Reginald Noble
Banned
I think they meant the amount could cover rent for a year if budgeted wisely, not that she should hand over a year's worth of rent at once. They're talking about saving.
When you have bad credit or no credit (I was in the same circumstance as her and had to pay a year upfront as a student with no credit) this is life. You have to pay in advance in large sums for many things like housing or a car etc.