- Sign your leaseRead it, ask questions, and sign online before the deadline.
- Pay your depositPay online in the Resident Center after you get your invite email.
- Prepare to movePay first month's rent, set up utilities and plan when to pick up keys.
Step 1 · Sign
How do I sign my lease?
You'll get a signing email for your lease. Check your spam folder if you don't see it.
- Download your lease from that email and read it. It's long, but written in plain English.
- Read our FAQ for answers to common questions.
- Sign online: initial each page, sign everywhere it asks, including the extra pages at the end of the lease, and click the final submit button.
Each student gets their own signing email. Parents and guarantors sign separately, never on a student's behalf.
When is my lease complete?
When everyone has signed the lease, everyone has paid the deposit in full, and the payments have cleared, we sign it too and you get the final signed lease by email.
At that point your housing is set. You'll check in with us about a week before move-in.
Step 2 · Pay
How do I sign into the Resident Center?
You'll get a welcome email from the Resident Center, the same portal you applied in. You'll use it to pay, message us and open maintenance requests. Only the resident gets a login, not parents: you're our main contact while you live with us.
You may share your login with a parent for payments only. Please don't change the phone numbers or email in our system to a parent's.
Download the “Resident Center by Buildium” app from the App Store or Google Play. We prefer messages through the app.
How do I pay my security deposit?
Log into the Resident Center and pay your share of the security deposit. How you split it with your housemates is up to you; most groups split it evenly. As everyone pays, the balance comes down to zero.
Bank (EFT) payments are free. Credit and debit cards have a non-refundable 3% fee, so we suggest a bank account.
Step 3 · Prepare to move
When and how do I pay first month's rent?
First month's rent is usually due 3–7 days before your lease starts; your lease has the exact date. Pay your share in the Resident Center by then.
Everyone must pay in full, and the account must show nothing owed, before anyone gets keys or moves in.
How do I set up utilities and internet?
About 2–3 business days before you move in (no sooner), one resident turns on the utilities at kub.org. Every building needs electric. Most apartments also need water and wastewater, and a few need gas. If KUB lists a utility as the tenant's, turn it on.
- 1312 Laurel: you don't need to set up water, and wireless internet is included (ask for a private network and password).
- 1310 Clinch: you don't need to set up water.
- 1501 Clinch: you don't need to set up water, building-wide wireless is included, and it's pre-wired for Comcast and KUB Fiber if you want faster service.
Our buildings are pre-wired for Comcast and usually KUB Fiber. You set up your own internet. Ask us before any new jack is installed: providers may not drill through walls or floors without our OK.
What renters insurance do I need?
You need insurance from a company licensed in Tennessee that covers liability and your belongings, with water and sewer backup coverage. Upload proof (usually the declarations page, the one-page summary of your policy) to the Resident Center before move-in, and update it when it renews.
You can share a policy with housemates if your carrier allows it; make sure it covers everyone. You can also buy a policy through MSI in the Resident Center, which meets every lease requirement.
A parent's homeowner's policy may cover a student away at college. Talk with your agent and share the renters insurance pages of your lease (the Renters Insurance Addendum). Families who rent their main home may need the student to have their own policy.
When can I get keys and move in?
Once everything above is done, you're cleared to move in the morning your lease starts. About a week before, message us in the Resident Center to confirm the day and time the first person arrives, and we'll arrange keys for your first day.
Can I move in early?
Early move-ins are rare. Summer is our busiest time for cleaning and repairs between residents, so please plan your lease start date carefully when you apply. If you need an early move-in, request it in the Resident Center as soon as you can.
If we can do it, everyone signs a written change to the lease, and you pay daily rent for the extra days, usually plus a lease change fee. Your renters insurance must start on the new date too.
After you move in
When is rent due, and how do I pay it?
Rent is due on the 1st of each month, through the Resident Center. You'll get a statement by email about 5 days before, and a reminder about your scheduled payment date. You can change the bank account any time.
Your rent has a discount built in for scheduled payments on the 1st; any month without one loses the discount.
Why set up scheduled payments?
Your rent assumes every housemate has a scheduled electronic payment on the 1st, starting with your second month. Bank payments are free. If a parent pays, share your login or set it up together once. See how to set it up →