The university maintains several houses and a five-unit apartment complex (see photos below) for lease by faculty and staff. Lease terms may vary based on the needs of the faculty/staff member. Lease terms cannot exceed three years.
Rent and utility charges are automatically deducted monthly through payroll deduction. Rent and utility charges are adjusted annually based on the policy outlined below. A security deposit of 50 percent of one months rent is required prior to occupancy.
Inquiries for faculty housing should be directed to Helen Payne, assistant to the provost and dean of faculty (hpayne@colgate.edu 315-228-7217).
Rent levels are established to recover Colgate’s costs of maintaining properties. Colgate does not make a profit on its rental properties by adding a profit margin to rents, nor does it attempt to recover the opportunity costs of maintaining rental properties rather than investing the property value elsewhere. In fact, at present Colgate is minimally subsidizing most renters by not fully recovering its costs.
Rent levels and utility charges are set annually by the vice president for finance & administration. They are determined using the projected costs of utilities, maintenance and property taxes.
Housing built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. Housing law requires landlords to provide a federally approved pamphlet (PDF form) regarding lead poisoning. The landlord must also disclose the presence of known lead-based paint and/or paint hazards in the dwelling.
The university has conducted lead paint surveys on all its housing units and each unit is inspected annually for the presence of peeling or chipping paint.