UW-La Crosse Off-Campus Housing Guide

Most UWL students move off campus after their first or second year, and the search starts much earlier than people expect. This guide covers what we've learned from years of renting to UWL, Viterbo and Western students in La Crosse: when to start, what you're really choosing between, and how to lock in a good place before your group is fully set.

The short version: start looking in early September, decide which two of location, quality and price matter most to you, and don't wait for your whole group to commit before you sign.

When to Start Looking (Earlier Than You Think)

In La Crosse, students start looking for next year's housing the moment classes begin in September. Leases start the following June, so you're signing about nine months before you move in.

Most landlords, including Legends Living, start showing properties for the next school year in mid-September. Our policy is that September 15 is the first day a new group can sign a lease. Until then, we give our current tenants the chance to tell us whether they're renewing, so the units that open up are posted right around that date.

The best units go first, often within the first few weeks. If you know you'll want an off-campus place next year, have your group talk about it during the first week of the fall semester and book showings as soon as they open.

Location, Quality, Price: You Get Two

Every student rental comes down to three things: how close it is to campus, how nice it is, and what it costs. Here's the honest truth after years in this market: you get to pick two. The newly renovated unit right next to campus at a bargain price doesn't exist, so decide up front which tradeoff you're willing to make.

Closest to campus means paying for the address

The rentals right around UWL, on State, Badger, Vine, Pine and Main Streets and the numbered streets around 14th to 19th, carry the highest rents in the city. You're paying for the location, not the unit, and many of those properties are older and well worn.

Have a car? Your rent goes further a mile or two out

If you'll have a car, look beyond the blocks around campus (what we call "Collegeville"). Moving a mile or two away usually gets you a noticeably nicer place for the same rent, or the same kind of place for less.

Parking on campus is easier than it used to be. UWL opened a parking ramp off La Crosse Street in 2013 and a second, 550-space ramp in April 2026, so budgeting for a campus parking permit is a realistic option. Permits can still sell out, so apply early.

No car? UWL students ride every La Crosse MTU bus free with their student ID through the U-Pass program, and Route 4 runs straight to campus.

Rental House or Apartment?

A house with a yard and a porch sounds like the classic college experience, but look closely before you sign. College rental houses are never new: most are decades-old homes that have housed a different group every year, and many show it. Drafty windows, old furnaces and appliances, and worn floors and bathrooms are common, and they can mean higher utility bills too.

Houses also tend to attract the groups that want to host the parties. That's great if it's you, and a long year if it isn't, especially when you share walls or a driveway with the party house next door.

Apartments usually give you more for your money:

• Newer or updated buildings, often with in-unit laundry, dishwashers and modern bathrooms
• Lower utility costs, since smaller, better-insulated units cost less to heat and cool
• A quieter, more predictable year, with neighbors who also need to study and sleep
• Off-street parking and secured entries at many buildings
• A landlord who's nearby and responsive, since apartment owners maintain several units and keep a closer eye on their buildings

Finding Your Group

Living alone near campus is hard to come by. One-bedroom apartments are rare in the student market, and the few that exist cost far more per person than a shared unit. For most students, the better deal and the better experience is living with friends: ask any graduate, and the roommates and the apartment are a big part of what they remember.

Most student apartments come as 2-bedroom or 4-bedroom units. Three- and five-bedroom units exist but are uncommon, so it helps to build your group around twos or fours.

You don't need a full group to sign

This is the most important tip in this guide. At Legends Living, you can sign a lease before your whole group is set and add a roommate to the lease later. If you find the right unit in September but your fourth person is still deciding, you don't have to watch it go to another group. Sign with who you have, lock in the unit, and fill the last bedroom when you find the right person.

What Rent Usually Includes

Two units with the same rent can cost very different amounts once the bills arrive, so always ask what's included. In La Crosse student rentals, the electric bill is almost always the tenants' responsibility. Many landlords also make tenants pay for water, and some charge separately for parking.

When you compare rents, add the bills you'd pay on top of each one. A unit that's $25 cheaper per bedroom can end up costing more once water and parking are added.

Questions to Ask at a Showing

A showing usually takes 15 minutes, so go in with a list. Bring these questions, and have one person in your group take notes:

1. What's included in the rent? Which utilities, parking and snow removal, and what does electric typically run per month?
2. How is rent priced? Per bedroom or for the whole unit, and is each roommate responsible only for their share?
3. What are the lease dates? When does it start and end, and is renewing an option?
4. What's the security deposit? One month's rent is standard. Ask what's needed to get it back in full.
5. Is a co-signer required? Many student leases need a parent or guardian to co-sign.
6. Can we add a roommate later? Important if your group isn't full yet.
7. How do maintenance requests work? Who do you contact, and how fast do repairs usually happen?
8. Where's the laundry? In-unit, shared in the building, or none?
9. Is parking guaranteed? How many spots come with the unit, and is there a cost?
10. Is the building secure? Locked entries, unit locks and bedroom locks.
11. Can I talk to a current tenant? Or read the landlord's Google reviews. How past tenants describe the landlord tells you a lot.

Off-Campus Apartments from Legends Living

Legends Living is a family-owned La Crosse landlord with 23 off-campus apartments for UWL, Viterbo and Western students. Leases run June to May, rent is priced per bedroom, and water, sewer, trash, parking and snow removal are included. Every property has off-street parking and laundry, and the security deposit is one month's rent.

• 114-120 11th Street: 2-bedroom apartments with exposed brick character, close to UWL and Western
• 920-930 7th Street: 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartments with in-unit laundry and secured bedroom access
• 919 Johnson Street: recently renovated 2-bedroom apartments
• 927-931 Division Street: a triplex with 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom units

Showings for next school year start in mid-September. See current openings and schedule a showing.