Lease Renewal

April Is Lease Renewal Month!
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Lease Renewal is the time reserved for current lease holders to renew or decline their Family & Graduate Housing apartment lease offer for the upcoming year.

During this time eligible residents have the option to:

  • Renew their lease for the upcoming year and stay in their current apartment.
  • Renew their lease for the upcoming year and request an apartment transfer.
  • Decline their lease renewal offer for the upcoming year.

Apartment transfers are not guaranteed. Your decision to renew should not be made solely on the prospect of receiving a transfer.

Want to Renew?

To renew your lease for the 2024 – 2025 academic year:

1. You must be affiliated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during the 2024 – 2025 academic year: 

  • Enrolled as an upper-division undergraduate or graduate student in a degree-granting program.
  • Employed as a full-time faculty member, staff or a post-doctorate.
  • Enrolled as an undergraduate student and have immediate family members (spouse, child or parent) residing with you. 
  • Classified as a university Visiting Scholar.

Enrollment in the OPT program does not make you eligible to live in University Housing.

2. Your university account is current, showing no balance due.

Any lease renewed by an ineligible resident will be canceled prior to August 1, 2024. 

Rate Information

There will be a rent increase for the 2024 - 2025 academic year due to rising costs.

  • Orchard Downs and Orchard South: Increase by $10 per month.
  • Ashton Woods: Increase by $10 per month.*
  • Goodwin-Green: Increase by $10 per month. 

*Ashton Woods pet fee is increasing to $40 per month, effective August 1, 2024. 

Lease Terms & Conditions 

Please read the Family & Graduate Housing 2024-2025 Lease Terms and Conditions before renewing. Changes have been made since last year.

Lease Renewal Deadline

Lease Renewal ends on April 30, 2024.

Starting on May 1, 2024, the Family & Graduate Housing Office will begin to assign available apartments to new residents.

Not Renewing?

Please log into the University Housing Online Portal to decline your lease renewal and share the date you plan to fully vacate your apartment.

Select “Do not renew my lease" on the Lease Options screen and fill out the required information.

If you wish to vacate your apartment prior to July 31, 2024, please submit an Early Lease Termination Request Form. If your Early Request Form is approved, you will be charged rent for 45 days from the date your completed form was submitted. 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I access online lease renewal?

To access lease renewal, please log into the University Housing Online Portal using your university NetId and password or email and password.

When may I access online lease renewal?

Lease renewal will be available starting on April 1 at 9 a.m. through April 30 at 11:59 p.m. If you do not have access to a computer, you are welcome to use the computer kiosk at the Family & Graduate Housing Office during business hours, the computer center at Goodwin-Green, or the computer lab at Orchard Downs. You may also renew in-person by coming into the Family & Graduate Housing Office (1841 Orchard Place) and speaking with a Family & Graduate Housing staff member.

How will I know when I have successfully completed the lease renewal process?

You will receive an email confirmation from Family & Graduate Housing confirming that you have successfully completed the process. If you do not receive an email, please email apartments@illinois.edu.

Confirmation of your lease renewal will occur by letter or email before the end of June 2024.

Is it necessary to sign my lease in person?

No, you are not required to sign a "hard copy" lease. At the end of your online renewal session, you will be asked to select "accept" or "decline" your lease offer. 

Accepting the lease offer indicates that you have read and agreed to the following terms:

  • You certify that you have read, understand and hereby agree to the 2024 – 2025 Lease Terms and Conditions.
  • Each month, you agree to pay the rate established by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois for the type of apartment to which you are assigned, regardless of receiving a bill.
  • You understand the lease termination procedures as stated in the Family & Graduate Housing Lease and hereby agree to these terms and procedures.
  • You have paid the $250 deposit and understand that your deposit will be credited to your university account once you have taken possession of your apartment.
  • You understand your renewed lease ends on July 31, 2025.

What if my summer classes are not scheduled to end until after my current lease ends on July 31, 2024? Should I renew my lease?

If you will be enrolled in Summer Session II classes for the summer of 2024, you may submit a Request for Lease Extension Form to the Family & Graduate Housing Office. Lease extensions are only available until August 4, 2024 at noon. 

 

May I renew if my university account is delinquent?

You may not renew your lease if your university account is delinquent. To renew your lease, you must settle your account and provide us with written documentation from the University Bursar Office. Once your account is current, you may complete your lease renewal in person at the Family & Graduate Housing Office. Residents who are currently on a university payment plan will be allowed to renew their lease until May 31, 2024, or after their last Spring Semester payment has been posted to their account.

I would like to transfer to another apartment. What should I do?

If you are planning to renew your lease for the 2024 – 2025 academic year and have an interest in requesting to move to a different type of apartment, you can complete the online transfer request as you complete your online lease renewal. Click this link to go to apartment transfer information page.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that your preferred apartment type will be available for you, so please do not base your decision to renew on the opportunity to transfer to another apartment. Submitting an online transfer request during lease renewal will automatically place your name on our transfer waiting list. You will be contacted by email as soon as an apartment which fits your requested preferences becomes available.

Apartment transfers are not offered through the months of July and August. We resume making transfer offers after the third week of September. We will continue to work with this list until each transfer request is addressed.

Please note that apartment rates posted on our website will be used for all transfers.

I share my apartment with another student. What should I do to renew my lease?

Both you and your roommate are welcome to renew your lease online if you both will be affiliated with the University for the 2024 – 2025 academic year. Each co-tenant must individually complete the lease renewal process. Co-tenants are responsible for the full rental rate if their roommate does not renew their lease and another roommate has not been found. Co-tenants are responsible for the full rental rate for all days before their roommate's lease begins or after their roommate's lease ends. Please refer to Section 3.4 of the 2024 – 2025 Lease Terms and Conditions and read the information carefully. 

If you are looking for a roommate, please check out the online roommate bulletin board

What do I do if I change my mind after completing the online renewal process?

Do not renew your lease if you think that you will have to change your mind.  Once you have completed the online renewal process, you have signed (with an electronic signature) a lease for the 2024 – 2025 year and will be held responsible for the terms and conditions of the lease. Please refer to Section 6.2 of the 2024 – 2025 Lease Terms and Conditions and read this information carefully.

What do I do if I am away during the Lease Renewal period (April 1–April 30)?

You can access the renewal website from any computer with Internet access. If you will not have access to a computer during this time, please contact us before the end of the lease renewal period at apartments@illinois.edu.

What do I do if I would like to put the lease in my spouse's name?

To make this change, your spouse must be affiliated with the university and meet the eligibility requirements of Family & Graduate Housing. Complete the online lease renewal process and contact us at apartments@illinois.edu for assistance with this process. Please let us know before April 30 that you will be requesting a lease name change so that you will be guaranteed your current apartment for the 2024 – 2025 academic year.

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Questions?
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Please contact the Family & Graduate Housing Office at 217-333-5656 or apartments@illinois.edu.