Policies
when signing a lease, you must have a valid driver's license, state ID, or passport, and students must have their student ID. if you are signing for a 2, 3, or 4-bedroom unit, we recommend that at least 2 roommates be present. any administrative or service fees stated on your lease must be paid at signing.
we do not have a lease breakage policy. you are obligated to pay the apartment rent until a subleaser is found or the lease ends. you can find information on our subleasing policy here.
leases typically last for 3 semesters with 12 equal payments, while 2-semester lease options may be available with 10 payments.
Under the Illinois Safe Homes Act, you have the right to end your lease early and not pay future rent when you move from your rental place because of a threat of domestic violence or sexual violence.
- To end your lease early, you must give written notice that you are leaving to your landlord before or within three days of permanently leaving (for example, by removing all of your belongings and turning over your keys to the landlord or property manager) or have left your rental place because you are under an imminent threat of domestic violence or sexual violence there. You can also end your lease early by written notice and documentation because sexual violence occurred at your rental place within the last 60 days or later, if circumstances prevented you from telling the landlord sooner.
- You are responsible for paying rent for the period prior to providing written notice and then permanently leaving, but you are not responsible for future rent after that and cannot be charged an “early lease break fee.” Your landlord should also return your security deposit if there is no previous unpaid rent or damage to your rental place beyond normal wear and tear.
You also have the right to change your locks to prevent further domestic violence or sexual violence at your rental place.
- To exercise this right, you need to provide written notice to the landlord that you are under an imminent threat of domestic or sexual violence and provide one of the following forms of documentation evidencing this threat:
- Medical, court, or police evidence; or,
- A statement from an employee of a domestic violence or other victim services organization from whom you or a member of your household sought service.
To view the full terms of this act and the addition to our lease, click here.
all tenants must have a signed lease, and all necessary payments (due by the lease start date) must be made prior to moving in.
all keys must be picked up at our office during regular business hours.
all surfaces will be cleaned and carpets shampooed before move in, while any painting (and in rare cases, some shampooing) will be done after move in.
please note: cleaning and painting policies do not apply to those apartments renewing or early move ins.
all SAMI properties now feature fiber optic internet through connectivityu, offering speeds up to 1gbps for better downloading and browsing capabilities.
please note that SAMI will use a broad-ops service to make announcements through your internet, which may temporarily pause service until the announcement is acknowledged. SAMI also reserves the right to shut off the internet service we provide if rent has not been paid.
utilities are not included in the monthly rent, and charges will be billed monthly and due within 10 days of posting.
utility bills are automatically divided based on the number of people living on the apartment and their individual lease start dates.
you will not be responsible for your roommates' share of the bill. more information can be found here.
SAMI now requires all tenants to have renters insurance covering at least $100,000 in damages. tenants can choose the insurance provided by SAMI at $14/month (added to the tenant portal alongside rent and utilties) or opt to provide a third-party policy.
full details may be found here.
rent and other payments are due on the first of each month. late fees will apply after the 5th day.
if a monthly bill is not paid on time, there may be a late fee of 10% plus an additional $2 for every day it is late, and repeated late payments may lead to additional consequences.
if you are having trouble making payments, please contact our office immediately to discuss other options.
rent deferment is possible with documented approval from the financial aid office. the amount of aid available must be greater than the rent deferred. all tenants receiving financial aid must complete the tenant financial aid form (contact our office for this).
specific payments can be deferred based on your financial aid disbursement schedule. deferrment options are as follows:
- only july and august payments may be deferred with fall financial aid unless the 1st payment is due in july or august, in which case no deferrment can be granted.
- only december and january payments may be deferred with spring financial aid.
all deferred payments must be paid within 5 days from the disbursement date listed on the "awards notice" or "awards summary".
please note that once your financial aid funds have been disbursed, the entire semester must be paid in full.
pets are only allowed in designated pet friendly units with a $300 non-refundable deposit. ESAs are exempt, but require proper paperwork to be completed and submitted before moving in. you can find more information on ESAs here.
if an unauthorized pet is found in the apartment, you may be charged a $300 pet fee and possible eviction for violating your lease agreement. if you are unsure if a pet is allowed in your specific apartment, please call our office at (309) 888-4600 for assistance.
parking is enforced in all SAMI lots. any vehicle without a valid parking sticker may be towed at owner's expense. if your lease states that you are entitled to a parking pass, please fill out our vehicle registration form and pick up your pass in our office by the time august classes begin.
all enforcement and towing is handled by maurer wrecker service, who can be contacted at 309-660-6528 or 309-376-3731.
they also handle any and all guest parking; please ensure you have your guest's car's year, make, model, color, and plate number before calling to inform them.
if you are looking for an apartment to sublease, please review our sublease list and contact the tenant directly to discuss the agreement and view the apartment. Some things to note:
- if looking at a 2, 3, or 4 bedroom apartment, you must be a student and of the same gender as the original tenant
- If looking at a 1 bedroom, you can be any gender and/or a non-student
once you and the current tenant come to an agreement, they will need to submit paperwork to SAMI, then return the paperwork to you to sign and return, along with a $95/person application fee. once you are approved, you will then need to pay the move in/admin fee ($200/per person) at the time of returning paperwork. you will also need to submit your driver's license and student ID.
if you are looking to sublease your apartment, please list your apartment on our sublease page and the isu facebook groups (do not post to facebook marketplace or craigslist).
once an interested tenant reaches out, you can discuss the sublease agreement (from SAMI) and show them the apartment. after they have submitted their application to SAMI, we will send you sublease paperwork to fill out, sign, and return. at this time, you will need to pay the $400 sublease fee.
note: anyone subleasing must pay the $95 non-refundable application fee for the background and credit check.
all SAMI apartments have access to private refuse collection. dumpsters are located on the property and are emptied at least once per week on a set schedule.
please help control the cleanliness of the property by always taking your trash to the dumpster immediately, placing the garbage in the dumpster, and then closing the lid to the dumpster. tenants may be charged if garbage is left outside of the apartment.
all SAMI apartments are treated quarterly as part of our comprehensive pest control program. the pest control company has keys to each apartment and will be very careful when entering your apartment and ensure and all apartments are locked and secured when they leave.
please note that treatments may take time to go into effect, as pests must come into contact with the treatment. if you have an issue that persists after the treatment, please contact our office for further action.
all apartments become available during open leasing in october. existing tenants are given the opportunity to renew their lease before open leasing begins. please contact our office for details or watch your inbox for information from SAMI in september.
renewing your lease means no additional deposit or fees are required, your apartment will not be shown for the next school year, you will not need to move out between leases, and SAMI will not clean or paint between leases.
the official lease end time is 4:00 pm on the friday of isu finals week, unless otherwise stated in your lease. residents graduating or coordinating travel may remain in their unit until 12:00pm on the monday immediately following isu graduation. all units must be vacated and keys returned by that time.
on or before that date, we ask that you return all apartment and mailbox keys (bedroom keys may be left in the corresponding doorknob), remove your name from the mailbox, return and assemble any furniture you may have removed from the apartment, and do a quick sweep of the unit. please do not shut off or unplug your refrigerator.
fees may occur if any furniture assembly or replacement is required, or if excessive cleaning is required after you move out (at a rate of $30/hour plus supply cost).
lease rate schedule & fees include:
- admin / move in fee: $295 per person
- internet fee: $20 per person per month
- utility tracking fee: $60 per person per year
- renters insurance: $14 per person per month
- lockout fee: $60 per instance of staff needed to unlock a unit (requested by resident or government authorities)
- sublease fee: $400
*these fees are subject to change based on current lease terms
unfortunately, no grills are allowed at any SAMI unit.
