Occupancy

While living in unmarried Graduate Housing or undergraduate/graduate Family Housing, you are responsible for all terms and conditions of the Biola University Catalog, applicable graduate or undergraduate Student Handbook, the Graduate & Family Housing Handbook, and your housing contract. Breach of any policy in any of these documents may result in disciplinary action and/or cancellation of your housing contract and requiring you to move out of housing.

• To qualify for Graduate or Family Housing, students must be enrolled full-time (9 or more units for graduate students, 12 or more units for undergraduate students, 6 or more units for most doctoral programs).
• For the purpose of housing, online units will not be counted toward full-time status.
• Consideration for students enrolled for less than full-time coursework or who are involved only in practicum or dissertation work may be made on a case-by-case basis depending on availability.
• Students completing a teaching credential or pursuing the teaching portion of their degree but not enrolled full-time in a post-graduate degree program are not eligible for Graduate or Family Housing.
• Students in modular, online-only, or part-time programs, including but not limited to the Master of Business Administration program and any doctoral program, are not eligible for Graduate or Family Housing.
• Post-Traditional Undergraduate (PTUG) degree completion programs are disqualified from all Biola housing. These disqualified programs may include, but are not limited to, Applied Psychology, Biblical Ministries, and Business Management.
• Students registered for joint on-campus and on-line coursework will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• For a married couple to qualify for Family Housing, at least one spouse must be enrolled full-time as a Biola University graduate or undergraduate student, as described above.
• Only the student(s) officially contracted for a Family Housing apartment, his/her spouse, and/or his/her children may reside in that apartment. Only the student officially contracted for a Graduate Housing room or house may reside in that room or house.
• University Housing is to be used only for residential purposes. Selling or conducting a business, including the performance of services with or without the exchange of payment, from rooms, houses or apartments is prohibited.
• Students may not sublet or assign their housing contract to any other person. Any such agreement shall be void and of no force and effect and may, at the University’s option, terminate the housing contract with the student.

• Family Housing residents are initially contracted from their move in (usually mid-August for Fall semester or early January for Spring semester) through the end of the academic year (early May). Subsequent contracts are for approximately 12 months, June through the end of the next academic year (early May).
• Unmarried Graduate Housing residents are initially contracted from their move in (usually mid-August for Fall semester or early January for Spring semester) through the end of the academic year (early May). Subsequent contracts are either for approximately 12 months—June through the end of the next academic year (early May)—or for the next academic year (mid-August thru early May) minus the summer months. The academic year option is available for students who completely move their belongings out and vacate Graduate Housing during the summer months.
• All graduating residents or residents not renewing Housing must completely move their belongings out and vacate Housing by the final day of their Housing Contract.
• For all residents, the contracted period includes Christmas Break and Spring Break. Residents are considered to be occupying housing during holiday breaks and are responsible for housing fees during these time periods, even though they may not be staying in the housing assignment during the breaks.
• Students contracted for housing for Fall semester shall have their housing contract and all associated charges commence no later than September 1, unless special permission is given in writing in advance by the Graduate & Family Housing Office. Students contracted for housing for Spring semester shall have their housing contract and all associated charges commence no later than January 2, unless special permission is given in writing in advance by the Graduate & Family Housing Office.
• Rosemead students who receive local practicum assignments during their final year should be aware that all housing contracts end after Spring Commencement. Since practicum assignments may continue through August, Rosemead students may wish to arrange alternative housing during their practicum year in order to avoid having to move before the end of their practicum.

• Biola pays for water and trash disposal for all Biola Graduate and Family Housing.
• Residents in Graduate Housing pay for their own telephone, television, and internet service (except in Sigma and Thompson Halls, where internet service is included). Biola pays for electricity and natural gas at these locations. However, any utility usage costs that the University deems excessive and is beyond reasonable usage historically averaged for that building will be charged to and payable by all residents of the house.
• Residents of Family Housing pay for their own electricity, natural gas, telephone, television, and internet service.

• Vacancies will be filled from the applicant pool.
• In the case of Graduate Housing residents, reasonable efforts will be made to match existing residents’ study and life habits. Reasonable attempts will be made to notify current occupants of the move-in date of a new resident.
• All vacancies are considered available for placement of new residents. Any resident who by their words, manner, or actions make University Housing unattractive or unwelcome to roommates or prospective residents may be disciplined, reassigned to other housing, or removed from University Housing altogether.
• All furniture and appliances assigned to a room or house must remain in the room/house, even if there is a vacancy for any length of time.
• In compliance with fire code guidelines, one bedroom apartments are limited to 3 residents maximum, and two bedroom apartments are limited to 6 residents maximum.

• If you wish to be reassigned, contact the Graduate & Family Housing Office to determine whether any other appropriate assignments are available.
• If you make an unauthorized change in housing you may be required to return to your original housing assignment, disciplined, fined, or you may be asked to leave Graduate or Family Housing.

In both Graduate Housing and Family Housing:

• Residents are responsible for the behavior of all their guests.
• No guests may live in the resident’s apartment or room while the resident is not present.
• The University reserves the right to require guests to leave if they are in violation of University rules and regulations or federal, state or local laws, and/or are disturbing other residents, including non-University residents in the surrounding neighborhood.
• With local, state, or federal guidance concerning the Coronavirus, Biola may issue restrictions limiting or prohibiting all visitors and overnight guests, and students are required to comply or be in violation of their Housing Contract.

In Graduate Housing:

• Out of consideration for all inhabitants of the residence, all guests are expected to honor quiet hours between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and all guests must leave the hall/room/house/apartment by 12:00 a.m. midnight.
• Unmarried residents may not have overnight guests of the opposite sex.
• When guests of the opposite sex are visiting, all doors to the bedroom or lounge that the guest is in must remain propped completely open at all times.
• Residents must check with all housemates before inviting anyone to stay overnight. All overnight guests must have the approval of all residents and of Grad Housing staff in writing prior to being invited to stay overnight.
• Approved overnight guests are limited to staying three (3) total nights per semester.
• Residents who violate the visitation policy may be subject to disciplinary action, fines, and may also be removed from University housing.

In Family Housing:

• Overnight guests who stay longer than three (3) days must be registered with the on-site manager for emergency safety reasons.
• Overnight guests who stay from four (4) to thirty (30) days must also be registered with the Graduate & Family Housing office.
• Guests desiring to stay over thirty (30) days must be approved in writing in advance by the Graduate & Family Housing office.

Any time you move into Graduate or Family Housing you will need to arrange a check-in date and time through the Graduate & Family Housing office. At this time you will sign a housing contract and any relevant attachments, pay prorated housing fees for the month and any unpaid portion of the security deposit, receive an Apartment Condition Inventory to be completed within three (3) days of receipt, and pick up the room/house/apartment key(s).

• All graduating residents or residents not renewing Housing must completely move their belongings out and vacate Housing by the final day of their Housing Contract.
• If your housing contract is canceled during the academic year, you must checkout and vacate housing within 48 hours from the time the cancellation is granted.
• At least one week before your scheduled move-out date, schedule a checkout appointment with Graduate & Family Housing Office staff.
• You will have successfully completed check-out when all personal goods and belongings have been removed from the room, house or apartment, the checklist below has been completed and keys and gate/garage openers have been turned in to the staff at your checkout appointment.
• Your housing contract is binding until all check-out procedures are completed.
• Graduate & Family Housing staff will perform an inspection any time a resident moves out, even if other residents are remaining in the room, house or apartment. All damages found at the time of any inspection which were not recorded on the Apartment Condition Inventory will be charged against the relevant resident(s)’ security deposits.
• You must check out for yourself; no other person may check out for you, nor may you check out for anyone else.
• If you leave any belongings in or outside the room, house, apartment, carport, garage, patio, yard, external storage locker, kitchen, or laundry room or on any University-owned or -managed property, the item(s) will be considered abandoned property and disposed of, and you may be billed a disposal charge.

Check-Out Checklist:

The room, apartment or house must be completely clean, even if not everyone is checking out at the time.

• Clean the oven, refrigerator and dishwasher (where applicable).
• Clean the shower, tub, toilet, sink and mirror(s).
• Remove all personal items and debris from the furniture and all cupboards and closets.
• Dust the furniture, window sills and door jambs.
• Clean the kitchen and bathroom counters and floors.
• Remove pictures, posters, and all hanging devices from walls, ceilings, doors and all other surfaces.
• Wash wall and door surfaces to remove smudges and finger prints.
• Vacuum carpeted floors and wet-mop hard floors.
• Departing residents must remove all personal belongings.
• Remove all trash to outside dumpsters.
• Turn in all keys and gate/ garage openers assigned to you to the staff member conducting your check-out appointment.
• Empty the refrigerator/freezer.
• Remove all personal items and trash from the balcony or patio (where applicable) and make sure the area is swept and
  free of dirt and cobwebs.
• Remove any personal items and trash from any garage, carport or external storage and leave it unlocked.