"Apartments available now!" said one advertisement in Tuesday's Tribune. "Lease signing has begun," said another.

They're not kidding: Two weeks into October and eight months before new leases start, the annual campus apartment hunt is in full swing.

John Hennessy, president of the Hennessy Group, which owns and manages St. James Court, the Nicole and the Kilbourn Knoll Historic Apartments, said the timeline for students looking for apartments has been creeping forward over the past decade.

"It seems like it's gotten earlier and earlier for the most part," said Hennessy, who said he first began leasing on campus in 1994.

He said he typically does not begin signing leases for his properties until October because he does not want to put pressure on his tenants too early.

"I think it's a little hard for the people who just get back to school, and they're being asked, 'Are you going to renew your lease or not,' " he said. "That's not very welcoming."

But the area's housing cycle means he can only wait so long, he said.

"We try to hold back a little bit, but we can't hold back too much because we'd like to lease our product," he said.

Hennessy isn't the only landlord keeping busy this time of year. Joey Trapani, property manager of 2040 Lofts, said prospective lessees have been coming through since September.

"We have people coming for tours, and we have had people sign leases," he said.

Leases at 2040 Lofts run from June to June or from August to July, according to Trapani.

Pam Twohig, office manager for Renee Row apartments, said the flow of interested students "has been steady since September."

"People are coming in and doing tours, but we definitely have apartments available," she said.

In a Sept. 12 e-mail to all sophomores, Stacie Dooley, assistant dean of university apartments and off-campus student services, encouraged students to take their time in hunting for apartments.

"I believe that as students, you really have the power to control the leasing timeline in the neighborhood if you choose to take time looking at your options," she said in the e-mail. "One of the myths (of apartment hunting) is that you have to sign a lease for next year before fall midterms," she said. "This is simply not true."

She also said the university deliberately postponed the release of the 2006-'07 tenant guide this year "to give students some breathing room" between the start of the academic year and the process of searching for housing.

She said signups for university apartments, which usually begin in late October, will be pushed back this year in an effort to give students more time to figure out their plans for the following year.

She said housing is available in a number of places even after fall classes begin that semester.

But Hennessy said that as the end of the year approaches, units go quickly.

"You might find something after the first of the year, but it's not likely," he said.