Knowing when to sign an apartment lease without being left behind in the shuffle or gypped by some scamming landlord can be a problem.

Most managers agree students should start apartment hunting as soon as possible. However, others believe students should take their own sweet time.

Bromley Apartments Manager Susan Cassens said she believes many students sign their leases too early. “Do not feel pressured to look around,” she said. “Be a smart shopper.”

Cassens, a member of the DeKalb Tenant Union, recommends students thoroughly look over their leases and request to see the apartment before signing anything.

She said her complex contains 47 apartments and has a 20-25 percent renewal rate from returning tenants. Students can start signing leases Feb. 1, but most students sign between May and August, she said.

First Ward Ald. Amy Polzin is also a member of the Tenant Union. She said she usually does not sign a lease until a couple of months before the semester.

“I’ve never bothered looking too early. I’ve always been relatively satisfied,” she said.

However, Joyce Williams, manager for Lincolnshire West, said students should start looking for apartments right now and begin signing leases soon.

“The ones who start looking early have a better selection,” she said.

Williams said she conducts interviews until the middle of March and leases are signed around spring break.

Varsity Square manager Caroline Lane said her apartments were filled by May last year. “The sooner students start looking, it’s better for them,” she said.

She said she will know how many complexes will be available next month when tenants have the opportunity to renew their leases.

Kay Berkshire, manager for College Square Apartments, recommends students start looking now. Her complex has 162 apartments and usually has a 50 percent renewal rate.

“We won’t know what’s available until the end of this month,” she said.