Leases

Your lease may be the first major legal document that you sign. Many students sign leases for a 12 month term, often for a total of $10,000 to $20,000. When you sign a lease, you are committing to pay a large amount of money, and you also acquire other liabilities. That's why it's important that you take steps to protect yourself.

Student Legal Services offers free step-by-step lease kits for CSU students. If you still have questions after completing the kit, stop by Student Legal Services, 182 Lory Student Center with your CSU Student ID in order to make an appointment to see an attorney for further assistance.

It's extremely important that you read and understand your lease before signing. Remember, your landlord writes the lease for his or her own protection. You should negotiate for better terms if the lease isn't fair to you. A lease that is very unfair should raise red flags about the landlord. You have the right to edit your lease before signing. When you change terms in your lease, you should make the changes by crossing out bad terms and adding your changes, before you sign the lease. You and the landlord should initial and date each change.

For more useful information about leases, click here.