Move-in at College Houses is a complex and busy time. Hundreds of members move in all at once across our seven co-op houses. Our small staff is taxed during this time, and many house officers may not be available to help.

This is why early check-ins are strongly discouraged, and most early check-in requests are unfortunately denied.

Luckily, there are plenty of other places to stay if you need to arrive in Austin early:

(This list is not an endorsement of any of these options.)

If you feel requesting an early move-in is your only option, you must request it using this form: Request Early Check-In

If a member does receive approval to check in early, the contract dates will not be changed. Early check-ins are not a contractual offer or obligation for College Houses to provide housing prior to the start of the lease. This means that early check-ins are never guaranteed.

The fee for an early check-in will be in-between $20/day and the daily rate of your contract, due with your first rent payment. Once a resident receives their keys, their unit is considered occupied and early check-in charges begin. If the early check-in request is more than 2 weeks before the contract start date, then the resident may be required to sign an additional contract and/or pay more than $20/day.

College Houses does not recommend checking in early. If you do check in early, please be aware of the following.

  • The room you receive as an early arrival might not be the room you are assigned to for the term of your contract. You may have to change rooms at the start of your contract.
  • By accepting an early check-in, you prevent our crews from accessing the room between occupants. You will likely be the first person to see your room since the previous occupant left, and you agree to accept the room as-is. Dissatisfaction with the condition of your room is not grounds for a contract cancellation. You should expect to perform heavy cleaning yourself without the assistance of cleaning crews, as our crews are very busy before the move-in date, and many house officers are off-duty in the weeks before the contract start date.
  • Your room may not be fully furnished upon arrival. We will work to ensure you have a mattress, but other furniture may take some time to be relocated.