Roommate, Lease and Sublease Agreements Near UW–Madison
For off-campus housing near University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Dane County. This independent guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Choose the document that matches the arrangement
Semester, summer and roommate housing near UW–Madison
Roommate agreement: records how occupants divide rent, utilities, deposits, cleaning, guests, parking and shared-space responsibilities. It does not replace the landlord’s lease.
Residential lease: governs the landlord-tenant relationship when the landlord rents the unit directly to the student or group.
Room or temporary sublease: can fit a semester, internship, clinical rotation, study-away period or summer occupancy, but the master lease and landlord consent may restrict subletting.
Furnished sublease: adds inventory and condition details when furniture, appliances or household items stay with the temporary occupant.
Off-campus checklist for UW–Madison students
- Read the master lease before promising a room or accepting money.
- Confirm whether written landlord or property-manager consent is required.
- Record rent, deposit, utilities, furnishings, dates and responsibility for damage.
- Use exact move-in and move-out dates for semesters, internships and summer terms.
- Record bedroom, parking, key and shared-space expectations.
- Review current Wisconsin, Dane County and Madison requirements before signing.
Madison rental-market context
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Madison, Wisconsin reports an owner-occupied housing-unit rate of 46.0% for 2020-2024. That implies about 54.0% renter-occupied housing units in the locality. Median gross rent was $1,413.
These city-level figures help identify markets where lease, roommate and sublease information may be especially relevant, but they do not measure campus-specific housing demand or predict an individual renter's situation.