Guide · 5 min
Housing safety before you sign
A deposit should follow a real lease — not a photo of an apartment. Use this checklist before you wire money or share your passport.
Vet the listing
- Prefer campus housing, your university’s off-campus portal, or a lease you can read in full before paying.
- Match the landlord or property name to a public record, university housing list, or a real office address — not only a social profile.
- Never send a deposit by gift card, crypto, or a personal transfer to someone you have not verified. Scammers often claim they are “already abroad.”
- If you cannot visit, ask a trusted person on campus (or a Cohortlyy peer at that school) to walk the unit on video — living room, locks, smoke detectors, and the street outside.
Read the lease like a contract
- Confirm dates, rent, deposits, who pays utilities, guest rules, and how to break the lease.
- Get every promise in writing. “We’ll add furniture later” is not a lease clause.
- Know whether subletting is allowed. Some visas and campus policies restrict it.
Once you have keys
- Photograph existing damage on day one and send it to the landlord.
- Share your address with one trusted contact at home and one on campus.
- Learn local emergency numbers (in the U.S., 911) and your campus safety / escort number.
- Agree with roommates on locks, overnight guests, and who can have a spare key.
Continue in the app
In the app, join housing and roommate groups for your university, watch move-in videos from students already there, and message a mentor who found housing last intake.
Groups, creator videos, and mentor chats live in Cohortlyy — not on the website.
- Browse housing and daily-life services →
- See who’s at your school (then match as a roommate in the app) →
Start your transition journey