Renting a House
Rental houses near UT Austin, especially those with 4 to 10+ bedrooms, are very limited. Each fall, students may begin pre-leasing houses near UT for the next academic school year. Campus area real estate brokers announce their pre-leasing availability and prices around September and October for houses (as well as apartments and condos). Most of the houses available for pre-lease are in the West Campus, North Campus, and Hyde Park neighborhoods.
West Campus houses are the most sought-after, but with the passing of the University Neighborhood Overlay Plan and the resulting new apartment developments in the neighborhood, they are becoming increasingly scarce. North Campus and Hyde Park houses are more abundant, and the best houses are typically pre-leased by the end of the fall semester.
Houses near UT have parking included in the rent, and tenants are usually responsible for all utilities. All tenants are placed on the same lease, and are then free to divide the rent with roommates however they wish (for example, the roommate who gets the master bedroom might pay the most rent). Pet policies, and the expectation of who is responsible for yard maintenance, will depend on the landlord.
One advantage of houses (as well as condos), is that rent is typically pro-rated for partial months. This means that if your lease starts in the exact middle of the month, you’ll just pay half a month’s rent (instead of a full month’s rent as would be the case with an “installment contract”). Overall, most apartments in Austin also pro-rate, however most of the large corporate apartments in West Campus and Riverside do not pro-rate – instead, they have an installment contract where you pay twelve equal installments of the rent amount regardless of your move-in date.
Rental houses have several additional advantages over apartments. For one, you won’t have to navigate stairwells, elevators, or winding hallways just to reach your home. You’ll have a yard, which can be great for pets, as well as having friends over for a BBQ or enjoying Austin’s gorgeous weather. Noise will be minimized since you won’t be sharing a wall or ceiling with a neighboring unit (as you typically would in an apartment or condo). Living with several friends also has its financial benefits – as you live with more people, each roommate’s share of utilities usually decreases, and the rent per bedroom often drops as well.
To inquire about your current pre-leasing options and availability near UT Austin, please contact us.
