Frequently asked questions
The leasing office for Ponderosa Village is located inside the Ponderosa Village club house. The hours of operations are as follows:
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Please note that during the hours of 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. the club house is closed. To be able to service you better, we encourage you to call or stop by during our business hours.
To live at Ponderosa Village, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno
- Be a faculty member or staff member at the University of Nevada, Reno
Please note applications from graduate students will receive priority.
All applicants must complete and pass a background check through RentSpree, a company external to the University. Applicants are financially responsible for this background check.
We offer one lease term for Ponderosa village. Our leases start July 15th and go through June 30th of the following year. If you move in after July 15th, your rent will be pro-rated and your lease end date will not change (June 30th).
No animals or pets (other than non-hazardous fish that live submerged under water in up to a 10-gallon tank) are allowed at Ponderosa Village. For prospective or current Ponderosa Village residents seeking accommodations, graduate students must contact the Disability Resource Center and faculty/staff must contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX.
All Ponderosa Village residents are required to do a background check through RentSpree.
RentSpree background checks require a Social Security Number (SSN) or Tax ID number. If you do not have an SSN or TIN, please complete the aINSIGHT form.
Utilities included in the rent are water, sewer, trash, and internet. Residents are responsible for electricity and gas service for their unit. These services must be set up separately through NV Energy (775) 834-4444.
- Please note: prior to your arrival, you must have your electricity and gas set up under your name with a start date no later than the 1st business day of your lease start date in order to be able to check-in to your unit.
- In order to establish your account with Nevada Energy, please visit the following website for more information - https://www.nvenergy.com/my-account/ss-landing
- To contact NV Energy if you have questions, please visit their website at https://www.nvenergy.com/contact-us
No, apartments are not furnished. If you are in need of furniture or other household items you can reach out to the Graduate Student Association for help.
Residents are not required to pay a security deposit, however, any damages or repairs will be charged to them through an invoice upon checkout.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accomodate anyone who is looking to move-in sooner than their lease start date. At times there may be an opportunity for you to move-in sooner only if our staff have modified your lease agreement because the unit is ready.
Move ins at Ponderosa Village for incoming Fall residents begin July 15th.
- Move ins are conducted during business hours ONLY and require a move in appointment.
- Move ins can be scheduled for any date on OR after July 15th but please note that you will be financially responsible for rent beginning on your lease start date.
- Book your Ponderosa Village move in appointment now.
- Expect a 30-minute process
During your move-in appointment, you will visit the Ponderosa Village Clubhouse where the leasing office is located to:
- Pay (or confirm) your first month’s rent
- Confirm you have set up electricity/water through NV Energy, and
- Pick up your keys to check-in to your unit/space
If you are a graduate student with an NSHE ID, you will see the first month’s rent charges on your MyNevada account. If you are a staff or faculty member you will need to provide your first month’s rent using one of the following: Cashier’s check or Money order only, made payable to “The Board of Regents.”
You will need to be present in order for us to be able to check you in (providing keys, access to your unit). We are unable to release keys to anyone that is not listed on the lease agreement.
- 1 bed/1 bath Alpha: All residents living in a one-bedroom one-bathroom unit are allowed to have a total of 2 occupants (one being the primary lease holder)
- 2 bed/2 bath Beta Full: All residents living in a 2-bedroom 2-bathroom unit are allowed to have a total of 4 occupants in the unit (one being the lease holder)
- 2 bed/2 bath shared Beta Shared: All residents living in a shared 2-bedroom 2-bathroom unit in which they are only renting a bedroom/bathroom and sharing the common areas with another lease holder are not eligible to have additional occupants living with them.
Occupants are individuals who are not graduate students, faculty, or staff at UNR (i.e., siblings, partners, or other dependents to a leaseholder). Occupants over the age of 18 are required to undergo the background check process to be eligible to live on campus. Occupants and/or primary leaseholders are financially responsible for the background check.
Yes, if you are the primary lease holder of a 1 bed/1 bath Alpha or full 2 bed/2 bath Beta Full unit, you can have others who are not affiliated with the University live with you up to the maximum occupancy of the unit. Occupants must pass a background check (if over 18 years old).
If you are a lease holder within a 2 bed/2 bath Beta Shared unit, additional occupants are not allowed.
No. Parking is not included in the rent. Parking permits are separate from living at Ponderosa Village. Parking permits across campus (including Ponderosa Village) is overseen by the University Parking and Transportation Services. Ponderosa Village residents can purchase a yellow 3 or orange parking permits. There is no guest parking at Ponderosa Village, but day permits can also be purchased from Parking and Transportation Services.
If you have questions about permits, parking availability, or tickets, please visit the Parking and Transportation Services website.
Yes. UPS, FedEx, and OnTrac will deliver packages directly to your apartment door. Please make sure to include your unit number within your address. Ponderosa Village and/or the University are not responsible for packages left at your door.
Yes. Ponderosa Village is a gated community. Each resident receives their own gate code to access the community. All gates are locked at all times except for the main gate which is unlocked during regular business hours to allow for visitors and package deliveries. There are also two blue emergency light poles located within the property. These emergency call boxes connect you directly to University Police Services in the case of an emergency.
Based on availability, Ponderosa Village may be able to meet your request, but this is not guaranteed. If you have a building and/or roommate preference, please email these to ponderosavillage@unr.edu prior to signing a lease.
If you have a specific individual in mind with whom you would want to share a 2 bed/2 bath shared unit, please include this information in the email stating your preferences. This individual will need to be eligible to live at Ponderosa Village, pass a background check, and they will need to email us at ponderosavillage@unr.edu as well to ensure they are supportive of being your roommate.
Please Note: Your roommate preference supersedes your building or floor preferences.
For prospective or current tenants seeking accommodations related to building and/or roommate preferences, graduate students must contact the Disability Resource Center and faculty/staff must contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX.
Only the primary leaseholder can submit service requests. As a primary leaseholder, you have the convenience of submitting and tracking your service requests directly through our housing portal.
First, we encourage you to ask your roommate to let you in. If you locked yourself out of your unit and room, and your roommate is not available or you don’t have a roommate, a Ponderosa Village staff member that is on call can assist you. At move-in, you will be provided with this phone number to use in case of a lock out or emergency. Please note that residents may get charged an excessive lock out fee after their third lock out per the leasing term.
On-campus living is similar to living off-campus. Individuals living in apartments are financially responsible for the full term of the lease which they signed prior to occupancy.
We understand that at times, a resident’s personal situation may change. While technically you are still responsible for the full term of the lease, Residential Life, Housing and Food Services has developed the following criteria related to requests to break the lease agreement.
Qualifying events
If your situation has changed since after the signing of your lease Agreement, please refer back to the lease agreement as it states what is possible in terms of requesting to be released. Please note that only the following "Qualifying Events” will be considered by a committee of students and staff when a Ponderosa Village resident(s) requests to break their legally binding lease agreement:
- Resident withdraws or is separated from the University for medical reasons. The resident’s notice must be accompanied by documentation from a qualified physician who is certified to write prescriptions.
- The resident’s international visa status changed, and the resident is no longer able to attend the University. Proof must be provided.
- The resident is drafted or commissioned by the U.S. Armed Forces for active duty; provided, the resident provides documentation to the University that the resident:
- is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or reserves on active duty or a member of the National Guard called to active duty
- and, has received orders for a permanent change-of-station or to deploy with a military unit placed on active military duty.
- The resident will graduate in December. Ponderosa Village will verify this information with the University Registrar. Graduating in August or May is not considered a “Qualifying Event.”
Reasons or events that will not be considered
As you think about your situation and are considering submitting a request to be released from your legally binding lease agreement, please reflect on the following reasons students have provided in the past.
The following reasons do NOT qualify as reasons to break the lease agreement:
- "I signed a lease agreement to live off campus (in the middle of my current license agreement)"
- "I need/want to live off campus for financial reasons"
- "I am not from this country and therefore do not understand the culture nor the leasing laws”
- “I did not read my lease agreement before I signed it and therefore was unaware”
- “My significant other is moving to Reno and we will be living off-campus”
- “I was not able to get documentation on official letterhead from a medical provider"
- "I did not understand my lease and was unaware that I cannot break my lease agreement”
- I don't have documentation showing a significant decrease in income/ability to pay for housing.”
- "I want to take all online classes and therefore will be moving off campus"
- “I found someone who can rent my lease but is not eligible to take over my lease.”
- "I moved out of on-campus housing and no longer live there"
Please understand that for a resident to be released from their lease, they must have experienced a “Qualifying Event” as stated in the lease agreement and the request must be approved by a committee of students and staff who review the requests. Please refer to your lease agreement for more information on what constitutes a qualifying event.
To request a termination of your lease please use the request to be released form.
If you do not have a qualifying event and still wish to be released, you have two options:
1. Continue to pay rent through the term of your agreement, please note you are not allowed to sublet the unit.
2. Explore the lease transfer option:
-
- Identify someone else to take over your lease. This individual must be eligible to live at Ponderosa Village and does not have a current lease at the property. You are responsible for rent until this individual (if approved) officially takes over your lease. Lease transfers are not eligible to occur within sixty days of the termination date.
- Email, call, or connect in person with the Ponderosa Village staff to let them know
- The individual will also need to complete and pass a background check
- Identify someone else to take over your lease. This individual must be eligible to live at Ponderosa Village and does not have a current lease at the property. You are responsible for rent until this individual (if approved) officially takes over your lease. Lease transfers are not eligible to occur within sixty days of the termination date.
Once the individual has passed the background check and our staff has verified their ability to live at Ponderosa Village, we will connect with you and the individual taking over your lease to determine a lease transfer and move-out/in date. This is the date that will determine your prorated rent and when the other individual's lease agreement takes effect. Please note that the Ponderosa Village staff is not responsible for finding a lease transfer for you, this is entirely your responsibility. To request a termination of your lease please use the request to be released form.