember That Your Parents Won’t be Making Dinner
As my final tip, I advise you to keep in mind what independence entails.
For as amazing and liberating as your first true taste of freedom might be, you have to realize that 99% of your life is not going to be the fun stuff. It’s going to be all of the minute and mundane details that you’ve spent the majority of your life up to this point ignoring.
You will be waiting for bills to get pulled out of your checking account. You’ll have to make sure that you are going down and grabbing your own mail and taking your own trash cans out to the curb. You’re going to need to set your alarm and make sure that you actually wake up on time, because there is not going to be someone to gently part the curtains and shake you awake. You’ll need to call your landlord or a plumber if your toilet gets clogged – and yes, you’ll need to make yourself dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. And everything in between.
The good majority of adult living is boring. But as long as you can make sure that you’ve got the boring parts down pat, you can turn them into a routine that won’t consume you, and you’ll have even more space saved in your brain for the fun stuff in life.
This can be, and will be, fun. But the word of the day for all this is Awareness. Make yourself aware of as much as you possibly can.
Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools (besides being born with rich parents) that we have at our disposal, and maximizing your access to it also means, as I said at the beginning, minimizing worry, and maximizing results.
Spring 2026 
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