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Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you are new to the off-campus housing market or a savvy apartment veteran, there are many frequently asked questions when deciding on a place to live. Here is a short compilation of some of the most common questions we hear from prospective residents. Of course, you can always call us if you’d like and we would be happy to answer your questions in person, too.

 

Q: Is Wessinger Properties one of those huge, impersonal management companies?

A: No. We are a family owned and run business. We take pride in our buildings and strive provide quality, personal, communicative service. Our goal is to provide you a safe, comfortable place to live at a reasonable price.

 

Q: When do your leases begin and do you have 8 or 12 month leases?

A: All our standard leases are for a 12 month period (however, some may vary due to unique circumstances). Our larger group units (apartments or houses, 3 ppl or more) are on May leases which typically will start and end around the start of May. We find that this works well, particularly for undergraduate students, so that you are finished with leasing once you graduate and you do not have to worry about subleasing or paying rent after you’ve moved on from Ann Arbor.

Our smaller units (apartments 3 ppl or less) are on ‘September’ leases and will typically begin August 29th.

 

Q: When do you start leasing? How is this affected by the Early Lease Signing Ordinance? What is Right to Renew and when will I be asked about renewal as a tenant?

Ann Arbor does have an Early Lease Signing Ordinance in place. This states that landlords cannot sign leases with new residents prior to 150 days from the end of the current lease period.  While students can ask to renew before this timeframe, they do have some time to decide and should not feel pressured to do so. This ordinance was request by students and intended to give tenants a little more time to get solid groups together and do more market research regarding housing options prior to the legal lease signing period.

We will begin showing and leasing our larger group units (apartments or houses, 3 ppl or more) in early December and our smaller units (3 ppl or less, September to September lease) in late March or early April.

The Right to Renew Ordinance provides tenants a bit of breathing room in terms of when they must decide about renewal. As your landlord, we will provide you with terms and conditions of a renewal lease no later than 180 days to the end of your lease. We will also provide a deadline by which you must reply that is no sooner than 150 days to lease end. This means we will be asking tenants with May leases about renewal in Early November and tenants with August/September leases in late February (with some minor variations year to year based on dates).

 

Q: Do you sign prospective residents to waitlists or other ‘first right to lease’ agreements?

A: No. We strongly feel that this practice, while far too common, is a violation of the spirit of the Early Lease Signing Ordinance, speeds up the timeline, and initiates the pressure on students. The ordinance is intended to slow down the early lease signing that has been plaguing UofM students for years and this practice only results in the same pressures and stresses on prospective residents as signing leases early does. We STRONGLY encourage prospective residents to seek out landlords and management companies who are in FULL compliance with the letter and spirit of the ordinance. It is all the same people leasing all the same units – there is no reason for it to be happening any earlier than the ordinance allows.

 

Q: What can I do if I feel a landlord or management company is in violation of the early lease signing ordinance, right to renew, or I just want to share my thoughts on it (positive or negative) with those responsible for its creation and passing?

A: We know some landlords are ‘leasing’ earlier than the ordinance specifies by using waitlists or other circumventions. Click here for more info on the Early Lease Signing ordinance and Right to Renew.

  • If you would like to share your thoughts, or experiences regarding the new ordinances:
  • If you feel pressure from a current landlord to sign a renewal or have an interaction with a prospective future landlord that you feel is in violation of the ordinance, please fill out this form and email it to Janet Farrell JFarrell@a2gov.org

 

Q: Can I just go knock on the door of the property I want to see?

A: We advise our residents to NOT allow people in to look at properties without an appointment arranged through us. It is unsafe for current residents to get in the habit of letting people in without appointments and is also an invasion of their privacy. Current residents also don’t often have accurate information about availability or pricing. We will be happy to set up an appointment to go see a property with you or your group once we can legally do so at 150 days before the end of the current tenant’s lease. We usually only need about 24 hours notice to arrange this. This year we will continue doing virtual showings as due to the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic.

 

Q: What do I need to sign the lease? Do my parents have to co-sign?

A: You will only need a security deposit check which equals 1 1/2 of a month’s rent. No prep fees or application fees are charged and no credit checks or background checks are needed. We assume that since our residents are legal adults, they will be fully, personally, responsible for their lease and therefore we do not require parental co-signers. For more leasing info, please see our Leasing Info page.

 

Q: Is subleasing ok? What about pets, smoking, etc.?

A: Subleasing is allowed with permission on a case by case basis. Please see our Leasing Info page for more on this. Pets and smoking are not allowed in our properties. Some of our buildings do have outside areas where smoking is acceptable, but it is imperative that you clean up after yourself and respect these shared spaces.

 

Q: I want to be able to have parties, is that allowed?

A: This is a delicate subject. We take a lot of pride in our properties and thus are very concerned about how they are treated. We expect our residents to respect us, our property and their neighbors as well as obey any laws that pertain to drinking, clean community, and noise ordinances. We are very alert property owners and want to work with our residents to achieve a harmonious balance between fun and responsibility. We include a restriction on BeerPong tables and any other binge drinking games or apparatus on our property in our lease.  We expect that our residents can find responsible, controlled ways of enjoying partying without putting themselves, the property, or others at risk.

 

Q: Do your properties come furnished? What’s included with the rent; internet, utilities, parking, etc.?

A: Each of our units are unique in what they offer as far as furniture and what is included. Each unit’s description will specify these details.

Click here to go to the listing of available units.

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