With hundreds of options to choose from, the experience can be overwhelming. But once again students have begun to hit the streets, contending with leases, landlords and increasing rent prices.
The search is on to find housing for next year.
"The majority of students begin looking (for housing) around Nov. 1," said Jani Platz, leasing marketing director for Prime Student Housing. "We definitely noticed an increase in appointments and traffic."
Platz said most of Prime's housing units are rented by February.
"It's amazing how early it starts here," said LSA sophomore Andreas Michas, who began his search for housing last year before Thanksgiving.
Nursing first-year student Jessica Inwood began searching for housing two weeks ago.
"I think a lot of people are looking for them to get a head start on stuff, to get a lease signed before Christmas," she said.
Jeff Micale, an adviser for University Housing, suggests students not begin searching for housing in the fall, but instead wait until January.
"We really strongly encourage people to take their time to look for an apartment that meets their needs," he said. "There is a wide variety of housing options in Ann Arbor."
And this variety can be part of what makes the search experience so daunting.
Close to 450 landlords are registered with the University's housing office. To help students find housing, the office offers informational pamphlets and area maps. Starting Dec. 2, the office will post listings of available housing units.
"This is often a good place to start," Micale said.
After finding housing they are interested in, students should take a tour to check the condition of the apartment or house.
"Check the doors. Flush the toilets. Get a general idea of the condition of the apartment," Platz said.
Micale and Ann Arbor Tenants' Union Coordinator Larry Fox agreed that students should ask landlords many questions - from what furniture is included with the unit to the cost of the security deposit.
While students may be able to get a good idea of the quality of an apartment or house, what often remains a mystery is the nature of a future landlord.
"I don't know if you can say what are the characteristics of a good landlord," Fox said. "There are some landlords who are worse than others, but for the most part, the tenant-landlord relationship has built-in adversarial qualities."
LSA senior Saranna Berger said that while characteristics such as honesty and integrity are important in a landlord, students often don't know if their landlord has these qualities until after they have become tenants.
"You could look for those qualities ... (but) prepare for the worst," Berger said.
Consequently, students are advised to protect their legal rights.
If a student wants repairs done before moving into an apartment, the student should have the agreement written into the lease. Verbal agreements from landlords are not legally binding.