Please always refer first to your lease for any and all questions
Before searching for your question, please log-in to the DTS Student Hub (see upper right corner of the website, next to the Search bar). Some pages on the DTS Housing website can only be viewed once you are logged in.
Applying for Housing
Quick Links: Housing Options | Housing Application Process | Eligibility Requirements | Roommates
On-Campus Housing leases default to leases with a May 31 end-date. If you are moving in between March-May, you will receive a lease extending to May 31 of the following year. One Semester Only Leases (leases ending in December in the same year) are available upon request at a premium rent rate during select times of the year. Near-Campus Housing leases are typically 12-month leases but will vary by property. Please always check your lease-end date prior to signing any contracts.
Leases do not automatically renew. You must apply for renewal prior to the end of every lease term, within the deadlines posted by Housing. For more information, please see Lease Renewals & Extensions, Dates & Deadlines, and make sure to attend Housing events. Renewal season is typically February-April and September-October of every year.
Your Housing application is valid for one year. After the year, you will need to reapply to renew your application. You may receive emails in the interim that require actions to be taken in order to move forward or stay on the waitlist; please check your DTS email often and follow all deadlines. Please note that regardless of how early you apply, your eligibility status for Housing will not be able to be confirmed until you have registered for classes for the semester you will start living in Housing.
Applying early does improve your chances at receiving Housing, although this is not the only factor that will influence your offer status (eligibility and apartment availability will always take precedent).
It is your responsibility to find an eligible roommate to live with if you desire a roommate. If you find yourself struggling to find someone, please reach out to the Housing Office; while Housing does not and cannot place roommates together, occasionally the Office may be able to connect prospective residents with each other to discuss a possible roommate match. You can find resources and more helpful information on Roommates.
Your security deposit and first month’s pro-rated rent are due before move-in, with the security deposit due during lease signing. Please see your offer letter for specific deadlines; generally, your security deposit is due within three days of signing your lease and your first month’s rent is due anytime prior to your move-in day. Your first month’s rent will be posted once your lease has been fully executed (signed by all adults in your apartment and countersigned by the Housing Office). All charges posted to your AppFolio portal reflect the charges for the whole apartment unless otherwise indicated.
Renter’s insurance is highly encouraged so that you can protect your assets in case of catastrophe, but it is not required at this time.
Yes, we allow international students who have been accepted into an eligible DTS program to apply for Housing prior to receiving their visa. Please fill out the Part 1 application and make sure that you are communicating with the International Development Office (internationaloffice@dts.edu) about your visa and application process. You will not be able to receive an apartment offer until the International Office has approved your status. If you are looking for roommates, you may join RoomSync and look for roommates but it is your responsibility to communicate your visa situation to your roommates.
Limited ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible apartments are available for individuals with ADA needs. DTS Housing may offer the apartment to residents who do not meet the ADA requirements until the apartment is requested by a resident who does meet the ADA requirements.
The ADA accessibility features include a shower (no tub), no storage under the bathroom or kitchen sinks, and slightly lower countertops.
Please indicate on your application if you require an ADA accessible apartment.
Students at our Houston and Washington, DC, campuses and other regional locations should contact their advisors for information about off-campus housing options in those cities.
Moving
Quick Links: Moving In | Moving Out
Arrive at the start of your move time unless you have confirmed a late arrival with the Housing Office. Please park on St. Joseph Street in front of Washington Apartments (1107 Saint Joseph Street, Dallas TX 75204). The Housing Office is located on the first floor directly across from the lobby doors. Please come in to retrieve your keys. Once you receive your keys:
- Washington residents will have access to the Washington Parking Lot where you can park your moving vehicle in the loading zone.
- Swindoll residents should park their moving truck at the Swindoll Tower Loading Dock (3900 Floyd Street, Dallas TX 75204). The truck should be parked next to the ramp to the left of the dumpster. Please make sure you do not block access to the dumpster; if City Garbage employees are not able to drive their truck to the dumpster to pick up garbage because of your moving truck, you will be fined.
We allow new residents to arrange for a proxy to pick up keys on their behalf in select circumstances, but you and your proxy will need to sign paperwork authorizing your proxy to pick up your keys. Please note that your rent charges will start on the day that keys are picked up for your apartment, whether by your proxy or yourself. Please contact the Housing Office for more information.
During peak move seasons (May/August), the Bulk Trash Room in Washington will be locked and reserved for vacating residents due to the massive influx of bulk trash items. Washington residents should place a maintenance request for bulk trash pick-up during this time.
Outside of peak move season, please deposit all bulk trash items in the 2nd floor Bulk Trash Room if you are a Washington resident. Swindoll residents must place a maintenance request in AppFolio for bulk trash pick-up.
Quick Links: Plumbing & Trash | Using AppFolio
Like many of our Housing policies, this fee is set in place to protect the time, effort, and finances of everyone involved in a move season. Please know that we have a small but mighty team in Housing and often have up to hundreds of residents moving at once. Your move and especially your move date affects teams, contractors, other families moving at the same time, and more. We thank you for your support and understanding in facilitating a smooth move season!
You may book additional furniture moves after your initial move time using the links provided on the page for Moving Out. Please be considerate to others moving at the same time and only book what you need. Remember that your keys must be returned at the end of your last move!
Your security deposit will be returned within 30 days of your move-out date. If you had roommates, your deposit will be returned within 30 days of the last person’s move-out date. Please make sure that you opted for direct deposit/ACH payment on your Notice to Vacate form for the fastest security deposit refund. For more information, please see Charges Explained.
If the apartment has not been re-rented, you may come to the Housing Office and a staff member may be able to access your mailbox on your behalf. However, this is not guaranteed and apartments are almost always immediately re-rented, so please make sure to change your mailing address or set up mail forwarding well in advance so that you do not lose any important mail.
Leasing
Quick Links: Charges Explained | Ledger Reconciliations | Using AppFolio
AppFolio is the online portal we use for resident payments, maintenance requests, lease signing, submitting Notice to Vacate forms, and more. This is where you will find your rent charges and pay your bills. You can pay your balance using the “Make a Payment” button via E-Check, debit card, or credit card in AppFolio. Please note that we do not receive cash payments for rent at the Housing Office. For more help navigating AppFolio, check out Using AppFolio. For information regarding payment methods, check out Charges Explained or Section 1.4 of your Lease.
Your AppFolio balance (shown on your home page) may include the next month’s rent and any extra fees or charges you have yet to pay off. If you share an apartment with a roommate, please remember the balance reflects the amount due for the whole apartment, not just for yourself. It is your responsibility to talk to your roommate to do the math and reconcile your ledger to understand your charges; Housing does not get involved in financial agreements between roommates. When in doubt, pay your full month’s rent by the due date every time. For the most clear breakdown of your charges, navigate to the Payment tab and click “View full account ledger.” You can find additional helpful information under “Rent & Other Charges”.
Late fees are charged for any balance over $0.00 on your account after the 5th of the month. If the 5th of the month falls on a Sunday or a DTS-observed holiday, rent will be considered late one business day after the 5th. Everyone in your apartment will receive a late fee email notifying you of the charge and consequences when you are late. Please read the late policy carefully (Section 1.4 of your lease, Charges Explained) to avoid further penalty; accumulating a balance or multiple late fees comes with additional consequences.
We’re sorry to see you go. Early termination of your lease will cost a fee of one month’s rent and you will continue to be responsible for monthly rent payments until the apartment is re-rented or until the end of the Lease, whichever comes first. We ask that you review the full financial consequences of breaking your lease in Section 1.10 of your lease and speak to a Housing staff member before making your decision; we’d like to walk with you through any situation you may be in, and discuss any alternative options you may have.
If you must break your lease, go to Moving Out and follow the two-step process to schedule your move-out and submit your Notice to Vacate. A staff member will be in touch shortly to confirm your decision.
Exceptions to early termination consequences are made for those military personnel who must pursue early termination for military reasons. Those situations include:
Resident enlists, is drafted, or is commissioned in the U.S. Armed Forces.
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 for more than 30 days in response to a national emergency as declared by the President.
Resident receives orders to deploy with a military unit or as an individual in support of a military operation for 90 days or more.
Resident receives orders for a permanent change of station.
To terminate the lease without penalty for military reasons, the resident must provide to DTS Housing:
A copy of the resident’s military orders such as a permanent change-of-station orders, call-up orders, or deployment orders.
A Notice to Vacate through the resident’s online portal.
A scheduled move-out date through Calendly Move Calendar.
The seminary will strive to accommodate the military’s recommendations for Post-Deployment Stabilization.
All exception requests must be submitted through the exception request form on the Housing website, under On Campus Living. Do not make these requests by email. The exception request form can only be found by logging into the DTS StudentHub (top right corner of the Housing website, next to the search bar). Once you are logged in, the Exception Requests tab will show the form. Please fill out the Exception Request form and give as much detail as possible. Please know that exception requests are usually only approved in cases of emergency or extenuating circumstance (death in the family, medical emergency, home country has closed its borders due to war). However, if your request is not approved, DTS Housing will work with you so that you understand what alternative options you may have and what resources the Seminary provides in your particular circumstances. Please always try to communicate with the Housing Office so that we can help however we can.
DTS allows anyone to Give to a Student (anonymously or otherwise) via online payment. You can make recurring donations and, if you would like the donation to go to rent in particular, you may make a note on your donation that the donation is for rent. Thank you for supporting this student’s journey at DTS!
Please see Section 5.1 of your lease.
The following is our general policy for fees relating to services performed and/or violations to this Lease or the policies on the DTS Housing website. Examples of common violations for each Tier are given below, but DTS Housing reserves the right to determine the appropriate Tier and fee according to the severity of the violation.
Tier 1: Notice of Violation
Tier 2: $10 Fee
e.g., Loss of Mailbox Key, Second Emergency Let-In
Tier 3: $50 Fee
e.g., Delinquent Rent, Ledger Reconciliation
Tier 4: $100 Fee
e.g., Move Date Change, Late Lease Renewal Past 45 Days
Tier 5: $250 Fee
e.g., Negligently Triggering Smoke Alarm, Occupying Vacated Space
Tier 6: Risk of Eviction
e.g., Habitual Violations, Violating Tenant Conduct, Delinquent Rent Past 90 Days
Fees do not include the cost of repair for violations that result in damage to DTS property.
On-Campus Living
Quick Links: Maintenance | Plumbing & Trash | Mail, Building Access, Parking
For all emergencies where you believe that your physical safety or the physical safety of others is in immediate or imminent danger, call 9-1-1.
In the event of a maintenance emergency, the resident must call the DTS Housing emergency number: 214-887-5213. In the case that the call is not picked up, always leave a detailed voice message. The Apartment Manager may be resolving another emergency and will do their best to return the call within 30 minutes.
Quick Links: Maintenance | Emergency Protocols
You may contact AT&T (Washington Apartments) or Spectrum (Swindoll Tower) to contract internet for your apartment. The buildings are wired for these services and are the most popular options among our residents. Once you schedule your installation date, you will need to pick up the key to the Communications Room from the Housing Office so that the installation representative can get access for the installation. For security reasons, we ask that you accompany the representative while they are in the building. We cannot confirm your residency in the building if they come to the office without you.
Fill out the Mail Services New Resident Registration form to receive notifications when a package has arrived for you at DTS Mail Services. Located at 4023 Floyd Street, residents may pick up their packages from the center during open hours.
- TXU Electric: www.txu.com/move; (800) 316-2135
- Reliant: www.reliant.com; (866) 735-4268
- Rhythm: www.gotrhythm.com; (888) 492-0217
Please schedule your electricity to start on your move-in date to avoid any extraneous charges. If you do not set up your electricity for your apartment and we receive bills for usage, you may incur a fine on top of the bill for the usage.
Washington Apartments residents do not need to contract for electricity. Electricity is included in the monthly rent rate.
Each fob is unique and if lost or stolen, should be reported to the Housing Office immediately. The Housing Office is able to disable most devices to prevent a breach in security. Residents will be charged fees for lost access devices. Some access devices are more expensive than others to replace and will be charged higher fees accordingly.
If the lost access device is subsequently found and returned within 30 days, the resident will be reimbursed half of the originally charged fees in the form of credit to the resident’s online portal.
Any request to be let into one’s apartment or bedroom by the Office will incur fees after the first instance.
If the resident’s keys are dropped down the elevator shaft, the resident may choose to either:
Pay for a new set of keys to be made and the cost of emergency let-ins. A new set can be picked up from the Housing Office
Elect to pay for the elevator technicians to come retrieve the keys. In this situation, the resident will receive a temporary Building Entry Fob until the technicians retrieve the keys
Pets are not allowed on campus grounds, even temporarily, other than fish in small tanks that are no larger than 10 gallons. However, we do allow assistance animals (service or emotional support animals) as a reasonable accommodation.
The City of Dallas requires that all Service Animals and ESAs be microchipped and maintain up-to-date vaccinations for rabies. Violations of these laws can result in fines through the city of Dallas ($50/day for microchipping and $100/day for rabies vaccines for every day not in compliance). You are responsible for contacting the Housing Office to fill out the proper paperwork (including a lease addendum) and ensuring your paperwork (e.g. vaccination information) stays up to date during your animal’s stay in Housing.
Other policies to note:
- All animals must be on a leash at all times when outside of the resident owner’s apartment.
- Animals may not defecate in the building or in the courtyard of the property.
- If a resident, any guest, or occupant violates animal restrictions (with or without knowledge), the resident will be subject to Tier 4 violation fees in escalating increments.
- If an animal has been in the apartment at any time during a resident’s term of occupancy (with or without consent from DTS Housing), the resident must pay for all cleaning and repair costs, including damage to laundry machines due to pet hair, defleaing, deodorizing, and shampooing as necessary.
- If a resident’s animal defecates inside the building, please notify the Housing Office so that the proper sanitation protocols can be followed for waste removal and cleaning.
Conducting certain types of businesses out of your apartment (selling goods, providing childcare, etc.) requires adherence to legal regulations and requirements. Inform the Housing Office prior to beginning any business activities and make sure you have the correct legal permits to do so. DTS Housing common spaces may not be used for conducting business. The Housing Office sometimes hosts an Entrepreneurial Exchange, where entrepreneurs may sell their goods. Please refer to Section 2.6 of your lease, the DTS Student Handbook, or the Housing Office for additional information.
F1 International Students: It is a violation of your visa to sell anything while on this visa, whether it be something you make (like baked goods) or something you own. This includes selling textbooks, clothes, household items, etc. in the building group chats.
DTS prohibits the possession and use of firearms and other potential weapons (e.g. knives, clubs, swords, spears, axes, arrows) on or in its property. This prohibition includes any devices that might reasonably be mistaken for a firearm or other weapon and applies to the Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Washington DC locations as well as all DTS owned or leased classrooms, offices, residential areas, and/or library spaces used by DTS for lodging and educational purposes.
Some states, including the state of Texas, allow a license holder to carry a concealed handgun on property or in buildings owned or leased by an institution of higher education. However, as a private institution, the seminary is allowed to and has opted out of this provision. Firearms are prohibited in any DTS owned building or site where DTS classes are held or services provided and are prohibited in DTS vehicles only. In states where it is legal, license holders may keep firearms in their vehicles while parked on campus or at an extension site. Exceptions to this policy must be authorized in advance and in writing by the administration. A confidential request for exception is available by sending an email to the DTS chief of police at jbloom@dts.edu.
DTS also strictly prohibits the declaration, display, or inadvertent disclosure of a firearm by a license holder. The open carry of a firearm on the premises, on any public or private driveway, street, walkway, or parking area of any institution of higher education is prohibited by Texas and other states’ laws.
Furthermore, DTS weapons policy prohibits the display of other weapons, or imitations thereof, or bladed instruments with blades longer than 5.5 inches unless in an enclosed, secured display case that precludes the ready access to the weapon. According to Texas House Bill 1935 (2017) and Texas Penal Code 46, DTS is “location restricted” to include its owned or leased residential areas and prohibits carrying knives with blades longer than 5.5 inches. Knives are considered weapons as are any bladed hand instrument capable of inflicting severe bodily injury or death by cutting or stabbing a person with the instrument. The 5.5-inch measurement includes the length of the flat-edged part of the knife, up to but not including the handle. Types of knives include throwing stars (and any other type of throwing knife), swords, spears, switchblade knives, pocketknives, and Balisongs (butterfly knives). Moreover, blades under 5.5 inches are expected to be stored responsibly and in a non-threaten manner. NB: DTS exempts cutlery stored in the residential kitchens for culinary purposes.
Violations of the DTS Weapons Policy is a serious offense and will be referred to both internal administrative and external police authorities.
All bicycles on campus are required to display a DTS decal so that the owners can be identified. Decals are available at no charge from the Housing Office. Please stop by the Housing Office during business hours if you need a decal for your bike.
Do not store your bikes in hallways and common spaces. These can pose a fire hazard and may violate the City of Dallas Fire Code or the terms of your lease. If you are looking for space to store your bikes outside of your apartment: In Swindoll Tower, there are bike racks where you may store your bike. In order to park your bicycle on the bike rack, the bike must be in good working condition, have a decal, and have a lock. In Washington Apartments, there are storage cages that you may rent monthly in order to store your bike (and other possessions).
Please refer to Section 3.5 of your lease for a full list of prohibitions around decorations and alterations to property. Generally, you are free to decorate the inside of the apartment but do not use tape, Command hooks, or adhesives that may damage the wall. Small holes in the wall from nails or push pins are allowed. You may also decorate the exterior of your apartment within the designated “porch” area (indicated by the grey carpeted area directly outside your entry door. For more information, please see Emergency Protocols under Fire Code).
Do not make any alterations to permanent fixtures of the unit, including to plumbing fixtures. New shower heads may be installed on your behalf via maintenance request.
Any damage to property or violation to your lease discovered during your stay or at move-out will be charged to your AppFolio portal.
In Washington Apartments, there are twenty-one storage cages of medium or large size available for rental. Residents renting a storage cage will need to sign a lease addendum and pay a monthly fee based on cage size for the duration of the rental. In order to rent a storage cage or be added to the waitlist for one, please contact the Housing Office.
Only Washington Apartments residents are qualified to rent storage cages. Residents are responsible for cleaning after vacating or they will be charged.
Medium storage cage – 4′ x 4’8″ ($8.00/month)
Large storage cage – 5′ x 4′ ($10.00/month)
Residents may have guests but should refer to Section 2.4 of their lease for the guest policy. Guests staying longer than 10 days in any month must receive written approval from DTS Housing. For more long-term stays, you may be required to add the guest to your lease. Please note that all guests must be escorted by a resident at all times while on campus and in the residential buildings.
The DTS Guest Rooms are an amenity of the Seminary located on the first floor of Washington Apartments. Intended primarily for DTS students, staff, faculty, Seminary event guests (visiting speakers, etc.), prospective students, and family/friends of DTS Housing residents, the Guest Rooms may be booked via the quick links below. Please note this is not a hotel service.
Quick Links: Guest Rooms | Request a Booking
Contact Us
Still have questions? We’re here to help! The Housing Office can be reached at housing@dts.edu. Emails will automatically be directed to the appropriate staff member. You may also call the office at 214-887-5213 with any questions or to schedule an in-person appointment with a staff member.
The Housing Office is open Monday thru Friday, 8am to 4:30PM Central Time and Saturday, 8am to 12PM Central Time. The office can be found on the first floor of Washington Apartments (1107 Saint Joseph Street).
