Should I pre-lease or move now?
Your lease ends in a few months, and you’re torn between a building that opens soon and one that’s leasing today. Both can work. The right choice depends on how your dates line up and how much delay you can absorb. Buildings still in pre-leasing are on our opening soon page, and this guide walks through the choice step by step.
Step 1: Put your dates side by side
Write down three dates:
- Your lease end. The day you must be out.
- The opening estimate. The building’s first move-in date, and when we heard it.
- Your latest workable move-in. How late you could move if things slip.
If the opening estimate lands well before your lease end, pre-leasing is easier. If it lands right on top of it, plan a backup.
| Gap between opening and lease end | What we’d suggest |
|---|---|
| Opening is 4+ weeks before lease end | Pre-leasing can work, with written delay terms |
| Opening is within a few weeks of lease end | Pre-lease only with a backup building lined up |
| Opening is after lease end | Move now, or ask about month-to-month at your current place |
Step 2: Compare the special by stage
Pre-leasing specials can be generous, because the building wants momentum before it opens. Buildings in early lease-up often match or beat them. We compare both with the same math: net effective, true monthly and year two.
Renewal starts from base in every case. At the board’s median special, year two jumped about 18% (board math, Oct 25, 2026).
Estimates are not dates
We mark every opening estimate with the date we heard it, and it stays unconfirmed until the community confirms it in writing.
Step 3: Weigh the delay risk
Openings slip for weather, inspections and the certificate of occupancy. Ask:
- What does the move-in delay clause say?
- Is the holding deposit refundable if the date moves?
- Does the community offer interim housing, a transfer or a credit?
- Can you cancel if the unit isn’t ready by a set date?
Our guide on what happens if it’s not ready covers these in detail.
Step 4: Check what’s finished
A building leasing today may have finished amenities, more reviews and less construction. A building that opens soon will likely have work continuing around you. Our page on buildings leasing now shows the build-status chip for each.
Step 5: Decide, and set a backup
- Pre-lease if the dates have room, the terms are clear, and the special is meaningfully better.
- Move now if your dates are tight, you need finished amenities, or the special is about the same.
Either way, we keep a backup building in mind until you have keys.
A worked timing example
Here’s a hypothetical renter whose lease ends March 31.
| Option | Move-in | Gap risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building opening soon | Estimated March 1 | Low, about 4 weeks of buffer | Pre-lease with a written delay clause |
| Building opening soon | Estimated March 25 | High, under a week of buffer | Only with a backup lined up |
| Building leasing today | Any date in March | None | Finished amenities, more history |
With four weeks of buffer, pre-leasing is reasonable. With under a week, a slip could leave you without a place, so a backup building or a short extension at your current place becomes essential.
When waiting usually isn’t worth it
If the special at the opening is about the same as one at a building leasing today, and the dates are tight, moving now often makes more sense. You get a finished building and no delay risk for the same price.
How do we help?
Send us your lease end, move date, size and all-in budget. We’ll line up openings and leasing buildings side by side, get the reservation and delay terms in writing, and keep a backup ready, the same day during hours.