The Ann Arbor Leasing Calendar: When to Look
Markdown duplicate of /guides/ann-arbor-leasing-calendar.
# The Ann Arbor Leasing Calendar: When to Look
Ann Arbor rents on two calendars at once — the U-M academic year and the medical training year. When to start looking, by who you are.
- **Canonical page:** https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/guides/ann-arbor-leasing-calendar
- **Markdown page:** https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/markdown/guides/ann-arbor-leasing-calendar
- **Last modified:** 2026-07-22
## Guide metadata
- **Published:** 2026-07-22
- **Updated:** 2026-07-22
- **Author:** Packard Row leasing
- **Theme:** audience
- **Target query:** when should I start looking for an apartment in Ann Arbor
- **Reading time:** 4 minutes
- **Primary keyword:** when to rent an apartment in Ann Arbor
## At a glance
- **Mar 19:** Match Day 2027 (NRMP)
- **Jul 1:** medical training year start
- **150 days:** city cap on early student leasing
Ann Arbor rents on two calendars at once. The University of Michigan academic year drives the student market, and the medical training year drives the hospital market. A third group — professionals who already live and work here — moves on no calendar at all.
When you should start looking depends on which calendar you are on. Sign at the wrong time for your market and you either panic-sign a year early or shop a picked-over field. Here is the timing, audience by audience.
## The two calendars
**The academic calendar** runs almost a year ahead. The Michigan Daily, citing a 2018 U-M Central Student Government survey, reports that 63 percent of students sign next-year leases in August and September, and 47 percent sign in the fall of the previous year — weeks into a lease they just started. The city pushed back in 2021 with an early-leasing ordinance: landlords cannot show a unit to new tenants until 150 days before the current lease expires. In practice, that means September leases can be shown and signed in March, and May leases in early December.
**The medical calendar** is fixed by the NRMP and the ACGME. Match Day lands the third Friday of March — March 19 in 2027 — and the training year starts July 1. Incoming residents and fellows sign in late March and April, most of them from out of state.
**The professional calendar** is really no calendar. Buildings that serve hospital staff, faculty, and tech workers lease year-round against job start dates and local move cycles.
## If you're a medical trainee
The verified dates for the 2027 cycle, from the NRMP: Match Week opens Monday, March 15, and Match Day is Friday, March 19, 2027, at noon Eastern. Training starts July 1.
The playbook that works: research neighborhoods in February, shortlist buildings before Match Week, and sign within two to four weeks of matching. Signing sight-unseen is normal for this cycle — live video tours, electronic leases, and smart-lock move-in handoffs are routine. The full playbook is in [the residency Match guide](/guides/michigan-medicine-residency-match), the drive is in [the Michigan Medicine commute guide](/guides/commute-to-michigan-medicine), and the housing picture is on the [Michigan Medicine housing page](/lp/michigan-medicine).
## If you're a postdoc or visiting scholar
Offer letters land year-round, so your calendar is personal. The window we see work: sign four to eight weeks before the appointment starts. Earlier risks committing before the paperwork settles; later risks thin inventory. The details — including how signing from abroad works — are in [the postdoc relocation guide](/guides/umich-postdoc-relocation) and on the [U-M faculty and staff housing page](/lp/umich-faculty-staff).
## If you're faculty or staff
Your timing follows the hiring cycle. Once the offer letter is in hand, a one-to-two-month runway is typical for landing in a professional building — enough time to tour properly instead of taking whatever is left. If a quiet, non-undergraduate building is the priority, [what to look for](/guides/quiet-apartments-near-um) is its own guide.
## If you already live here
Professional inventory does not have a season. Buildings generally confirm availability one to two months ahead of a move-in date, and the good units go to the people who were already looking. Packard Row prints availability dates on each floor plan page — as of this writing, the [Walnut one bedroom](/floorplans/walnut) lists August 14, 2026, and all three two-bedroom layouts are available now.
The practical mistake is waiting for a leasing season that does not apply to you — or the reverse, assuming you can wait until the week before you need keys. One to three months out is the sweet spot: early enough to have options, late enough that listings are real.
## The student-tower trap
The October panic is real — but it belongs to the student market. If you are not competing for a bed-space tower near campus, the 47-percent-sign-in-fall statistic does not govern your search. What it does affect is the margins: September is when student leases turn over citywide, which makes late summer simultaneously the busiest moving season and the hardest time to book movers, elevators, and trucks. A lease start that avoids the last week of August is worth real money and sanity.
## The practical playbook
| Who you are | When to sign | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Incoming resident or fellow | Late March to April | Match Day the third Friday of March; July 1 start |
| Postdoc or visiting scholar | 4 to 8 weeks before appointment | Offer letters land year-round |
| Faculty or staff | 1 to 2 months before start date | Hiring-cycle driven |
| Local mover | 1 to 2 months before target date | Buildings confirm availability close-in |
| Undergrad student | October to November, for next fall | The student-tower cycle, ordinance-capped |
Whichever calendar you are on, the answer to "when should I look" is earlier than feels necessary and later than the student market insists. [Contact the leasing office](/contact) and we will tell you what is available now, what is coming, and what timing makes sense for your start date.
## FAQ
### When should an incoming Michigan Medicine resident sign a lease?
Plan to sign in late March or April. Match Day lands the third Friday of March — March 19 in 2027 — and the training year starts July 1, so most incoming residents sign within a few weeks of matching.
### How far ahead do Ann Arbor students sign leases?
Far earlier than professionals. A 2018 U-M Central Student Government survey found 47 percent of students sign in the fall of the previous year, and a 2021 city ordinance bars showings more than 150 days before the current lease expires.
### When does Packard Row list apartment availability?
Year-round, with specific availability dates printed on each floor plan page. As of this writing, the Walnut one bedroom lists August 14, 2026, and all three two-bedroom layouts are available now.
### Can I sign a lease before I move to Ann Arbor?
Yes. Incoming residents and postdocs regularly sign sight-unseen: live video tours, electronic leases, and smart-lock move-in handoffs make remote signing routine.
## Related guides
- [michigan-medicine-residency-match](https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/guides/michigan-medicine-residency-match)
- [umich-postdoc-relocation](https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/guides/umich-postdoc-relocation)
- [commute-to-michigan-medicine](https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/guides/commute-to-michigan-medicine)