Information for 2024–2025 Tenants Only

Existing tenants will finish out their lease with Off-Campus Rentals managed by the Accounting and Business Services Office through 5/31/25. Starting this Fall 2025, the process for the 2025–2026 year for Whitman student rental properties will be managed by the Residence Life and Housing Office. The goal is to streamline the housing process for students, update the lottery system, and make sure there is time between tenants for maintenance and renovations. Following is a general overview of what things will look like moving forward.

Students will still rent and live in the rentals in a fairly autonomous manner like they have in the past. However, the process for signing up and renewing will be changing. Please read the following closely and contact the Residence Life and Housing Office at on_campus_housing@whitman.edu or come by Memorial 130 if you have any questions.

There will be a new sign up and lottery system for assigning student rentals.
In order to have time to maintain and renovate rental units, most units will be required to be vacant during the summer every other year. In order to accomplish this, some units will be available for 12 months and other units will be available for only nine months (during the academic year). When the lottery occurs, each unit will clearly say if it’s available for 12 or nine months. All rental housing assignments will begin in late August of any given year. (For this upcoming 2025–2026 year only, current tenants that renew will be on a 12-month housing agreement that lasts June 1, 2025 to May 29, 2026. Housing for new tenants in the future will always begin in August.)
ALL CURRENT 2024–2025 TENANTS CAN RENEW their agreements for June 1, 2025–May 28, 2026. If you are interested in renewing your space in the property you are currently living in, please fill out this form.
In order to renew your housing agreement, if you choose to do so, you will need to find other students to fill any vacancies in the space. For example, if you are in a five-person house, but only three students want to live there next year, you will be responsible for finding two other students to join you. Only students who have completed the housing requirement (four semesters on campus or 21 years old before the semester begins, essentially juniors and seniors) will be eligible to live in college rental housing.
Please note, any rental that is renewed now MUST be vacated in May 2026 so it can undergo maintenance in Summer 2026. No belongings will be able to stay in the space once you move out. Any students who move in with you should know that the space will NOT be available to be renewed after May 2026. They will have to find other housing or enter the lottery for housing for the 2026–2027 academic year.
Starting Summer 2025, the billing process for student rentals will change. Students will now be charged individually, not as groups. Charges will be posted to your student accounts three times per year (once for each semester and once for the summer), and you will be responsible for paying that along with your other expenses at the college. This is the same as how on-campus housing is charged.
Starting Summer 2025, students will no longer need deposits for rental housing. Any outstanding deposits from 2024–2025 will be refunded in Summer 2025, minus any incurred fees for damage, etc. Students will still be responsible for damage to the space, checking in or out improperly, or other violations of the housing contract. Students may incur charges on their student account if there is damage or other violations of the agreement. The process of incurring charges will be the same as on campus housing, although the charge amounts may vary by issue.
Whenever you finally move out, either in May 2025 OR May 2026 (if you choose to renew), all belongings from the space will need to be removed. No storage will be available. (If you are in need of storage, we can refer you to storage rental units in town.)

Please reach out to us with any questions!

Residence Life and Housing Office
Memorial 130
on_campus_housing @whitman.edu
509-527-5297