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 with an active NSHE ID number
Please note applications from graduate students will receive priority.
All applicants must complete and pass a background check through RentSpree, a company external to UNR. 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 incoming residents are required to do a background check through RentSpree in order to be eligible to live at Ponderosa Village.
RentSpree requires Social security number or Tax ID number in order to be able to complete the background check application. If you do not have an SSN or TIN please contact the Ponderosa Village office at pondersoavillage@unr.edu for more guidance regarding your specific situation.
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. Only basic appliances are included in the unit (refrigerator, stove/oven, dishwasher, washer, dryer). If you are in need of furniture, you can reach out to the Graduate Student Association’s household items program.
All residents are required to pay a security deposit when they move in. This deposit is used to cover any costs for damages or repairs to the unit caused by the resident. At the end of your lease, we will assess the unit for damages and use the deposit amount to cover those damages. Any remaining amount will be refunded via check and mailed to the address you provide during your move out inspection.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate 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 our staff have modified your lease agreement because the unit is ready.
Applicants are added to the waitlist when Ponderosa village spaces have been filled. In order for applicants to be placed on our waitlist, they need to have completed the Ponderosa village application and their background check through RentSpree has been cleared.
Applicants on the waitlist may receive a lease for a unit based on some/all of the following criteria:
- Your preferred move-in date: the date you are available to move-in may determine what spaces are available to you.
- Your unit preference: the unit type you are requesting can determine what is available to you. Please note that our one-bedroom, one-bathroom units are very popular therefore, applicants requesting this unit type will be waitlisted automatically for this space.
- Individual roommate preferences: based on what your needs are, you may be waitlisted due to limited availability
If you are currently on our waitlist, please understand once a unit becomes available, we will immediately look through the list seeking the prospective tenant who meets the criteria for the unit/space type and whose name is highest on the waitlist.
If your name comes up as the top name on the waitlist for a specific unit/space type, we will send you an email giving you 72 hours to accept the unit/space offer. Please read the entire email and respond within the timeframe noted or we will move to the next person on the list and remove your name.
Our official Move-in date is July 15th.
Move-in time appointments will take place during Ponderosa Village office hours which are Mon-Saturday from 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The office is closed outside of these hours.
Please note that at least 24 hours prior to your arrival, it is important you email us at ponderosavillage@unr.edu to confirm a one-hour check-in appointment. You will receive an email confirming your appointment. If you have not received a confirmation email, you will not be able to check in. Please email us if you have not received your confirmed appointment date/time.
During your move-in appointment, you will visit the Ponderosa Village Clubhouse where the leasing office is located to:
- Pay (or confirm) your security deposit and 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 security deposit and first month’s rent charges on your MyNevada account. If you are a staff or faculty member you will need to provide your security deposit and 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 - 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 - 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 - 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, other dependents to a lease holder). Occupants over the age of 18 are required to undergo the background check process through RentSpree in order to be eligible to live on campus. Occupants and/or primary lease holders are financially responsible for the background check.
Yes. If you are the primary lease holder of a 1 bed/1 bath or full 2 bed/2 bath unit, you must be a graduate student or faculty/staff member. You can have others who are not affiliated with UNR live with you (up to the maximum occupancy of the unit) as long as they have passed a background check (if over 18 years old). If you are a lease holder within a 2 bed/2bath 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 UNR is 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.
To submit a maintenance request, please fill out this Maintenance request form. Our maintenance team will address the issue as soon as possible. Please be prepared to provide your roommate(s) email address since we will be sending them a 24-hour notice of entry upon submission of your maintenance request.
We encourage to see if those you may live with are available to let you in. But 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 in case of a lock out or emergency. Please note that residents may get charged an excessive lock out fee after their 3rd lock out.
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 that are considered for a request to be release from a tenant’s lease.
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 University for medical reasons. Resident’s notice must be accompanied by documentation from a qualified physician who is certified to write prescriptions.
- Resident’s international visa status changes, and resident is no longer able to attend the university. Proof must be provided.
- Resident is drafted or commissioned by the U.S. Armed Forces for active duty; provided, resident provides documentation to the University that 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 permanent change-of-station or to deploy with a military unit placed on active military duty.
- Resident will graduate in December. Ponderosa Village will verify this information with the University Registrar. Graduating in August or May are not considered “Qualifying Events.”
Reasons or event 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 that can rent my lease but are not eligible to take over my lease.”
- "I moved out of on-campus housing and no longer live there"
Please understand that in order 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 is approved by a committee of students and staff who review the requests. Please refer to your lease agreement for more information on what constitutes as a qualifying event.
If you do not have a qualifying event and still wish to be released, you have two options:
- Continue to pay rent through the term of your agreement. Please note you are not able to sublet the unit.
- Explore the lease transfer option:
- Identify someone else to take over your lease. This individual must be eligible to live at Ponderosa Village and not have a current lease at the property. You are responsible for rent until this individual (if approved) officially takes over your lease.
- Email, call, or connect in-person with the Ponderosa Village staff to let them know.
- The individual will need to complete and pass a background check
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 individuals 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.