The new college year is soon upon us, and that means it’s time to start looking for housing.  Whether you’re going to rent an apartment, or you’re going to stay in a dorm, today, I wanted to show you why you should rent from a private landlord, rather than getting a professionally owned apartment.

Before I show you why you should rent a private landlord, I wanted to let you know that they both have their upsides, and downsides, but when it comes to your money, you might be better off with the landlord, and here’s why.

Landlords have cheaper rent: If you look at a place like Craigslist, or you even check your college bulletin boards, you’re always going to find that a landlord is going to offer cheaper rent.  This is because they have to compete with the bigger professional companies.  At least consider a private home, before you head to an apartment.

You can speak direct to the source: If you find that you’re going to join a community with 500 apartments, it’s going to be hard to get things done.  For example, if your sink is leaking, it may take the apartment a few days to fix it.  If you know the landlord’s number, you can contact him right away, and there shouldn’t be any problems.

Miss out on the pesky fees: Apartments are known for those stupid little fees such as admin fees, and more.  With a landlord, you’ll be able to negotiate these for a smaller fee.  This way, if you can’t really afford the deposit at the time, you may find that the landlord is willing to let you pay half, or you pay at a later time.  This will all depend on the landlord.

Form a relationship: If this is your first year at college, you may find that you want to rent this same house for the next four years.  If you form a great relationship with your landlord, you’ll find that you might be able to get the same rent rate for the next couple years, and he/she may also allow you to get nicer upgrades, and meet your needs all the time, which you won’t find at an apartment.

These are some things to consider when you want to rent from a private landlord, rather than some apartment community.  Make sure you research all options, because in the end, it comes down to value, and what you’re getting for your money.

If you do want to check out professionally owned apartments, I would recommend apartments.com for your searching needs.