This is the first in a series on Back to School from The Life Skills Network. Check out what’s coming up!
Tuesday: Back to School Savings Challenge ^[2] at My Dollar Plan
Wednesday: 17 Good Habits for a Successful Life ^[3] at My Super-Charged Life
Thursday: How to Be a Frugal College Student ^[4] at Frugal Dad ^[5]
Friday: simple mom ^[6] AND Marc and Angel Hack Life ^[7]

^[8]Next to tuition, housing costs are one of the biggest expenses ^[9] associated with sending a student off to school so it pays to make wise choices ^[10] that help you know and understand what all goes into the expense of college housing. Whether you begin your college career living in a dorm on campus or in an off campus apartment, signing that college housing contract means you agree to follow the rules. Break those rules and the penalties can vary from fines or fees to actual eviction, so follow these basic guidelines to insure your experience with college housing will be free from big surprises. Eviction can follow you on your credit report ^[11] for quite some time.

College housing contracts are serious.

On many college campuses, parents are forced to sign the housing contract for their student. I’d be very surprised if that policy was open for negotiation. Getting the parents on the hook insures that the college can recover any financial penalties if junior doesn’t pay the bills or damages something, and since many colleges now require freshman to live on-campus, the details of these housing contracts are very important to review.

Always read the fine print

Here are some common features of on campus housing contracts: