The University of Wisconsin–Platteville has many programs and resources to aid their students in a successful college career.

Tucked away in a back corner of the Pioneer Involvement Center is a rather large desk, which is the base for what could be one of the university’s lesser known and arguably more important resources.

Rental Resources is not just a place for students to find off-campus housing listings.

In fact, their services go far beyond listings.

In addition to housing listings, Rental Resources provides both students and landlords with information on the rights and responsibilities that go along with living off campus.

Some tools provided by Rental Resources are qualifications for living off campus, a monthly budget summary, legal information about lease requirements and a housing checklist.

“First, make sure you are qualified to live off campus,” Rental Resources Coordinator Diane Lind said. “If you’re a sophomore and decide to live off campus and are assigned a room in a dorm, you will be charged for that room. We’ve had that happen before.”

If you meet the qualifications to live off campus, Rental Resources also provides a monthly budget summary.

This worksheet helps students to thoroughly evaluate their monthly expenses so they can create a budget that works best for them.

Not only can all of this information be found at the Rental Resources desk in the Pioneer Involvement Center but all of the information and worksheets are available on their website, which is connected to the university’s site.

“The Rental Resources website has helped me a great deal in my apartment search,” UW-Platteville graduate Sam Vamstad said. “I filled out the budgeting sheet, and I’m now using the apartment listings to find my next place.”

“Another thing to be aware of are rental scams,” Lind said. “Several students and landlords in the area have been victims of a most recent scam.”

Lind continued to explain that this scam involves a third party expressing interest in renting or subleasing an apartment, sending a large check and informing the recipient that the check is issued for more money than intended.

The perpetrator then asks for a check with part of the money.

A full explanation of the scam is posted on the Rental Resources desk, as well as their website.

To avoid these and other potential dangers when looking for off-campus housing, Lind works to complete many different tasks in order to protect students who use Rental Resources.

For each landlord that requests to post a listing with Rental Resources, Lind checks to determine whether they have the approrpriate licensing, along with no record of previous transgressions with the law.

In addition to their website, Rental Resources produces a newsletter regularly in order to inform students of relevant changes regarding off-campus housing.

For instance, their most recent newsletter for January and February 2014 highlights changes in the Landlord/Tenant Law in Wisconsin that will take effect on March 1.

Each year, Rental Resources also holds a Housing Fair, which takes place the Tuesday after homecoming.

“This [Housing Fair] is not a place to sign leases,” Lind said. “It is a place for students and landlords to meet and possibly set up viewings of places to live off campus.”