Off-Campus Housing Application

Off-Campus Housing Applications are due Friday, July 13, 2007 for the 2007-2008 academic year. All students who desire to reside off campus or who wish to continue to live off campus must complete a new application to avoid registration holds/cancellations.

This application can be opened and printed and filled out by hand, or you may complete the form electronically using the following instructions:

Once you have opened and completed the application form, save it on your Desktop using your first and last name as the file name, for example: John-Smith.doc. You may then attach the completed and saved document and email it to housing@wfu.edu ~ using your wfu email account.

Electronic forms completed and returned to Housing using this method will be accepted as having a valid signature. You must use YOUR WFU Email Account for electronically completed forms.

Deciding to live off-campus is a major decision for most college students. Though you may choose not to review the complete Off-Campus Housing Policy, or listing of what your rights are as a tenant, you are still responsible and accountable for the policies and procedures outlined in the complete Off-Campus Housing Policy.

General Information

As students progress in their tenure at Wake Forest University, very similar to other institutions of higher education, some develop a desire to move out of campus housing into rental property off campus. Prior to the Spring of 1999, very little monitoring had been performed to determine and maintain accurate information as to the location of students residing off campus. Though there was a residency requirement for students to provide their local addresses in order to register for classes every semester, this information could be at times described as less than reliable or not up-to-date.

In previous years, there were cases in which students residing off campus have caused problems within their neighborhoods. Prior to the implementation of this policy, the University received negative publicity regarding the inappropriate behaviors of students who have moved off campus. In December of 1998, the Student Life Committee developed a new policy requiring undergraduate students to meet certain requirements for living off campus beginning in the 1999-2000 academic year. Though most of the students who reside off campus could be described as good neighbors, this policy is a way of dealing with "some of the more extreme situations" caused by a small number of students.

The focus of this policy is not to prohibit students from residing within off-campus rental properties. Instead, this policy provides greater assurance that students comply with Rule 16 of the University's social regulations and policies. This rule asserts:

Wake Forest [University] students are responsible for conducting themselves so as to not bring disrepute to the University. Conduct or activity by members of the student body living in, or hosting functions at, off-campus locations that have the effect of unreasonably interfering with the rights of neighbors is prohibited. This standard of conduct recognizes and affirms a responsibility to respect the rights of others appropriate to the setting in which one lives. It also recognizes the duty of Wake Forest students who are residents of off-campus rooms/apartments/ houses to control the nature and size of activities carried out in or on their premises consistent with the standards of the University. The University has established policies and procedures regarding eligibility to live off-campus. Noncompliance with University policies and procedures subjects a student to disciplinary proceedings, including suspension.

Prior to registration each semester, students desiring to live off-campus must declare their residential address and their compliance with the University's Off-Campus Housing policy. Enrollment and registration for classes each semester are conditioned upon verification of compliance by the Office of Residence Life and Housing. All undergraduate students (including part-time, fifth-year, and Calloway School of Business and Accountancy) living off-campus, including those renting at apartment complexes, will be required to provide addresses and request permission to reside off campus.

In order to maintain the character of single-family residential areas and to conform to single-family zoning regulations, the University allows undergraduate students to reside in off-campus single-family housing only under certain conditions to include: to live with a parent or guardian; to serve as a caregiver for a young, elderly, or disabled person; has special residential needs associated with a medical disability; or can demonstrate that living elsewhere would constitute a significant hardship. If a student does not meet these conditions, they may be possibly qualified under other terms and conditions as specified by the Office of Residence Life and Housing as outlined in Terms and Conditions of Off-Campus Living.

Registration

The Office of Residence Life and Housing is the department that registers the local addresses for undergraduate students (including part-time, fifth-year and Calloway School of Business and Accountancy) at Wake Forest University. Therefore, any undergraduate, resident or non-resident, student enrolled in a degree-seeking program desiring to reside off-campus must visit our office (Benson University Center 101), or the departmental website, to obtain the necessary information to officially apply to live off-campus.

Students currently residing, or desiring to move, off-campus, must register minimally once a year with the Office of Residence Life and Housing to ensure compliance with the policy and to ensure that individual records are updated. Though a student may register to reside off-campus, the application submitted is purely a request and should not be inferred that approval has been received. Students whose applications are approved will receive written notification of such action - either through electronic mail or via their permanent/school address.

Any students who have been approved to reside off-campus may not change location of residency until written approval has been received from the Office of Residence Life and Housing. In order to receive this approval, students must re-register with this office similar to their initial request to move off-campus.

Once a student has been approved to reside off-campus, the local address that is provided to the Office of Residence Life and Housing is valid for one academic year. Continuing enrolled students who do not re-register to reside off-campus prior to the expiration of the original approved local address will have a "hold" placed on future registration/validation processes until approval is received.

Students who previously lost, or lose during the academic term, campus housing due to judicial sanctions would still need to register to reside off-campus. Other populations of students who would need to also register upon acceptance to the University include transfers or any student classified with Non-Residential Student status.

Students who are discovered to have moved off-campus without receiving prior permission will, minimally, have their class registration/validation held; as well as, would need to submit an application for review. If the application were approved, the student would receive a warning similar to those students who have had a law enforcement officer visit their residence (see Ongoing Review and Sanctions). If the application were denied, options that are described in Application and Review process would apply.

Application and Review

The instrument students use to request and register their off-campus address is the Off-Campus Housing Application. It should be emphasized to the student that this form is only a request and does not provide authorization to live off-campus.

Applications to reside off-campus will be available year round from the Office of Residence Life and Housing or via our web site. Students should complete the application, attach any supporting documentation, and submit the form to the Office of Residence Life and Housing - Benson University Center 101. Students should expect a written response to their application within ten (10) business days, if not sooner. Each application will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and in the date and time order in which the applications are received.

Those students who apply to reside off-campus under the following conditions: 1. living with a parent or guardian; 2. serving as a caregiver for a young, elderly, or impaired person; 3. having special residential needs associated with a medical impairment; 4. can demonstrate that living elsewhere would constitute a significant hardship; 5. or living in a multi-family environment, would normally be granted permission to reside off-campus. Students who request to reside off-campus due to their marital status, being a non-traditional student (as defined by the Office of Residence Life and Housing), or to reside in a house owned by a parent or guardian would also normally be approved (supporting documentation may be requested).

Students who do not fall under any of the above criteria may request an exception to reside off-campus in a single-family dwelling unit (i.e. house). When students submit an application they should attach any supporting documentation that would provide the Office of Residence Life and Housing rationale to make a decision. Factors that will play into this decision may include previous judicial history, residence hall history (if the student had previously lived in the residence halls), previous experience of residing off-campus, and any other information pertaining to the student.

An additional factor that may deny a student's request to live in a single-family dwelling would include the University's right to not approve a residence based upon a prior pattern of behaviors associated with former residents of the house.

With the understanding that city ordinances state that there shall be no more than four (4) individuals that are not related by blood, adoption, or marriage living together in a single family dwelling unit, the Office of Residence Life and Housing will monitor the number of students that are granted permission to reside in residential areas zoned for these units. Our office will, at no time, grant permission to any individual(s) to exceed this number nor is there an appeal process to do so.

Students who desire to live in a single-family dwelling would also need to have their proposed landlord review the policies outlined on our website (specifically the Landlord and Student's Agreement) and sign the appropriate section on the Off-Campus Housing form. The landlords will receive an Information Form that they will need to complete and sign stating they agree with our policy.

Those students whose applications are approved will receive written notification and their local address will be updated within the University's computer system with an expiration of one academic year. Those students whose applications are denied will also receive written notification that may outline or provide rationale for the decision. Students who have been denied permission to reside off-campus may choose to appeal the initial decision to the Executive Director of Residential Services.

Students whose applications are denied and are currently residing off-campus would automatically be added to the Non-Residential Student Wait List for campus housing.

If students who are classified as resident students apply and are approved to move off-campus, their status will be changed to Non-Residential Student status. At that time, these students are no longer guaranteed campus housing. If, at some future date, these students desire, or are required, to return to campus housing, they would need to submit an application to be placed on the Non-Residential Student Wait List.

Terms and Conditions of Off-Campus Housing

Residence off campus by students of Wake Forest University is not a right, but rather a privilege, which carries certain responsibilities. Wake Forest regulates student eligibility to reside off campus for purposes appropriate to its educational mission and as part of its relationship with its students. Therefore, Wake Forest University requires that undergraduate students have continuing eligibility under University Housing regulations to live in a location off campus. The following is required as a condition of eligibility:

A violation of Rule 16 of the Social Regulations and Policies of the Wake Forest Undergraduate Student Handbook may automatically make a student ineligible to live in single family housing.

Landlord and Student's Agreement

The completed Off-Campus Housing Application that is signed by the Student and Landlord is a separate agreement between the Student and the Landlord under which Wake Forest University is a beneficiary, and the undersigned Landlord and Student agree to its terms. It controls in the event it is inconsistent with any lease or other agreement with regard to Student's occupancy of premises of the Landlord, whether entered before or after this document is executed.

Q
How do I apply to live off-campus?
A
Quite simply, you begin by downloading the Off-Campus Housing Application from the Office of Residence Life and Housing website. Once downloaded, review policy information from the site, complete the form and, if not requesting to live in a house, may forward the form as an attachment to housing@wfu.edu or drop off at our office in Benson University Center 101.

Q
If I live off-campus now, and have been approved to do so, do I need to re-apply to continue living off-campus for the following academic year?
A
Yes. You have only been approved to live off-campus for the current academic year and if there is a desire to remain off-campus, a new application needs to be submitted.

Q
If I live on-campus during the fall semester, can I move off campus for the spring semester?
A
If you live on-campus during the fall semester, in order to live off-campus during the spring semester you must petition to be released from your Housing Agreement. Information on this process is delivered to all on-campus residents annually after November 1st and questions may be forwarded to the Assignments Coordinator at housing@wfu.edu or 336.758.5185. Do not sign any off-campus leases prior to being officially released from campus housing.

Q
Should I sign a lease or housing agreement to live off-campus prior to submitting my application to live off-campus?
A
No. We would caution you from signing any off-campus lease or housing agreement until you have received written approval from our Office granting you permission to live off-campus. If you do sign a lease and do not receive permission, you may be legally responsible for more than one lease.

Q
If I desire to live in a single-family residence (i.e. house), does my landlord need to sign my application to live off-campus?
A
No. Once you provide your landlord information to our Office, we will send your landlord an Information Form to complete. Your application will not be approved until we receive this form from your landlord.

Q
Are there any off-campus residences currently ineligible as student housing?
A
Due to the history of some residences, some single-family homes are no longer eligible for off-campus student housing. Please contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing, Benson University Center 101, 336.758.5185, for additional information.

Q
How quickly will I know if I have been approved to live off-campus?
A
With a rolling approval process, any student who submits their properly completed Off-Campus Housing Application will receive a response within ten (10) business days. Incomplete forms will be returned to students without any action.

Q
I am planning on moving off-campus into an apartment, I know the complex but not my exact apartment number - should I submit a form with just the apartment complex information?
A
No. Only submit an Off-Campus Housing Application once you know the exact address in which you plan to live. Most apartment complexes will provide this information to you by mid-July and once you obtain this information, submit the application via electronic mail (housing@wfu.edu) in order to make the deadline.

Q
What happens if I get approved to live off-campus at one location and then change my mind? What do I do?
A
You will need to submit new application materials to the Office of Residence Life and Housing.

Q
How can I get a complete copy of the Off-Campus Housing Policy?
A
A complete copy of the Off-Campus Housing Policy may be obtained by either visiting the Office of Residence Life and Housing in Benson University Center 101, calling our office at 336.758.5185 so one can be mailed to you, reviewing the Guide to Community Living, or by printing a copy from the department's website.

Q
I am a part-time, fifth-year, or Calloway School of Business and Accountancy student - do I participate in this process?
A
Yes.

Q
If I currently live on-campus and am unsure as to what my plans are for next year in terms of housing, what should I do to keep all of my options "open?"
A
When you receive your room selection materials in March, review all of the information in regards to on and off campus housing prior to making any decision.

Q
I currently live off-campus, or am a Non-Residential Student, and want to live on campus. What do I do?
A
Contact the Assignments Coordinator at 336.758.5185 and they will discuss the options that are available to you.

Q
Is it true that if I live in a single-family residence and we create a "community disturbance," we may be required to move out of this residence? Where can I get more information on the terms and conditions of off-campus housing and University sanctioning against off-campus students?
A
Students can visit the Office of Residence Life and Housing, review the Guide to Community Living, or examine our department's website to obtain a complete copy of the Off-Campus Housing Policy. Students may required to move out of their approved residence if found responsible for creating a "community disturbance."

Q
I am a graduating senior in May; do I need to do anything else with the Office of Residence Life and Housing?
A
You will have to do nothing related to off-campus housing with our Office. If, at one time, you lived on-campus and incurred a bill, which has not been settled, you must pay this balance before you are cleared to graduate.

Q
If I still have questions related to living off-campus, whom should I call?
A
Contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing at housing@wfu.edu or 336.758.5185.