Sending your child off to college is an exciting and nerve-wracking time. You can only hope that your adult child has learned everything you’ve tried to teach them and is prepared for new opportunities and adventures.

At Peak Property Management, we rent a lot of homes to students at Montana State University. Off-campus housing is one of our specialties, so we want to share some tips and advice on how to prepare your student – and yourselves – for a transition from home to off-campus housing.

Sharing Expectations and Responsibilities

This is probably your student’s first time living on his or her own. We want to make this a great experience for everyone, so please make sure you talk to your college student about what you expect. When our own expectations are reinforced by parents, everyone is on the same page and fully aware of the responsibilities that come with independent living. Some of the things you might want to discuss include:

• Safety and security; keeping doors and windows locked and not allowing entrance into the home for anyone your child doesn’t know.
• Cleanliness and housekeeping; not everyone has the same definition of clean, but we expect our student renters to take out the trash, remove debris and clutter from common areas, and keep their living spaces free of pests, food, and dirt.
• Respect for neighbors and roommates; quiet hours are in place for everyone to be able to enjoy their homes, and loud music, parties, and other disturbances will not be tolerated.

Rental Payments and Financial Responsibility

This is an excellent opportunity to show your students the importance of being financially responsible. Whether they’re on the lease by themselves or you have rented the home together, everyone is responsible for paying rent on time and in full. We will provide your student with our rent collection policy in the lease agreement. Pay attention to late fees and other consequences. Your student needs to understand that their rental history starts with this experience, and making rent payments on time is a good way to begin establishing a positive rental record.

Communicating with Your Bozeman Property Management Company

When you rent one of our properties, you and your student will have the contact information you’ll need for our office and talented team of leasing agents and property managers. Before move-in, we’ll discuss the process for reporting emergency maintenance and how to request routine repairs.

Communication is critical, and the only way to ensure everyone has a successful and pleasant rental experience. Please make sure your student knows how critical it is to respond to our phone calls and messages. If we need to coordinate a repair or have a reason to inspect the property, we’ll need our tenant’s cooperation. Make sure our office has all of your contact information as well, so we’ll know how to get in touch with you if there’s an emergency or a necessity.

Transparency and accuracy is important to us. We will work hard to create a safe and pleasant environment for your student while he or she attends school.

If you have any questions as your college-age child prepares to live in their own place, please contact us at Peak Property Management. We look forward to getting to know you.