Frequently Asked Questions

Needed for application:
Two forms of ID (License, Passport, Social Security card, Government Issued ID)
Proof of one month worth of income
Reservation fee $249 ($49 due with the application)
We do allow co-signers

Considered for approval:
Credit score
Rental history
Background check
Income (must make three times the monthly rent)
Maximum occupancy – two residents per bedroom*
Renter’s insurance

Residents at Champion communities are responsible for their water & sewer and electric bills, with a trash fee usually added to monthly rent. All residents receive water & sewer and electric bills to their home and must pay the bills to each utility company. Your property managers will kindly set up your utility services into your name upon your move in.

Champion’s minimum lease length is 6 months. We have flexible lease terms between 6 and 14 months to offer you options that best suit your needs.

Champion is proud to partner with CORT Furniture, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, to provide our residents with fully-furnished homes. You have a variety of packages and add-ons to choose from to equip your home with the items you need. Additional fees are required for these furnishing packages. From furniture, to electronics, to linens and pots and pans, we can make your apartment home ready to live in before you arrive. Please ask your leasing office to show you more information about our furnishing packages and fees.

Yes, proof of renter’s insurance is required prior to move-in. We require all of our residents to carry personal liability renter’s insurance with a minimum coverage of $300,000. Renter’s insurance can often be bundled with your current car insurance for a minimal fee per month. Please call your personal insurance agent for information about obtaining renter’s insurance and make sure to have them add The Champion Companies as an additional insured on your policy.

Absolutely! All Champion communities are pet friendly. Restricted breeds include Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Dalmatians, Staffordshire Terriers, Chows, Akitas, Huskies, and Alaskan Malamutes. Residents are allowed no more than 3 pets per apartment; a maximum of 2 dogs, and a maximum combined weight of 80 lbs. Prior to move in, a non-refundable pet fee of $400 is required. Pet rent is $40 per month, per pet. Also, fish tanks are permitted on the first floor of apartment buildings only and must be under 40 gallons.

Yes, we do! Residents who work for one of the numerous companies in our Preferred Employer Program receive a $200 discount on their $249 reservation fee for the application process, as well as 50% off our $400 pet fee! View our Preferred Employer List to find out if you qualify!

Champion prides itself on providing renters in Central Ohio a place to live in desirable locations with top-rated school districts. You will find a Champion community in the following school districts: Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Gahanna, Hilliard, Olentangy, and Worthington.

Rent is due on the 1st of every month. However, residents are given a 3 day grace period. If you pay on the 4th or later, you will be charged a late fee and you are required to pay in certified funds (money order, cashier’s check, or a credit card with a 2.95% fee). You can also pay online or with our Resident Mobile App, using your resident account username and password.

*Please note electronic payment processing fees are as follows:
ACH Payments: Payments processed electronically with a bank account and routing number will not incur any additional fees.

Credit Cards: Credit card payments are subject to a processing fee of 2.95%.

Debit Cards: Debit card transactions are charged a flat fee based on the amount of the transaction.
$0-$999.99 is subject to a $3.95 processing fee per transaction
$1000-$1999.99 is subject to a $4.95 processing fee per transaction
$2000+is subject to a $9.95 processing fee per transaction

In addition to your monthly rent, residents will pay a $25/month trash fee and a $10-$15/month amenity fee. Amenity fees vary based on community. Residents may also pay monthly pet rent, garage or storage rental fees, if applicable.

Also, residents are responsible for electric and water usage, which will be paid directly to our utility partners. If residents elect to have cable and/or internet service set up, they will be responsible for paying those fees directly to that provider as well.

Yes, we do! We are happy to pay a referral fee to residents who refer a friend or family member to live at our community! When your referral signs a 10 month lease or longer and moves in, we will give you $250. If they sign a 6 to 9 month lease, you can receive $125! Refer a friend by visiting this page, or in your Resident Mobile App.

We will sign for your USPS, UPS, DHL and FedEx packages at the clubhouse if you are not home to receive them***. We will keep them at the office until you have time to pick them up. The United States Postal Service will either leave the key to a larger parcel box in your mailbox, or a slip notifying you whether your package has been delivered to the leasing office or taken back to the Post Office for you to pick up. Our staff will do our best to notify you when we have a package for you, however, this is not a guarantee. Please bring your ID to pick up a package.

***Not every Champion community has the ability to store packages. Please check with the office staff.

A maintenance emergency includes but is not limited to no heat, no AC when the home is 76° or greater, no electricity, no water, broken pipes, non-working appliances; including washer/dryer, fire damage, flooding, non-flushing toilet, and being locked out of your home during non-office hours. If any of these occur during non-office hours, please call our Emergency Maintenance Hotline at 614.722.7318.

Painting is permitted, however it is mandatory that you paint the walls back to their original color. If you do not paint the walls back to the original color charges will be incurred. Additional charges may also be incurred if there is paint on the ceilings and/or baseboards that are not painted back to their original color as well.

Absolutely! Champion is proud of the difference we’re making in the community, but even more proud that we’re doing it together with the help of our residents. You can join our mission by rounding up your rent $1 every month. It may not seem like much, but when you take into account all of the apartments that Champion owns, we have the potential to make a huge impact. Plus, Champion matches each resident’s donation dollar for dollar. Sign up to Round Up Your Rent by visiting this page, or in your Resident Mobile App.

You must give at least 60 days notice in writing before your lease is up if you do not choose to renew. To do this you must fill out an “Intent to Vacate” form, which you can pick up in the leasing office. Please contact your property managers to discuss further. The 60-notice will begin at the date the notice is given, meaning if written notice is given with less than 60 days remaining on the lease, you will be financially responsible for additional days past your original lease termination date.

You are responsible for your rent through the terms that are stated in your lease agreement. If breaking a lease agreement is necessary, Champion still requires a 60 day notice (which you are financially responsible for), plus an additional two months of rent (for a total of 4 months), plus a $1,500 lease break fee, plus paying back any rent concessions that were given upon move in. You must live in your community for at least 6 months to be able to exercise our lease break policy. Residents may also try to find someone to do a lease-takeover for their apartment to avoid incurring these charges. Anyone who does a lease-takeover must fill out an application through Champion so that they may be properly screened and approved by our office.

***In the case of military deployment, with proof of deployment paperwork, the resident is required to give a 30 day notice and is financially responsible through those 30 days. However, the other lease break fees do not apply. Deployment paperwork will sever the lease agreement between the community and the deployed only (so if there is a non-spouse roommate, they are still bound by the lease agreement).

Please allow our Asset Recovery Department approximately 30 days from the day that you move out to receive your file, process it, assess any damages or lack thereof, and issue a refund check or a balance due letter. Both refund checks and balance due letters are mailed to the forwarding address provided when keys are turned in, and include an itemized account ledger. For questions regarding the status of your account, please call the Security Deposit Hotline at (614) 653-8115 or email to [email protected].