This one’s for Claremont McKenna College students trying to figure out the off-campus side of college life, which nobody really explains up front.

Most Claremont McKenna College students sign their first lease without ever having read one before. Here’s what to actually watch for, under California tenant law.

Deposit and fees

California law caps how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit, and recent state legislation has tightened that cap further for most landlords — the exact current figure is worth confirming directly against California Civil Code Section 1950.5 or a tenant-rights resource before you sign, since caps have changed in recent years. If a listing near Claremont McKenna College asks for a deposit well above what seems typical for the area, or asks for large non-refundable “fees” on top of it, get clarity in writing before you agree to anything.

Entry and notice

California also sets minimum notice periods for a landlord to enter your unit (generally 24 hours for non-emergency entry) and for either side to end a month-to-month tenancy (typically 30 or 60 days depending on how long you’ve lived there) — both worth knowing before a dispute comes up, not after. A lease that claims the landlord can enter anytime without notice, or that gives you less than the legal minimum notice to vacate, is worth pushing back on or having reviewed before you sign.

Vague maintenance responsibility

Leases that are vague about who handles repairs — you or the landlord — tend to cause disputes later. Look for a lease that spells out response times for things like a broken heater or a plumbing issue, not just “landlord will address in a reasonable time.”

The sublease and early termination clause

This is the clause students skip most often and regret skipping most often. Know exactly what happens if your plans change — an internship somewhere else, a study abroad semester, needing to move for any reason — before you’re locked into a full year with no exit.

Getting a second opinion

If anything in a lease near Claremont McKenna College seems unclear, most campuses have a student legal services or tenant rights office that will review a lease for free before you sign — worth using, since a five-minute read now can save a much bigger headache later.

Compare against verified listings near Claremont McKenna College on RentNova, which surfaces lease terms up front rather than making you dig for them after you’ve already toured.