Housing Assignment Process
Step I. Applications received on or before the annual lottery deadline (May 9 in 2012) are entered into the lottery, and your position on the housing assignment waiting list is determined by lottery draw. The lottery for each apartment style will be run on May 9, 2012. The results of the lottery will not be available for three working days after the lottery (the University Apartment Office will be closed those days to allow for processing). Applicants are only notified when housing assignment is offered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the University Apartments Office for lottery results.
Step II. As openings occur that correspond to one of your three apartment style choices, the office will contact you with a lease offer. Whenever possible, the office will telephone, e-mail, or fax a preliminary offer to lease. Offers to lease are made based on wait list order, housing availability, and your desired occupancy dates. Because of the critical time needed to get all assignments confirmed and the wide geographic distribution of our graduate applicants, we are not able to delay the acceptance process to allow for viewing apartments.
When making an offer to lease, each apartment style waiting list is sampled in the following manner:
- The available date of an apartment is compared to the desired occupancy dates of waiting list applicants.
- Offers to lease are made, in waiting list order, to applicants whose desired dates of occupancy most closely match the date the apartment is available.
- In the event all applicants on a specific waiting list have been offered housing, a vacant apartment may be offered to applicants on other lists.
Other assignments, not consistent with the assignment priority rule, may be made to any apartment remaining available after all first preference requests are satisfied (e.g., a single person may be offered an apartment that is intended to accommodate a family if all eligible families on current waiting lists have been offered housing).
If an applicant declines any offer to lease, his or her name will be moved to the bottom of all waiting lists.
If an applicant declines three lease offers, he or she will be removed from all waiting lists. Applicants removed from the waiting lists may submit a new application and fee to return to the bottom of the current waiting lists for assignment consideration.
Step III. To accept an offer to lease, written acceptance and a deposit equal to onehalf of one month’s rent must be mailed to the University Apartments Office within ten (10) business days of the date of the offer. We do anticipate delays with international mailings. You may indicate initial acceptance of the housing offer by telephone, e-mail, or fax, followed by your written acceptance and deposit. The deposit is nonrefundable, but it will be applied to your first month’s rent when you occupy the University apartment assigned.
Step IV. Once you are offered and accept a University apartment, you will need to contact the specific apartment complex office to make an appointment for your move in and to sign your lease (before you can move in). Upon checking in, you also will be required to provide a security deposit equal to one month’s rent. The security deposit is in addition to the first month’s rent and is separate from your rent. A separate check is required for the security deposit. All security deposits are refunded, with interest, after you terminate your occupancy, providing you meet the conditions set forth in your lease and in this guide.
Applicants not placed in University housing by September 15 will be asked to reconfirm their interest in University housing and to select a new occupancy date. Applications remain active for one year (ending the day prior to the running of the next year’s lottery). Those applicants who still wish to be considered for housing in the next lottery will need to submit a new application and fee by the deadline.
Please Note: If you do not receive an offer to lease an apartment at least three weeks prior to the occupancy date you specified, it is relatively certain that we will not be able to offer you a University apartment for that time. Therefore, you should arrange to come to Rochester to find private housing one to two weeks before your academic program is scheduled to begin (see off-campus living on page 20). You are welcome to contact the University Apartments Office at (585) 275-5824 or e-mail uapts@reslife.rochester.edu for information concerning the status of your application any time following waiting list compilation (three working days following the lottery). The University Apartments Office will contact applicants only when an apartment is available.
